When basketball season kicks off in Wilmington, you don’t want to miss the action. The University and town come together for scrimmages, player introductions, and performances by the dance team.
Southern comfort starts with breakfast, and this classic Wilmington institution offers prime country cooking. Located right on Market Street in downtown Wilmington, the Dixie Grill has been open since 1906. It’s the perfect start to a walk on the waterfront.
Wilmington loves dogs. Several beaches like Topsail Beach welcome dogs, and many restaurants, including Cape Fear Wine and Beer and Java Dog Coffee House encourage you to stroll up with your pooch and enjoy their outdoor dining areas.
While there are a number of delicious options for classic Carolina barbeque, not all the cooking in this town is down-home. Wilmington boasts a wide selection of dining options, including Thai, Caribbean, Spanish, Vietnamese, Peruvian, Middle Eastern, Japanese and Indian.
Black sea bass, grouper, snappers, and kings are common when going offshore fishing here, and even wahoo and mahi have been caught here, depending on the season—fish you don’t typically find outside of the Gulf Stream. Even on the pier, you can find flounder, Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, and more. These great seafood options inspire locals to fish year-round.
Wilmington is a town that has a lot of great food and drink options, but the cocktails at Manna stand alone. Craft cocktails like the Lotus, Lavender Citrus Blossom, and the Cat Smash Fever are delicately balanced, unusual flavor combinations.
The Seahawks’ team colors are a seaside-themed palette of teal, gold, and blue, but teal is the standout shade that really means team pride in Wilmington. Originally, the colors were green and gold, but the somewhat recent shift to a less-standard color combination has let UNCW really stand out from the pack.
Seahawk pride is #1, especially during baseball, volleyball, and basketball seasons, some of the university’s stand-out sports.
There are a ton of ways to meet new folks in Wilmington, and the people who live here are warm and inviting. Because the city is so alive and there are so many events, it’s easy to connect with folks: there are big, public events every season, like the spring Azalea Festival, as well as smaller art shows, craft workshops, and tons of active Meetup groups for people with a wide variety of interests—moms, foodies, golfers, you name it.
When you’re right on the water, the holidays mean one thing: Flotilla. The annual boat parade, which is currently in its 30th year, involves decking the boats out in epic Christmas lights. Some neighborhoods have a house-decorating competition, but in Wilmington, it’s all about the boats.
It’s also the way Wilmingtonians choose to live: service to the community is a big deal here, and there are tons of volunteer events, charity auctions, and hundreds of charities offering ways to give back.
There’s never a real reason to mention ECU—that’s East Carolina University—but if you must, please at least remember not to wear their school colors while you do it. In fact, it’s probably just a good idea to rid your wardrobe of purple now.
Wilmington is home to EUE / Screen Gems Studios, a major television and film production studio. The studio has recently produced “Iron Man 3,” “We’re the Millers,” and Fox’s series “Sleepy Hollow.”
Hollywood East doesn’t stop with movie production; Wilmington also hosts four separate film festivals, including Cucalorus, which has been around for 20 years and now screens over 200 films annually.
One of the oldest festivals of its kind in the country, the North Carolina Jazz Festival has been a yearly tradition in Wilmington for 35 years. It features performances from world-renowned musicians and also includes workshops for aspiring locals.
There are plenty of beaches within a half hour drive of Wilmington, and the truth is that Carolina beaches are among the prettiest in America. Three local favorites are Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach, and Carolina Beach. Whether you’re in the mood for the boardwalks, fishing, swimming, or nature walks, Carolina has you covered.
The downtown area is filled with great locally-owned shops, from clothing boutiques to gourmet markets, from florists to bakeries. This city has retained its local flavor and prides itself on being relatively chain-free.
Wilmington is packed with concert series and music fests. There’s the free Downtown Sundown concert series which happens every Friday night in the summer, the Cape Fear Blues Festival, the Boogie in the Park concert series nearby, Jazz at the Mansion, and dozens of venues that offer great live music every night of the week.
Sports aren’t the only contribution the university makes to the town (although there’s a lot of great team spirit here). Fascinating people come from all over the globe to give lectures, perform, and debate. Actress and musician Molly Ringwald are performing in the fall of 2014, and “Orange Is The New Black” author Piper Kerman will be speaking in the spring. Additionally, both students and community members can attend film screenings at the university’s Lumina Theater—and it’s only $4 for community members, free for students.
For a city that’s as genuinely sophisticated as Wilmington, it’s surprising how quickly you can go straight into the wilderness. Take the Wilmington Water Tour’s “Blackwater Adventure,” for instance: a quick jaunt up the river brings you to an unpopulated region that looks almost exactly the way it did four hundred years ago.
In the summertime, you will see folks enjoy the city’s beautiful historic district on horse-and-buggy rides, and in the winter, on horse-drawn trolleys. Driven by costumed interpreters, these rides are a fun way to learn about the city’s history.
There are some great exhibitions at the Cameron Art Museum, of course. But don’t be fooled into thinking that this museum is only that: the Cameron also hosts music, dance, and poetry events, as well as offering classes for both children and adults.
Okay, to be honest, Greenfield Park is kind of the best place for a lot of things: gardens, hiking trails, charming gazebos, grills, boat rentals, gator-spotting, skateboarding, an amphitheater…you name it. 250 acres of nature preserve right in the city? That’s pretty lovely.
Cape Fear River, despite its name, is actually really charming and not scary at all. The Riverwalk is the place to be, especially in the summer: there’s great shopping, restaurants, and cruises that locals enjoy even more than tourists.
Wilmington is pretty close to the coast, so hurricanes tend to happen every few years or so. Because of this, hurricane preparedness is a good idea: make sure you keep a stock of hurricane supplies like fresh batteries and bottled water.
At 230 blocks, Wilmington has one of the largest historic districts of any city in the United States. The district is full of amazing examples of architecture—including the Bellamy Mansion, a stunning example of Classical Revival style—and historic landmarks, as well as restaurants and shops.
But let’s be honest: it’s really Seahawks.
With 275-year-old alleyways winding their way around the city’s large historic district, it’s no surprise that Wilmington is considered by many to be one of the most haunted cities in America. Get spooky with a ghost walk on Halloween, or if you prefer a sudsier adventure, try the Haunted Pub Crawl.
It’s the house specialty for a reason: Caprice’s perfectly cooked seafood in a delicate herb cream sauce put this downtown favorite on the map. A little high-end for everyday dining, Caprice is the preferred spot for celebrating special occasions.
You can’t visit Japan for the afternoon, but you can stop by the Arboretum. This detailed, manicured garden includes an authentic Japanese tea house, a sea serpent sculpture, plants you can purchase from the nursery, and all beautiful koi fish you’d ever want to feed.
What do you love about living in Wilmington? Tell us in the comments below!
