More Florida Getaway Ideas: SouthFlorida.com

Summer learning and relaxation, close to home
•At the luxurious new Acqualina resort on Sunny Isles, parents who reserve a one-bedroom luxury suite get two daily passes to the AcquaMarine Program for children ages 5 to 12. Kids play at being junior Coast Guard rescuers, learn about whales and sharks, build an edible reef and much more. Contact 888-ROSEWOOD or rosewoodhotels.com

•Camp AHOY! is a weeklong summer day program to teach boating safety and the marine environment to kids ages 10 to 15. Schedule your family vacation in the Fort Myers area, where kids can attend day sessions Monday through Friday for $995. Visit flsailandcruiseschool.com or call 800-262-7939.

Last Chance for Sonesta
The Sonesta Beach Resort Key Biscayne is scheduled to close in September. It will be torn down and a new resort will be built in its place. This is the last time to experience the resort -- and its award-winning "Just Us Kids" program -- the way that it's been since 1969. Summer deals at Sandestin and Breezes resorts
•Through Sept. 4, families at Sandestin on the famous, snow-white sands of North Florida, get some free meals for kids, an array of activities for teens, children's programs for age groups 3–5 and 6–10, and even a free round of golf for kids: 800-470-7389, www.sandestin.com.
•Breezes, the kid-friendly, all-inclusive SuperClubs resorts in the Caribbean, offer summer rates starting as low as $74 per person plus Kids Stay Free and Single Parents Special programs. See your travel agent, go to breezes.com or phone 800-467-8737.

Kids' favorite activities
What are the top recreation activities for children ages 6 to 17? According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association they are bowling, basketball, tent camping and freshwater fishing. Others in the top 25 include day hiking, skateboarding, ice-skating, inline and roller skating, horseback riding, tennis, and RV camping.

The best for kids in Turks & Caicos
Children ages 4–12 in the Conch Kritters Club at The Palms Resort in the Turks & Caicos use a playroom filled with toys and electronic games and participate in arts, crafts and excursions as well as kids' yoga, pilates and water aerobics taught by trained staff. The counselor ratio here is 1 to 5. For reservations at this ultra-exclusive resort call 866-877-7256 or go to www.thepalmstc.com.

Travel adventures with Grandma and Grandpa
•Special perks apply when children ages 6 to 14 travel on adventure trips with parents or grandparents. Always upscale and offbeat, A&K packages for families are found at abercrombieandkent.com or call 800-554-7092.
•On board RiverBarge cruises on American waterways, children under age 12 sleep free in their grandparents' stateroom and children ages 17 and under can have their own stateroom at 50 percent off. Call 888-462-2743.
•Two South Florida hotels that specialize in vacations for grandparents and their grandchildren are the Chesterfield Palm Beach (800-554-7256), where the Kids Getaway Package includes a Build-a-Bear Workshop and loads of other treats, and the new Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach (800-445-8667) where turndown service brings milk and cookies.

Tahiti for kids
Ambassadors of the Environment is a program for children ages 9 to 15, developed by Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. It's available on the luxurious, 330-passenger Paul Gauguin cruising out of Tahiti. Children visit a vanilla farm, see how black pearls are grown, swim with rays, hike in rain forests and participate in a turtle rescue. For a brochure call 800-285-1835 or 800-477-7500 or go to TheRegentExperience.com. Reservations are made through travel agents.

Don't forget Rover
You don't have to leave the family pet at home when you find pet-friendly lodgings with the help of the new AAA guide Traveling With Your Pet, eighth edition. More than 13,000 lodgings in the United States and Canada are listed in the $17.95 guidebook. Also listed are dog parks and pet-friendly campgrounds.