Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington has a lot of history. It’s location along the Cape Fear River enabled Wilmington to become one of the most important port cities in the American South during the colonial period. Wilmington was also a strategic confederate stronghold during the civil war. The Race Riot of 1898 was one of the most significant and tragic events in Wilmington’s history when white supremacists staged a violent coup against the local government. And in the 20th century Wilmington became a major center for shipbuilding during both World Wars. So, what does Wilmington have to offer today, you ask?

We spent just over a week exploring Wilmington and the surrounding coastline, setting up basecamp at In the Pines RV Village, a lovely small private campground. The dogs especially loved all of the trails through the pine forest. Although Wilmington may not have as much preserved history as cities such as Savannah and St. Augustine, it still does have a pretty significant historical district. What we liked most about Wilmington is that it’s just so laid back compared to these other cities. You won’t find the big crowds and tour busses parading the streets here, although much of the same southern charm still exists. There is plenty of antebellum style homes and historic churches and a really cool Riverwalk area.

A great place to start your Wilmington visit and learn more about the area is at the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science. This is an amazing museum that goes well beyond local history and has something for both young and old. Free street parking is available on this side of town, so getting to the museum is easy.

Just a short walk from the museum is another must see site, the Bellamy Mansion. This once plantation, complete with slave quarters is now a museum with a ton of history. The house is beautiful and its role during the civil war times is quite interesting. The mansion was completed in 1861 and was the home of Dr. John Dillard Bellamy, a prominent physician, and his family.

The Wilmington Riverwalk, the heart of the historic district, spans nearly 2 miles along the Cape Fear River, where there are many restaurants and local shops. The district spreads several blocks in from the river as well. Local seafood is in abundance here, along with just about everything else, including some amazing ice cream at Kilwins. The Old Wilmington City Market, a gathering place for local merchants in the early 19th century, is a real cool place to visit and shop. Another interesting spot is The Cotton Exchange, established as a central hub for the cotton trade in the late 19th and early 20th century, and now home to many unique shops.

Directly across the river is the Battleship North Carolina, a restored World War II battleship. A small entrance fee gets you on board this 728-foot ship built in 1940. It’s amazing how much of the ship is open for self-guided tours, including the bridge and even a couple of the rotating turrets and main battery guns. You really get the feel of what it must have been like to live and go to battle on one of these ships. Make sure you allot yourself at least a couple of hours to properly tour the ship and its many levels.

In stark contrast to the battleship is Airlie Gardens, just east of town. This expansive garden and its trails winding through mature oak trees covered in Spanish moss is a spectacle of colors in the spring. Azaleas, tulips and camellias light up the gardens. Small lakes, fountains and pergolas add to the serenity. There’s even a small chapel and gravesite in the center of the property. The small lakes are home to turtles, Canada geese and a small alligator that was unassumingly sunning next to one of the lakes right off the walking trail.

The beaches of South Carolina, such as Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, seem to get more notoriety than the beaches of North Carolina. And if you like to be in the middle of the action, these are great places to visit, however the beach communities of North Carolina are really something special. The entire coast is lined with islands separated by the intercoastal waterway. Each has its own vibe but share the same beautiful beaches and clear water and most of them are much more laid back and secluded than those to the south. We visited many of the barrier islands and share our short synopsis of them below.

Sunset Beach

As the southernmost beach in North Carolina, Sunset Beach consists of a small town on the mainland and a beach community on Sunset Beach Island across the intercoastal waterway. When you cross the bridge you’re essentially entering a beautiful neighborhood of beach houses, whereas all of your shopping and such are on the other side of the bridge. The island offers numerous public boardwalks that traverse over the dunes and onto the beach. The beach is beautiful and expansive at low tide. About a mile walk down the beach from the southernmost access point (40th Street) is the Kindred Spirits Mailbox. This mailbox and a couple of benches, seemingly in the middle of nowhere on the dunes, has been around for over 50 years and is a place to write your innermost thoughts, prayers, wishes or dreams on one of the journals and place it back in the mailbox. Once you visit here, one of your dreams might be to own a beach house on the island.

Ocean Isle Beach

This beach and its namesake island are located just north of Sunset Island. It’s also primarily a beach house community but with a few more conveniences on the island. The main difference on this island is the expansive canal system. A large majority of the houses (that aren’t directly on the beach) are on canals and have boat docks with access to the intercoastal waterway. If you’re a boater and love the beach, this would be the ideal place to call home.

Oak Island

Continuing up the coast is Oak Island, with a very different feel. The east side of the island (this part of the coastline faces primarily south) is very upscale and in some ways reminded us of Monterey CA. The west side of the island has more modest homes, condos and places of business. The intercoastal side of the island is more reminiscent of a lake house community rather than an island. Mature trees line the streets of mostly older homes with boat docks behind the houses on the intercoastal waterway. On the far east side of the island is the Oak Island Lighthouse. The 1957 lighthouse offers pre-booked tours to the top on select days. Oh, did I mention the equally beautiful beaches on this island?

Bald Head Island

The only way to get to Bald Head Island is by passenger ferry or private boat. Since no automobiles are allowed on the island the most common methods of transportation are bicycle and golf cart, which both can be rented on the island. We had one of those lazy retirement mornings the day we were planning to go and (literally and figuratively) missed the boat. The island is supposed to be beautiful and mostly uncrowded with miles of white sand beaches, but also a couple of exclusive private clubs. If you’ve been to Bald Head, leave us a comment and let us know what you thought.

Carolina Beach

Carolina Beach is a very popular area located on Pleasure Island. If you like amusement parks, hotel chains and big souvenir shops, this is the place for you. However, if you like a quite chilled beach, move on. We weren’t thrilled with this area for two reasons. First, it was a grey drizzly day, so it was hard to explore and give a fair assessment. The other thing that rubbed us wrong was the insane parking fees. It costs almost $10 an hour to park anywhere near the beach. Want to stop in for a cup of coffee or buy a t-shirt? That will cost you $10 extra! Maybe I’m too much of a cynic on this one, but we just didn’t get the warm and fuzzy feeling here. However, we did enjoy a light hike at Carolina Beach State Park and a great cup of coffee at The Vault.

Kure Beach

As you drive south on Pleasure Island from Carolina Beach, things change dramatically. Kure Beach is much more chilled with nice beach houses and more beautiful beaches, albeit not as many beach access points as some of the other beach communities mentioned. At the far end of Pleasure Island is the Fort Fisher State Historic Site with remains of the confederate fort. It was closed on the day we were there, so we didn’t get to tour the site or visitor center but did drive by. The entire area is quite pretty with walking paths traversing through old oak trees and along the water.

Wrightsville Beach

Finally, Wrightsville beach is located due east of Wilmington on Wrightsville Island, and once again is very different from the other beach communities. Here things are much more upscale with fine dining and yacht clubs. The intercoastal waterway is wider and offers more opportunities for boat docks and marinas. This is an amazing spot for a nice dinner or lunch on the water at many of the restaurants such as the Bluewater Waterfront Grill.

I’ve been to North Carolina several times now and walk away each time loving it more. The beaches are some of the nicest ones we have been to and it’s easy to get away from the crowds. The southern hospitality is almost as wonderful as the amazing food. We will be back again – and so should you.

Be sure to check out all of our pictures from the greater Wilmington area.