Visitors are often surprised at the number and variety of weekly vacation rentals throughout the area.. Vacation rentals are, in fact, an increasingly popular accommodation available to vacationers, and visitors will find that the sheer number of rentals available allows them to find an ideal retreat to fit their crew, from quiet condo complexes to brightly colored oceanfront sand castles.
For postcard-perfect long weekends, or full week stays that have exceptional access to indoor and outdoor pools, restaurants, and amenities, there's nothing quite like the convenience of a stay at a local hotel or motel. A number of area hotels have been welcoming guests for decades, and as a result, vacationers have come back year after year for the fantastic service and the million-dollar views.
Riverfront Park, which encompasses a decent chunk of the popular Downtown Riverwalk, is a scenic region which will lure visitors into pulling up a bench seat, staying a while, and enjoying the miles of Cape Fear River views on the horizon.
For many visitors, the waterfront downtown region is where the action is in Wilmington, and an extended visit to this area is the highlight, if not the majority, of a great Wilmington vacation. Downtown Wilmington is steeped in history, filled with attractions, and offers all the enticing restaurants and shops of a major city, while retaining its small-town coastal charm.
Situated on the edge of the Cape Fear Coastline in between the bustling towns of Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, the Masonboro Island Estuarine Reserve is a unique slice of undeveloped and natural barrier island shoreline that’s an important habitat for countless coastal species. Hard to reach but wonderfully isolated, visitors who make a trip to this literal deserted island will be rewarded with great shelling, beautiful landscapes, and miles of beaches to go around.
With easy proximity to Masonboro Island and the outlying beaches, the Cape Fear River, and miles of creeks and bodies of water in between, kayaking is a dream in the Port City. Wilmington is home to a wide range of kayaking clubs, equipment providers, and miles and miles of trails, which means that any outing can turn into a kayaking adventure in no time. Explore the various guided tours and clubs available, or find a boat ramp and / or launching site and embark on your own adventure. No matter what kind of excursion you crave, Wilmington always sets the stage for an exceptional paddling adventure.
One of the largest attractions in Wrightsville Beach – both literally and figuratively – is the town’s miles of ocean-facing shoreline. And over the decades, the local beaches are the prime reason why millions of visitors have discovered, (and return to), this cool coastal community. With parking available throughout the town, seasonal lifeguarded beaches, and wide shorelines where splashing around is a breeze, it’s easy to see why people keep coming back to enjoy the local shorelines that have made this vacation destination famous throughout the generations.
Wrightsville Beach is a family destination without the carnival atmosphere and maintains over 3000 permanent residents. That number swells to over 30,000 in the tourist season.
Considering that Wilmington is home to the renowned University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), it should come as no surprise that the city is packed with educational activities of all varieties. From historic antebellum homes to local museums where the regional history comes to life through a variety of intricate displays, there’s always an engaging activity – as well as a learning opportunity – to be uncovered with every visit to Wilmington, NC.
Arlie Gardens is home to a stunning collection of natural gardens and eye-catching artworks which continually impresses visitors to the Wilmington area. Established in 1901, and originally used as a private garden for the wealthy Pembroke family, the garden has since been transformed into a public attraction that’s dotted with thousands of camellias, magnolias, wisteria, azaleas, and other southern blooms that thrive in the warm coastal climate. The azaleas are arguably the star of the show, as there are more than 100,000 red, white, and magenta hued-azaleas to admire.
Wilmington is a city that’s brimming with activity. From a vibrant arts and theater scene to a collection of acclaimed museums, there’s no shortage of things to do in this popular port town. So brighten your vacation by ensuring that the following things to do are a part of your Wilmington agenda. With a world of entertainment, arts, history, and all-around fun waiting, it’s no wonder that Wilmington is a vacation destination that visitors return to again and again.
Explore one of the newest art spaces in the culturally rich city of Wilmington with a visit to Expo 216. Located in the heart of the downtown area, this gallery is a fine destination to discover a wealth of talents through a series of exhibits and gallery events that will make any newcomer fall in love with the Wilmington arts scene.
Not for the squeamish, the Cape Fear Serpentarium will surely thrill all of the reptile lovers in your crew, with one of the largest collections of live exotic venomous snakes in the country. Serpentarium owner and founder Dean Ripa, as well as the Serpentarium itself, has had local and national notoriety as one of the best places to come virtually face-to-face with an exotic but deadly critter. The Serpentarium has even been the focal point of a number of magazine articles, news articles, and even an Animal Planet television show, Fatal Attractions.
While Wrightsville Beach has a collection of hotels and motels, the primary type of accommodations in this region are vacation rentals. There are literally hundreds of vacation rentals in the town of Wrightsville Beach, which are scattered throughout the landscape and are found along the oceanfront, soundfront, and in between waterfront regions in the interior section of the island. Because of the sheer geography of this skinny barrier island, guests in vacation rentals will never be far from the town’s top attractions, which include the local beaches, the waterfront boasting, fishing, and paddling scenes, and the variety of shops and restaurants that are found throughout the area.
With Wilmington's distinguished history as a thriving port community, few folks recognize at first that part of this reputation stemmed from its legacy as a bustling railroad center. In fact, for well over 125 years, railroading was the top industry in this town, surpassing importing and exporting goods along the Cape Fear River, (although the two businesses were certainly intertwined.)
For anglers who crave variety, there’s no place like Wilmington. Home to massive manmade lakes, seldom-visited creeks, wide Cape Fear River waters, and even easy proximity to ocean shorelines, the sheer options when it comes to casting a line is enough to make any fisherman excited about a visit.
It's hard to miss the Henrietta III as she cruises along Downtown Wilmingtontowards the open waters of the Cape Fear River. As the largest cruise boat in North Carolina, and the state's only true stern wheel riverboat, the Henrietta III has become a staple of the downtown scene in Wilmington, adding to its historic charm and southern flair for fun.
The small but well-stocked Wrightsville Beach Museum of History is a charming little attraction that may not take very long to explore, but nevertheless presents a complete and fascinating portrait of this surprisingly long-standing beach town.
