Sharon's Guidebook

There are only three policemen and 1 stop light on the island but they are vigilant and like to give tickets for speeding and not stopping at the stop signs. Also the main road is Fort Velasco Road is the only road that golf carts are NOT allowed on. they'll give you a ticket for that too!

If you're able to bring an electric scooter or a bicycle or rent a golf cart we highly recommend this. It adds to the fun of the day...especially if you have teenagers who get bored easily. You will see everybody cruising around throughout the day. It's fun to sit on your porch and wave at everyone

At least one morning you need to get up early for the sunrise. check the exact time on your phone the night before so you won't miss it. We usually get up early watch the sunrise from the seawall in our pajamas and then walk back to the house and drink our coffee on the porch. take a good camera for Best pictures.

Around sunset we recommend driving to the back of the island. It turns into a marsh land you can see the bridge. many different types of cranes and birds are there fishing. You can also fish and look for crabs. Big ships will come through there as well sometimes they stir up the water and dolphins will jump. You can see the sunset from this area . We call it dolphin cove it's at the very back of the island where it is the ships come through the channel and take a right. It turns up the water. there's some nice big houses back there but there's a place you can park and watch the action.

The minute you arrive your kids are going to want to go to the beach. We usually recommend dressing the kids in their SWIM SUITS before you leave your house or at least be prepared to be at the beach within the first hour of arriving. Once the kids are worn out from the beach everything else falls into place!

Unfortunately Surfside's city WATER is not great. It is okay to bathe in and wash hands but we recommend for any drinking or cooking to use purified water. We have provided empty 3 gallon bottles for your use as well as a purification container in the refrigerator. But we recommend bringing at least several gallons of water. also we suggest you pick up ice from the food mart or gas stations in Surfside.

We recommend you bring only sandals and sneakers. there's lots of walking on the island so your sneakers will come in handy especially if you decide to venture out on the jetty. Sandals are perfect for the beach and easy to rinse off once you get back to the house. sometimes the grass has stickers and the concrete gets hot so you We'll need something on your feet if you leave the house.

Bonfires are allowed on the beach but there are some rules. there is a handbook left on the entryway at the beach house that goes through everything. You can dig a hole and collect driftwood to use. We usually add lots of lighter fluid. there is s'mores sticks in the kitchen. You can buy all the fixings for s'mores at the local surf food mart or from the grocery. It's really dark outside so you can see stars. Just make sure you douse the flames really good with seawater.

Night time at the beach is extra fun when you have flashlights. If you can get one for each person it makes it better that helps to keep track of the kids. The best part is the sand crabs will run toward the light. The kids love to try to catch sand crabs at night. This is a fun activity from child to teenager!

Our favorite thing to do at the beach is to take a blanket and lay out either at the beach or on the property and stare at the night sky. If you're able to download SKY MAP app on your phone you can look at all the stars names as well as identify planets. It's a fun activity for all ages. The stars are a lot brighter out there if you're normally living in the city.

there is a few puzzles and games at the beach house but we recommend bringing your favorite ones. there's plenty of downtime and table space to do your favorite activity. If you do play on the porch card games are tricky so those are better inside because of the wind. We have a puzzle table that can be moved around to different locations. We recommend leaving a puzzle out and throughout the day somebody will be working on it. As a family we always played one game a day. The kids loved this!

We have recently noticed a group of food trucks that are parked behind the gas station. We have not personally tried them but we did notice there is a coffee one and a snow cone one. It is walking distance from the house and the beach and is another option for food and drink.

There are no grocery stores on the island other than a Surfside food Mart. It has a good selection but everything is definitely overpriced. We only go there to shop if we just need an item or two and don't want to leave the island. So we recommend you buying your groceries before you arrive. that includes drinking water.

All the locals go to "Thunder Beach" especially when tide is high and the beaches are underwater. Thunder Beach is between our house and Jetty Park. It's called Thunder because it's on the end of the road called Thunder. You have to park on the side of the road or you can walk there. You can also Drive to the end of the seawall Park and walk towards the jetty. you'll see two beaches. The second one is the better one.

On each staircase that leads to the pedestrian beach there is a colored flag. Next the flag is a sign that will tell you what the colors mean. I recommend following the recommendations of the colored flags so that you will be safe in the ocean.

People from all over like to fish all around Surfside Beach Island. They fish from the beach, they fish from the jetty. They fish behind the jetty. And they also fish in the marshland at the back of the island. most places are very easy to get to. there's extra fishing gear you can purchase at the surf side food mart or any buc-ee's gas station. As for bait that's also sold at any gas station but crab and shrimp tends to be the live bait of choice.

One thing I recommend is a sound machine for the master bedroom. It will help block any noise for those going to bed early, sleeping in late or taking naps during the day. The master room's windows face the porch and main wall is shared with the living room. Anyone up is always hanging out on the porch or in the living room. The back bedrooms are quieter.