The Surfaces panel is located at Geometry > Create > Surfaces and it allows you to create surfaces using a wide variety of methods. Click on the various subpanels below (icons at the top of the panel) to get a description of their function.
The Surface Edit panel is located at Geometry > Edit > Surfaces and allows you to edit the surfaces using various methods. Click on the subpanels below (listed on the left side of the panel) to get a description of their function.