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Surfside Historical Walking Tours Return this October

Sep 29, 2021

Vintage Surf Club

The Town of Surfside's Historical Walking Tours will be returning starting in October following a one-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Previous iterations of the tour proved very successful with residents, visitors and other Miamians eager to explore one of Greater Miami’s most charming towns. The one-hour historic tours of the area will be offered free of charge at 11 a.m. on the following Sundays: October 24, November 14, January 9 and February 20.

South Florida native and HistoryMiami’s Resident Historian, Dr. Paul George, known for his ability to remember the most notable details about South Florida’s people and places, will lead the Surfside Historical Walking Tour, which will depart from Surfside’s Community Center (9301 Collins Avenue).

Dr. George will take attendees back in time to the most eminent landmark building in the community, The Surf Club, a place of myths and legends. Participants will be able to hear all about the place that was once the setting for lavish galas, black-tie dinners and booze during the Prohibition. The social club for the elite was the playground where the rich and famous and even heads of state like Frank Sinatra, Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor came to enjoy privacy and be seen at the same time.

A stroll through Collins Avenue’s historic district will expose attendees to the area’s collection of Art Deco and Miami Modern architectural buildings constructed between 1946 and 1957, both styles becoming a defining symbol of the area. The tour will bring history to life highlighting the town’s Mediterranean-revival-style buildings and homes still in existence, which were designed and built inspired by The Surf Club.

Dr. George will also cover the history of Surfside’s quaint, two-block commercial district on Harding Avenue, which was nonexistent prior to the immediate aftermath of World War II. Attendees will also learn about the area’s beloved and protected loggerhead turtles, which return each year to lay eggs on the beach.

Tours are sponsored by the Surfside Tourist Board.

REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE.
*Please note tickets will become available starting October 1.

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