The most useful answer to things to do in Surfside this summer is not a longer list. It is a tighter route.
Collins Avenue carries the oceanfront side of the day: beach access, public art, community events and polished evening dining. Harding Avenue supplies the counterpoint: breakfast, small-batch baking, creative stops and casual late-night food. Between them, 92nd and 93rd streets have become the neighborhood’s summer hinge.
That compact exchange is what makes Surfside feel especially current in 2026. Several of the season’s most relevant updates are concentrated within this short loop, from new turtle sculptures and free beach events to newer Harding Avenue businesses. At the same time, active dune restoration is changing how residents experience the familiar oceanfront path.
The summer turns at 92nd and 93rd streets
Start on Collins Avenue at the 92nd Street beach entrance. Two turtle sculptures were unveiled there in April 2026, extending Surfside’s public-art story one block south of the established Turtle Walk. New World School of the Arts students Nicole Serrano and Noah Caballero created the selected designs, and local artist Cavan Koebel painted them.
From there, continue to the Turtle Walk on 93rd Street between Collins and Harding. Its 13 large turtle sculptures, each painted by a local artist, make this cross street more than a passage between the beach and downtown. It is the point where the two sides of Surfside meet.
Residents who want to extend the art walk can continue north to Mother Turtle Ké at the 95th Street beach entrance. The sequence works because it is specific and compact: new pieces at 92nd, the established installation at 93rd and Ké at 95th.
The same area becomes Surfside’s event center on select summer Sundays.
Surfside Summer Sundays 2026
July 19: Soccer Summer final watch party, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
August 16: Kites & Bites, 3 to 6 p.m.
September 6: Slice & Surf, 3 to 6 p.m.
All three Summer Sundays events are free and take place at the 93rd Street beach. The July watch party is scheduled to include a large daytime screen, first-come seating, food, beverages, live music, shade and activities for children.
This is the season’s clearest local pattern. Surfside is placing public art, recreation and community programming at the exact point where Collins and Harding connect.
Collins Avenue is familiar, but the beachfront is changing
A resident’s guide should acknowledge what a generic visitor itinerary often misses: the oceanfront is being actively renewed this summer.
Surfside’s dune-restoration project began May 11, 2026, along the beachfront from 87th to 96th streets. The work includes dune elevation and stabilization, native vegetation and maintenance or enhancement of the beach walking path. Final completion is anticipated by September 8.
The beach remains part of the daily routine, but residents may encounter temporary access changes, construction activity and adjusted pedestrian paths. That makes flexibility useful. If one entrance is affected, follow posted directions rather than assuming the route you used last week will be identical today.
For July, the beach lifeguard tower is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Community Center’s main pool is listed from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with separate recreational swimming hours shown in the town schedule. Access and registration rules apply, so checking the current Parks and Recreation information before leaving home is a sensible step.
Surfside residents may also have access to daily beach-chair service through the Community Center. The town’s June 2026 operations report listed two chairs and one umbrella per household per day after check-in at the front desk. Availability and July procedures should be reconfirmed before planning around the service.
Two natural seasonal conditions also belong in the plan:
- Sargassum: The town describes March through October as the typical season. Accumulations vary with tides, wind and ocean temperatures. Miami-Dade County tractors work daily to cut and reposition the seaweed for natural decomposition.
- Sea-turtle nesting: The season runs from April 1 through October 31. After dark, unnecessary light visible from the beach should be limited. Curtains and blinds can help keep interior lighting from reaching the shore.
These details do not diminish a Collins Avenue beach day. They make the timing more informed. Go early for the walk, check conditions before swimming and treat the oceanfront as the living coastal environment it is.
Harding Avenue takes over when the day heats up
From the Turtle Walk, cross west to Harding Avenue. This is where Surfside’s summer shifts from shoreline to storefront.
For an early start, Bagel Boss Surfside opened at 9543 Harding Avenue in summer 2025. Its New York-style menu includes bagels, smoked fish, pastries, salads and coffee. A few doors away, Gifted Crust Bakery at 9523 Harding Avenue focuses on small-batch sourdough and pastries made with traditional slow fermentation and stone baking.
The two businesses create a useful morning choice. Bagel Boss works for a full breakfast or provisions to take toward the beach. Gifted Crust suits a quieter pastry-and-bread stop before continuing down the avenue.
By midday, the route can branch according to appetite:
- The Carrot for smoothies, salads, breakfast and lunch
- Josh’s Deli for contemporary interpretations of Jewish comfort food
- Sushi Republic for sushi, tempura and other Japanese dishes in a compact setting
- Street Kitchen for a more polished meal built around fish, meat and comfort-food preparations
The point is not to visit every address. Harding works best when treated as a progression, not a directory. Choose one anchor meal, then leave room for a stop that changes the pace.
That stop may be PotterMe at 9484 Harding Avenue. The paint-your-own-pottery studio offers an indoor creative option when the afternoon is hot or a rain shower interrupts beach plans. It also gives the two-street route substance beyond eating and drinking.
Later, Street Bar at 9561 Harding Avenue shifts the tone toward casual Mexican-inspired fare. The concept from Chef David Benrey, also associated with Street Kitchen, centers on tacos, burgers and approachable street food.
For a genuinely late Harding Avenue option, Holy Toast at 9520 Harding Avenue serves pressed-to-order kosher sandwiches. Its current published schedule lists service as late as 2 a.m. on several nights, with an earlier Friday close. Confirm hours directly before making it the final stop.
The evening can return to Collins
The two-street rhythm works in both directions. After Harding Avenue, Collins offers two very different ways to finish the day.
At 9449 Collins Avenue, the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside Sky Bar is advertised as reopened on weekends, weather permitting. Its skyline outlook makes it a natural sunset stop after an afternoon downtown. Since access and operating hours can change with weather or private events, confirm directly with the hotel before going.
Farther south, The Surf Club at 9011 Collins Avenue supplies the more formal close. Its current summer program includes Lido’s oceanfront dining, the Champagne Bar’s tableside cocktail cart, seasonal gelato and Fruttini frozen-fruit creations.
The Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller is open for dinner seven days a week. Reservations are accepted, while some bar and dining-room seating is available for walk-ins. For an occasion evening, the most reassuring plan is to reserve directly rather than depend on walk-in availability.
This return to Collins completes the neighborhood logic. The day begins with the Atlantic, crosses into Surfside’s small-business district and closes at the oceanfront again.
A resident’s two-street plan
For a summer day that feels local rather than overprogrammed, use this sequence:
- Begin on Collins with an early beach walk.
- See the new turtle sculptures at 92nd Street.
- Cross through the Turtle Walk at 93rd Street.
- Choose Bagel Boss, Gifted Crust or The Carrot on Harding.
- Use PotterMe as an indoor midday change of pace.
- Return to the beach or Community Center after checking current access and hours.
- Close with Summer Sundays, the Sky Bar, Street Bar or a reserved dinner at The Surf Club.
If the heat, rain or event traffic makes the loop less comfortable, Surfside’s on-demand Freebee service provides rides within its designated service area. Requests can be made through the app, with telephone assistance available for riders who need accessibility accommodations. Service details should be checked before setting out.
For a wider detour, 96th Street Park on Bay Drive has a PADL self-service station with paddleboards and kayaks, plus a kayak launch that operates until sunset. It sits outside the two-street loop, which is exactly why it works as an alternate plan rather than another stop to force into the same day.
Surfside’s summer advantage is concentration. The most interesting changes are close enough to read together: coastal restoration on Collins, newer independent stops on Harding and a public-art corridor at 93rd Street that binds both sides of town. Once that pattern is clear, the neighborhood offers more without asking residents to go farther.
For tailored coastal guidance informed by more than 25 years of South Florida experience, connect with Kimberly Rodstein. Request a private market consultation or exclusive listing preview.
