Call it a surf and turf week for historian Paul George as he leads groups of history buffs -- and the merely curious -- first on a bike tour of Pinecrest on Sunday and a week later on a boat tour to Stiltsville and points along the way like the Cape Florida Lighthouse.

It's a first for Pinecrest to be included on one of George's tours sponsored by the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. For 20 years, George, a Miami Dade College professor, has taken people by boat, foot, Metromover and bus throughout Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables and other areas.

Now he is venturing into the village of Pinecrest that once was rural before it began to be built up in the 1950s.

Pinecrest has a lot of history to offer along its leafy streets and its popular Old Cutler bike path, George said.

``The Pinecrest tour's going to be fun,'' George said. ``There's so much history there that revolves around the agricultural groves that were once there. Parrot Jungle was a great tourist attraction. This will give us a glimpse into the Kendall that has evolved over the last 50 years.''

The tour, which aims for stops at Dante Fascell Park and Biscayne Bay, differs from George's previous explorations of South Miami-Dade via Metrorail because the bike tour, of no predetermined length, has the advantage of frequent stops.

George promises that riders will see ``the Pinecrest and Kendall of yesterday.''

For instance, he said, ``there was a rail depot where U.S. 1 and Shorty's is. There was a rare bird farm in the 1930s.

``Cyclists, when they take that ride,'' he said, ``will get a glimpse of yesteryear'' and how the area was ``oriented toward farming and exotic tourist attractions. I'm excited about showcasing that.''

The Stiltsville tour whisks guests on the Island Queen from Bayside to the five remaining homes known as Stiltsville and runs parallel to the coast line of Key Biscayne to showcase the lighthouse, the Cape Florida channel, Bill Baggs State Park, the sewage treatment plant on Virginia Key and Port of Miami.

George, a 66-year-old Miami native, said this tour allows him the opportunity to talk about the redevelopment of the Brickell area from single-family homes to towering high-rises.

It's also, for the teacher who has been conducting tours of South Florida for 20 years, another learning experience.

Like the rock star who never tires of singing his greatest hits, ``I've never gotten tired of'' of leading tours, George said.

``To see the reaction of tour-goers is exciting, and I love the questions,'' he said. ``The questions open up new areas of discussion. I get information from people who go on the tour. It's a two-way street, and it continues to excite me hundreds of tours later.''

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