wilmington vg cover_selection.indd

2011 O FFICIAL V ISITORS G UIDE
Historic Wilmington • Carolina Beach • Kure Beach • Wrightsville Beach
Publication of Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau
Historic downtown
Wilmington riverfront
T
hink of Wilmington and
our beaches as a conch
shell, and all five of your
senses will quickly get the
picture. Wilmington, with
its historic downtown skirting the Cape
Fear River, sits at the top of the shell. A
few minutes away are the laid-back island
communities of Carolina Beach, Kure
Beach and Wrightsville Beach.
You’ll look at the shell and be reminded
of the beauty of North Carolina’s south-
eastern coast. Next, you’ll feel the texture
that could only come from contact with
the water and sand. Then you’ll smell the
sea that seems embedded in the shell.
Hold the pink opening to your ear and
you’ll hear the waves — but you’ll also
hear history talking along downtown
Wilmington’s riverfront. And, of course,
you’ll be hungry just thinking about
the seafood.
Downtown Wilmington awaits with
dozens of locally owned shops and
4 | w w w.wilmingtonandbeaches.com • 877-945-6386
to Wilmington, Carolina Beach,
Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach
31 miles of
pristine beaches
restaurants, a thriving arts scene and a
World War II battleship on the river. Stroll
the 230+ block National Register Historic
District with Victorian-era homes and
gardens. The brick-paved streets take you
back in time as you ride along in a horsedrawn carriage.
Just 15 minutes east, Wrightsville Beach
offers a totally different experience — five
miles of beaches and marshlands perfect
for mild-to-wild adventures.
South of Wilmington is Carolina Beach
and Kure Beach, known as Pleasure
Island. Playful highlights in these
two classic beach towns include the
renovated Carolina Beach Boardwalk,
the NC Aquarium and Fort Fisher
State historic site.
Endless vacation experiences from the
river to the sea — all easy to see and do in
NC’s most accessible coastal destination.
Just imagine that conch shell, each area a
little different from its neighbor, and come
and play.
877-945-6386 • w w w.wilmingtonandbeaches.com | 5
Explore Wilmington by foot, horse,
trolley or boat — the choice is yours!
G
et your bearings by heading to Water Street, which
parallels the Cape Fear
River (as does the twomile wooden Riverwalk).
Horse-drawn carriages, walking tours,
trolley rides and more can be arranged
near the corner of Water and Market
streets. Situated at Dock and Water streets,
riverboats offer sightseeing river tours,
dinner cruises and water taxi service to
the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA.
Docked right across the Cape Fear, it’s
hard to miss.
Market Street runs perpendicular to
Water Street and serves as the city’s main
corridor. See for yourself why Coastal
Living named Wilmington to their list
of “Coastal Dream Towns” as you explore
the city’s antebellum architecture and
Victorian gardens.
For a taste of historic Southern charm,
start planning your trip to this picturesque
port city.
The Riverwalk is
lined with shops
and restaurants.
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A R E A
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THINGS TO DO
ACCOMMODATIONS
1.
2.
HOTELS/MOTELS
1. Americas Best Inn & Suites
2. Americas Best Value Inn
3. Ameri-Stay Inn & Suites
4. Baymont Inn & Suites
5. Beau Rivage Golf & Resort
6. Comfort Inn University
7. Comfort Suites Wilmington
8. Country Inn & Suites
Wilmington Airport
9. Courtyard by Marriott
Wilmington-University
10. Days Inn - Market Street
11. Extended Stay America
12. Fairfield Inn & Suites
Wilmington/Wrightsville
Beach
13. Greentree Inn
14. Hampton Inn & Suites
Wrightville Beach/
Landfall Park
15. Hampton Inn Medical Park
16. Hampton Inn University
Area/Smith Creek Station
17. Hilton Garden Inn
Wilmington - Mayfaire
Town Center
18. Holiday Inn Express &
Suites
19. Holiday Inn Wilmington
20. Homewood Suites by
Hilton Wilmington/
Mayfaire
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25.
LANTI
C OCEAN
26.
27.
Airlie Gardens
Arboretum at New Hanover
County Cooperative Ext.
Beau Rivage Golf & Resort
Cameron Art Museum
Cape Fear Regional
Soccer Park
City of Wilmington
Parks & Recreation
Echo Farms Golf &
Country Club
Greenfield Park
Amphitheater
Greenfield Park & Gardens/
Skate Park (see #8)
Halyburton Memorial Park
Jungle Rapids Family Fun
Park/Mini Golf
Legion Sports Complex
Masonboro Country Club
New Hanover County Parks
Poplar Grove Plantation
Porters Neck Country Club
Red Barn Studio Theatre
Tours of EUE/Screen Gems
Studio
Tregembo Animal Park
University of North Carolina
Wilmington
Bluethenthal Wildflower
Preserve -UNCW (see #20)
Campus Tours - UNCW
(see #20)
Kenan Auditorium/Cultural
Arts Building/Lumina
Theatre - UNCW (see #20)
NC Teachers Legacy Hall
- UNCW (see #20)
Wilmington International
Airport
Wilmington Municipal
Golf Course
Shopping District
21. Howard Johnson
Express Inn
22. Inn at Wilmington
23. Innkeeper of Wilmington
24. Jameson Inn
25. MainStay Suites
26. Quality Inn
27. Ramada Conference
Center
28. Red Roof Inn
29. Residence Inn by
Marriott Landfall
30. Sleep Inn
31. Staybridge Suites Hotel
32. Suburban Extended Stay
33. Super 8 Motel
34. The Carolinian Inn
35. TownePlace Suites by
Marriott
36. Travel Inn
37. Travelodge Wilmington
38. Value Place
39. Wingate by Wyndham
VACATION RENTALS
40. Figure Eight Realty
CAPE FEAR HISTORIC BYWAY
VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS
For a comprehensive list of stores and restaurants visit
www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com
877-945-6386 • w w w.wilmingtonandbeaches.com | 33
H
ead to the Carolina
Beach Boardwalk, dating to the 1890s, and
stop by Britt’s for fresh
doughnuts. To get out on
the water, charter captains at the Carolina Beach Marina and Fishing Center
will arrange deep-sea fishing trips. Hike
Carolina Beach State Park, where the
Venus Flytrap and coastal birds thrive. At
Carolina Beach Lake Park, rent a pedalboat big enough for the whole family.
When it’s time to rest your head, accommodations range from family-owned
motels to top-of-the-line rental units.
Sleep well — you won’t want to miss the
sun rising above the boardwalk, when
time to play begins all over again.
800-833-3165 • w w w.visitcarolinabeachnc.com | 37
TO WILMINGTON
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M A P
THINGS TO DO
1.
2.
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4.
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6.
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10.
11.
12.
Carolina Beach Boardwalk
Carolina Beach
Fishing Pier
Carolina Beach Jungle
Mini Golf/Batting Cages
Carolina Beach Lake Park
Carolina Beach Marina &
Fishing Center
Carolina Beach Parks &
Recreation
Carolina Beach Skate Park
Carolina Beach State Park
Federal Point History
Center
Freeman Park Recreation
Area
Winner Party Boat Fleet
Shopping Districts
Carolina Beach Boardwalk
amusements and activities
ACCOMMODATIONS
HOTELS/MOTELS
1. Atlantic Towers
2. Beach House Inn & Suites
3. Beachside Inn
4. Beacon House Inn/
Cottages
5. Buccaneer Motel
6. Cole’s Motel
7. Courtyard by Marriott at
Carolina Beach
8. Dolphin Lane Motel
9. Drifter’s Reef Motel
10. Dry Dock Family Motel
11. Golden Sands Motel
12. Joy Lee Apartments
13. Mermaid Manor
14. Microtel Inn & Suites
15. North Pier Ocean Villa
16. Oceaneer Motel
17. Russo’s Motel
18. Sea & Sun Motel
19. Sea Ranch Motel
20. SeaWitch Motel
21. Smith Cottages
22. Surfside Motor Lodge
23. The Savannah Inn
24. Wanda Inn Motel
25. Welcome Inn
BED & BREAKFASTS/
VACATION RENTALS
26. Beach Girls Realty
27. Beacon House Inn
Bed & Breakfast
28. Blue Water Realty
29. Bowman & Associates
Real Estate
30. Bryant Real Estate
31. Bullard Realty Inc
32. Cabana
33. Carolina Beach Realty
34. Castle Resorts Rentals
35. Gardner Realty
36. Intracoastal Realty
Vacation Rentals
37. Island Beach Rentals/
Walker Realty
38. Laney Vacation Rentals
39. Network Real Estate
Beach Vacations
40. Ocean Breeze Properties
41. Old Blue Chair
Coastal Living
42. Palm Air Realty
(see KB Map pg 54)
43. United Beach Vacations
44. Victory Beach Vacations
VISITOR
INFORMATION
CENTERS
For a list of stores and
restaurants, visit:
www.visitcarolinabeachnc.com
800-833-3165 • w w w.visitcarolinabeachnc.com | 47
K
ure Beach, known as
“North Carolina’s Small
Wonder,” is to the south of
Carolina Beach and part
of aptly named Pleasure
Island. Time slows down here, in a place
where generations of families have been
vacationing for years. Memories are still
made at the 700-foot Kure Beach Fishing
Pier, the oldest on the Atlantic Coast.
A few minutes south, this small wonder turns into a big playground as the
roads leads to two of the state’s biggest
attractions: Fort Fisher State Historic
Site and Civil War Museum, and the NC
Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
Fort Fisher, one of the last strongholds
of the Confederacy, features the largest
earthen fortress of its kind in the South.
The Aquarium focuses on area and
regional waters with a 235,000-gallon
saltwater tank.
NC’s small wonder is also a big playground, just waiting to be explored!
888-587-3224 • w w w.visitkurebeachnc.com | 49
CAPE FEAR RIVER
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CAROLOI
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54 | w w w.visitkurebeachnc.com • 888-587-3224
A T
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Fort Fisher State
Historic Site
THINGS TO DO
1.
Fort Fisher State Historic
Site & Civil War Museum
2. Fort Fisher State
Recreation Area
3. Kure Beach Fishing Pier
4. Kure Beach Parks &
Recreation
5. NC Aquarium at
Fort Fisher
6. NC Ferry at Fort Fisher
7. NC Military History
Museum
8. NC Underwater
Archaeology Center
9. Zeke’s Island
10. Shopping Districts
ACCOMMODATIONS
HOTELS/MOTELS
1. Admiral’s Quarters
2. Blue Marlin Beach Lodging
3. Darlings By The Sea
4. Dry Dock by the Pier
Motel
5. Hidden Treasure Inn
6. Kure Keys Motel
7. Moran Motel
8. Peterson’s
9. Sandi Beach Inn
10. Seven Seas Inn
11. South Wind Motel
12. The Sand Dunes
NC Aquarium at
Fort Fisher
VACATION RENTALS
13. Blue Water Realty
(see CB Map pg 46)
14. Bowman & Associates
Real Estate (see CB Map
pg 46)
15. Bryant Real Estate
(see CB Map pg 46)
16. Bullard Realty Inc
(see CB Map pg 46)
17. Carolina Beach Realty
(see CB Map pg 46)
18. Island Beach Rentals/
Walker Realty (see CB
Map pg 46)
19. Island Realty
20. Jim Ring Realty
21. Laney Vacation Rentals
(see CB Map pg 46)
22. Network Real Estate
Beach Vacations
(see CB Map pg 46)
23. Palm Air Realty
24. United Beach Vacations
(see CB Map pg 46)
25. Victory Beach Vacations
(see CB Map pg 46)
Welcome To Paradise!
The Admirals Quarters
Oceanfront Kure Beach
1-800-535-4948
www.admiralsquartersmotel.com
888-587-3224 • w w w.visitkurebeachnc.com | 55
I
t’s the most accessible beach
in North Carolina, but that’s
not the only reason why visitors
love Wrightsville Beach.
Lounge on its five miles of
white-sand beach, surf its clear blue
waves and cast a line from the popular
Johnnie Mercer Fishing Pier. Watersports
reign supreme here — scuba diving,
surfing, kiteboarding, stand-up paddle
boarding and more. Kayak the marshes,
sail the Intracoastal Waterway or charter
a boat for a deep-sea fishing excursion.
Choose from a wide variety of accommodations (full-service hotels to fully
equipped beach-house rentals) and
dine at waterfront restaurants. It’s
always the “wright” time to play on
this island, only a five-minute drive
from Wilmington.
800-650-8921 • w w w.visitwrightsvillebeachnc.com | 57
I N L E T
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M A P
THINGS TO DO
ACCOMMODATIONS
1.
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3.
4.
5.
HOTELS/MOTELS
1. Blockade Runner Beach Resort
2. Blockade Runner/The Cottage
3. Carolina Temple Island Inn
4. Harbor Inn Suites
5. Holiday Inn Resort
6. One South Lumina Suites
7. Shell Island Resort
8. Silver Gull Motel
9. Summer Sands Suites
10. The Sandpeddler Motel & Suites
11. The Surf Suites
12. Waterway Lodge
6.
7.
Johnnie Mercer Fishing Pier
Masonboro Island
Wrightsville Beach Museum of History
Wrightsville Beach Park
Wrightsville Beach Parks & Recreation
(see #4)
Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours & Island
Hopping Water Taxi
Shopping Districts
VACATION RENTALS
13. Bryant Real Estate
14. Holliday Vacations Inc
15. Intracoastal Realty Vacation Rentals
16. Laney Vacation Rentals
(see CB Map pg 46)
VISITOR INFORMATION
CENTERS
For a list of stores
and restaurants, visit
www.visitwrightsvillebeachnc.com
800-650-8921 • w w w.visitwrightsvillebeachnc.com | 67
M A P
5
AREA MAPS
Wilmington…………………….……32-33
Downtown Wilmington……….34-35
Carolina Beach………….…………46-47
Kure Beach…………………….…….54-55
Wrightsville Beach…………….…66-67
SURROUNDING AREA
THINGS TO DO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson
Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve
Moores Creek National Battlefield
NC Maritime Museum at Southport
Poplar Grove Plantation
68 | w w w.wilmingtonandbeaches.com • 877-945-6386
2011 O FFICIAL V ISITORS G UIDE
Historic Wilmington • Carolina Beach
Kure Beach • Wrightsville Beach
Publication of Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau
24 NORTH THIRD STREET, WILMINGTON, NC 28401 / WWW.WILMINGTONANDBEACHES.COM / 877-945-6386