Things to Do at Surf City
Surf City's single most distinctive attraction isn't a beach or a bar -- it's a working sea turtle hospital with real, ongoing rehabilitation work happening on site. Around that anchor, the town offers a rebuilt fishing pier, mainland parks and boat access, and a genuinely growing set of local businesses on the NC 210 corridor.
The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center
The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is Surf City's signature attraction, and it's a real, working animal hospital, not a static museum exhibit. The organization traces back to the Topsail Turtle Project, a volunteer sea turtle nest-monitoring effort founded by Karen Beasley; after she died of leukemia in 1991 at age 29, her mother Jean Beasley used the life-insurance proceeds Karen specifically asked be directed toward turtle rehabilitation to build a formal rescue and rehab operation, formally incorporated on July 21, 1998. After years working out of a cramped roughly 900-square-foot space in neighboring Topsail Beach, capable of holding about 40 turtles at a time, the organization broke ground on a purpose-built, 13,000-plus-square-foot facility in Surf City in May 2010 and opened it on November 7, 2013, with current capacity for up to 100 rescued turtles. Visitors can see actual sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation and learn about the center's ongoing conservation work -- this page did not confirm current visiting hours, admission fees, or tour schedules, which should be checked directly with the center before a visit.
The Surf City Pier: A Rebuilt Landmark With Its Own Story
The Surf City Pier, now 937 feet long and the only remaining fishing pier in town, is worth visiting even without fishing gear -- its own rebuild history (original 1948 construction, near-destruction in a 1974 nor'easter, outright destruction by Hurricane Fran in 1996, and the loss of its final 150 feet to Hurricane Florence in 2018) is a genuine, walkable piece of local history, and Buddy's Crab House & Oyster Bar sits directly adjacent to it for anyone wanting a meal with a view of the structure. This site's Fishing Guide covers the pier's fishing specifics in more depth; this page treats it as a general point of interest and landmark, not only a fishing destination.
Soundside Park: A Mainland Recreation Hub
Soundside Park, on the mainland side at 517 Roland Avenue near the base of the Surf City bridge, offers a genuinely full set of recreational amenities beyond its public boat ramp: a fishing pier and decks, a playground, six smaller pavilions, and restrooms, all directly on the Intracoastal Waterway. The park's boat ramp was recently renovated (closed December 16, 2024 through April 14, 2025) with a widened launch ramp and new floating docks, one ADA compliant. For a visitor or resident without a boat, the park's playground, pavilions, and ICW-front fishing pier still offer a real, free recreational destination on the mainland side of town.
The Beach Itself
Surf City's beach strand along Topsail Island is, unsurprisingly, the town's primary draw, and it benefits directly from the town's newly secured $362.3 million federal beach nourishment commitment (via the 2026 Water Resources Development Act), which is set to place roughly 6.5 million cubic yards of sand along about six miles of shoreline with a new dune and berm. This page did not confirm current public beach access point locations, parking rules, or any seasonal restrictions tied to sea turtle nesting (a real consideration given the Karen Beasley Center's presence and mission) -- confirm current beach access and any seasonal rules directly with the Town of Surf City before a visit, particularly during nesting season.
The Growing Mainland Corridor: More Than a Beach Town Now
Surf City's mainland side along the NC 210 corridor has added real, documented entertainment options beyond dining: the newer 11,000-square-foot commercial building on the corridor includes an escape room business and a golf simulator business alongside Surf City Brewing Company's taproom, and Triton Village Plaza adds further local restaurants and boutique businesses. For a visitor whose trip includes more than beach days -- especially during weather that keeps people off the sand -- this mainland corridor is a real, growing option this research found little indication most visitor-facing guides currently emphasize.
Nearby, But Not in Surf City: What This Page Won't Claim
Topsail Island's broader attractions include sites genuinely located in neighboring towns rather than in Surf City itself, and this page names that distinction rather than blurring it for a longer-sounding list. The Missiles and More Museum, covering Operation Bumblebee's 1946-1948 secret Navy guided-missile testing program on Topsail Island, is located in Topsail Beach, Surf City's neighbor to the south -- not in Surf City. Ocean City Beach, the state's oldest continuously sustained African American beach community, founded in 1949 and inducted onto the NC Civil Rights Trail, sits within North Topsail Beach, Surf City's neighbor to the north -- also not in Surf City. Both are real, worthwhile, easily reachable destinations on the same island, and this page mentions them for context, but does not claim either one as a Surf City attraction.
What This Page Doesn't Cover
This page names Surf City's real, confirmed attractions: the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, the Surf City Pier, Soundside Park, the beach itself, and the growing NC 210 mainland corridor -- and explicitly separates out nearby Topsail Island attractions that sit in neighboring towns rather than in Surf City. It does not state current hours, admission fees, or event calendars for any listed attraction. Confirm current visiting details directly with each attraction or the Town of Surf City before planning a trip. Nothing on this page is a paid attraction endorsement.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center's own site (seaturtlehospital.org) for its founding, incorporation, and November 7, 2013 Surf City facility opening; pier-history coverage for the Surf City Pier's construction and rebuild history; the Town of Surf City's own Parks materials and WECT's reporting on the Soundside Park boat ramp renovation; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District and Coastal Review for the $362.3 million 2026 beach nourishment funding commitment; coverage of the NC 210-corridor commercial development including Surf City Brewing Company, an escape room, and a golf simulator business; and NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, roadsideamerica.com, and NC African American Heritage Commission materials confirming the Missiles and More Museum's location in Topsail Beach and Ocean City Beach's location in North Topsail Beach, both distinct from Surf City. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current visiting hours or admission fees for the Karen Beasley Center; current public beach access point locations and parking rules; and any current sea-turtle-nesting-season beach access restrictions. Confirm current visiting details directly with each attraction and the Town of Surf City before planning a trip. Nothing on this page is a paid attraction endorsement.