Amelia Island or Ponte Vedra?
 

We're travelling to Orlando in Aug. with our three kids, ages 5, 8, and 10. We're looking for nice beaches and fun waves to play in. Heard the beaches aren't the nice white sand beaches, but can you still walk barefoot on them? Which would you recommend - Amelia Island or the area around Ponte Vedra for the nicer beaches?

Amelia island is a more rustic location, and happens to be farther away from anything else. (You need to catch a ferry to get over to Jax Beach and St Augustine, if you were considering making a daytrip.) the beach is wide. I prefer the beach at Little Talbot Island, which is just south of Amelia. But the beach at Amelia is very nice. They have horse back riding on the beach at Amelia.

Ponte Vedra is older, and has more of an "old money" feel. But it has gotten way crowded, and, some would say, overbuilt. the beach there is "shelly." It doesn't really have sand, but it is very pretty. the water tends to be a bit bluer than farther north.

I'm a big fan of Ponte Vedra and the Ponte Vedra Resort.

The Marriott Sawgrass is also very nice and has a beach tram (it isn't on the beach) that runs all the time.