Choose an island made for fun: Pelican Island, a short, breezy boat ride away from Pelican Marina, ideal for beach picnics up to 400 people, or the Tom Sawyer Island, a magnet for children, reachable only by a swinging rope bridge.

• Pelican Island At Pelican Harbor
  1275 NE 79 Street
  Miami, Florida 33138
  305-754-9330
  Pelican Island, just over 400 yards offshore from the Pelican Harbor Marina, is like a large private picnic pavilion. Two enormous "chickees," or open huts with specially thatched roofs can seat 100 people each at their built-in tables and benches. Eighteen barbecue grills are scattered over the 10-acre island, with 40 picnic tables and three smaller chickees. There are horseshoe pits and a sand volleyball court, and the entire site is planted with native vegetation and flowering plants.
  
  There's lots of bird life to see and hear, and the clear shallow water around the island abounds with small marine life. Ride Miami-Dade Parks' 35-seat "Pelican" pontoon boat over to the island on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, or charter it during the week. You can also reach the island on your own boat.
  
  
• Tom Sawyer Island At Amelia Earhart Park
  401 East 65 Street
  Hialeah, Florida 33013
  305-769-2693
  The Tom Sawyer Island just outside the Bill Graham Farm Village at Amelia Earhart Park is truly a small child's paradise. Just an acre in size, the island draws kids like a magnet, who reach it by crossing a swinging rope bridge. Once there, crawl through a tunnel, past some rope netting (shades of Blackbeard the Pirate!) and come out to a playground full of swings and slides, a tower to climb, and a shelter to sit in. The island is fully landscaped and children can play and pretend to their heart's content. Combine it with a trip through the Farm Village with its big red barn, cows, goats and geese, for a whole day of fun to remember!