Such a great event for a worthy cause. This also allows people to try foods from all different…read morevendors/restaurants around the city of Wilmington. So far they have hosted two years of this event and it keeps getting better and better. The location is in the arts district and you walk from table to table trying a bite and sip from different restaurants. Both years have been different bites and sips. The admission is a donation towards the foundation of that year. Last year was Dreams and this year was NourishNC. I look forward to seeing what Encore does for next years event.

The Cameron Art Museum (CAM) is located in Wilmington, NC. The museum has a free parking lot, but…read morethere is an admission fee if you are not a member or do not have museum reciprocity. The building itself is 42,000 square feet and features a neat architectural design. Charles Gwathmey designed it so that natural light floods into the space, which is a really nice touch. CAM houses a beautiful permanent collection and frequently rotates its exhibits, so each visit offers something new. The first painting I saw during this visit was by Elliott Daingerfield, whom I was already familiar with from the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. Female artists are also heavily displayed here, well above the national 11% average seen in most museums. Mary Cassatt, Minnie Evans, Maud Gatewood, Judy Chicago, Elizabeth Darrow, and Fritzi Huber are just a few of the prominent names I remember seeing. The Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds room installation was absolutely mesmerizing. I didn't expect to like it and almost didn't go inside. It seemed a bit weird with the large, pillow-like metallic balloons floating around, but once I was actually inside the room, I didn't want to leave. It was incredibly peaceful watching them float and move, and just standing there being gently tapped by them as they drifted was a truly unique experience. While I wasn't quite as crazy about the other exhibit, "Fresh Air" inflatable sculptures exhibition, they were large and made for a quick stop. But that is the beauty of art--some works deeply appeal to you, and others not so much. Outside the building, there are nature trails and a sculpture park to explore. The museum grounds are historically located where the Civil War Battle of Forks Road took place. There is a monument called "Boundless" by artist Stephen Hayes to honor the US Colored Troops who fought on this exact property. This installation sits just a few steps away from the parking lot, so make sure to check it out before you head inside or after your visit. The CAM Café is also located right inside the museum layout, as well as an excellent gallery gift shop with locally made items.

This is an amazing art museum! We visited the Andy Warhol exhibit, "Silver Clouds," along with the…read moreJonathan Green exhibit and the inflatable sculptures. The outdoor sculptures were fun to look for, and we finally spotted the last one as we were leaving in the car.

My wife and I were in Wilmington a few months ago and visited a number of art galleries. Amy Grant,…read morethe owner, has the finest selection of artworks in Wilmington. she is extremely knowledgeable and understands the customer's needs and wants. Moreover, if she doesn't have what you're looking for she doesn't hesitate for a second to refer you to another gallery. She's just wonderful and I highly recommend making her your first stop in wilmington.

The Museum of the Bizarre is located in downtown Wilmington. The museum itself is on the smaller…read moreside, but the general admission price is just $3, and you can add on a mirror maze for $2 more. The museum has excellent air conditioning, which is a major plus on a hot day, as well as a clean restroom. Photos were only allowed in specific areas, but it wasn't entirely clear what you could photograph there, so I might have taken photos of things they didn't want me to take! While I usually like quirky museums, this one seemed too crowded, and the exhibits didn't appeal to me. This was a very quick stop that took under 30 minutes. Honestly, I found the building's history much more interesting than the museum itself. The original 1869 building was a naval stores warehouse used to store tar, turpentine, and pitch extracted from the area's pine forests. It stands today as the last remaining structure related to Wilmington's naval stores history. In 1925, the site was modified for heavy metal manufacturing. For almost a century, the Wilmington Iron Works Machine Shop operated here, where workers manufactured gears, engines, saw blades, structural doors, iron fences, and heavy steel parts for passing locomotives and steamboats. The ironworks finally closed in 2000, and the building housed a few different things before being saved from demolition and repurposed into a tourist attraction. I did attempt the mirror maze while I was there, and they thoughtfully have you wear plastic gloves so you don't leave fingerprints on the mirrors. I found the visual illusion incredibly disorienting and claustrophobic, so I would highly recommend skipping the maze add-on if you are sensitive to tight spaces or prone to panic attacks!

Unusual? Absolutely. And at $3 per person, it's a curious little detour that doesn't break the…read morebudget. We spent under an hour browsing their compact but densely packed collection of macabre, peculiar, and downright strange artifacts. Among the exhibits: letters penned by convicted serial killers, graphic crime scene photographs, purported human and animal remains, theatrical masks and vintage clothing, plus a lock of Alexander Hamilton's hair, Houdini's Ouija board, and a plaster cast of what's claimed to be a Bigfoot footprint. There were also a few movie props scattered throughout, adding a pop culture twist to the mix. Photography is off-limits except in clearly marked zones, so don't expect to document everything. We passed on the mirror maze this time around. Are all of this items authentic and real? Are they fabricated and fake? It hovers somewhere in that murky middle but it's compelling either way. And for the price, it's hard to argue. I'm not sure how much of this is appropriate for younger eyes, so parents should keep that in mind. [Review 1348 of 2025 - 4467 in North Carolina - 24900 overall]

The USS Battleship in North Carolina is one of the largest & iconic attractions of Wilmington,…read moreNorth Carolina. It went beyond my greatest expectations and was quite a workout in the middle of July. We chose to go on the self guided tour, so we could explore at our own pace. History of the battleship: The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II, earning 15 battle stars. This authentically restored National Historic Landmark proudly serves as her State's World War II Memorial to the 11,000+ North Carolinians who made the ultimate sacrifice.- (Source: https://battleshipnc.com) One of the highlights of visiting this battleship is that your ticket for the self guided tour allows you to leave and re-enter the battleship on the day you bought it (from 8 AM to 5 PM). Military discount is $10 an adult person - must have military ID. We spent about 3 or more hours exploring the ship and it was quite an exercise workout going up and down the stairs in the ship on a hot day. There are 9 levels to explore on the battleship. We were not able to finish exploring all the levels due to being exhausted by the heat and getting dehydrated. There are areas you can sit and take a break in the ship fortunately. We took a few breaks but not enough. There are some fans inside the ship yet not many. The battleship has a wealth of information to read at the entrance area and inside the ship at every area. It felt like going inside narrow passage ways in a labyrinth walking through the ship. They displayed information of life inside the ship - a floating home away from for thousands of men living there. If you love military naval history or have a curious mind open to seeing & learning a wide variety of information & history, you will find this battleship fascinating. The shops inside the ship, post office, dining & recreational areas, officer living quarters, pharmacy , and kitchens were fascinating to me. The view of the battleship is very impressive as well. I can only imagine what this battleship was like many years ago especially when the only communication people on the battleship could receive from loved ones was through mail coming into the post office on the ship. I should have brought water and take more rest & hydration breaks at the battleship. It gets really hot during summer and very cold in the winter. It was too exhausting to keep going past three hours on the ship in one day . Overall, I loved visiting the battleship and a little shocked at how difficult it must be living on that ship with thousands of people on it. Looking forward to visiting this battleship again in the future.

Come see the history and beauty while walking on, around, and within the halls of the USS North…read moreCarolina. These ships have typical tight spaces and steep ladders for those who have difficulties involving such movements. Plenty to see. Nice gift shop on grounds and friendly greeters at the door to welcome you on board. All photography shown were uploaded also to Instagram: @3spade7star_photography and Facebook ThreeSpade SevenStar

I don't have much unique photos of this place, but it did intrigue all my family when we went here…read moreon a Wednesday afternoon! They were all surprised about a good museum down here on Topsail!

Missiles & More Museum was such a fantastic stop during our casual bike ride! As two adults just…read moreexploring, we were blown away by how much history this place packs into every corner. What truly makes the experience unforgettable, though, is the staff--they are incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and make learning about the exhibits genuinely fun. It's obvious that the people who run this museum put an incredible amount of care and attention into every detail. From the displays to the stories behind them, everything feels thoughtfully curated. We left with a greater appreciation for the history and a huge smile--highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area, and it is kid friendly with engaging activites!

After doing a "gaslighting" night tour which was interesting and informative we were instructed to…read moreexit by the front door. The long stairway was not well lit. I was not able to clearly see the last few steps and feel down them landing on my hands and knees. I suffered severe abrasions to my knees and hands. Beware if your tour is at night. The staff provided basic first aid. when I contacted the management they referred me to the board president. It took over a week for him to contact me back.

The Latimer House is located in Downtown Wilmington. Guided tours run on the hour and if you arrive…read moreearlier you can sit in the courtyard. This was my favorite of the three houses. It shows how the upper class lived with opulence. The house is not handicap accessible as the it was built in the 1852. The house was built by Zebulon Latimer and has three stories with a basement although not all areas are on the tour. The house is symmetrical as there are the same number of windows on each side. Three generations of the Latimers lived in the house before it became a museum and where the Cape Fear Historical Society is based. The iron water fountain in the garden used to be in a park in the middle of the road. The house has 14 rooms around 600 original items such as furniture, dishes, sculptures in fantastic shape as they had never been taken out of the shipping containers. The family tree was unique on the wall. You can even see where the original carpet was worn away. The house has a Victorian style decor with the marble fireplace, velvet curtains, and the intricate chandeliers. The walls in the foyer are painted to look like wallpaper. I enjoyed seeing all the photos. My docent was knowledgeable and friendly. She provided the stories of who lived in the house with empathy as some of the stories are sad. I highly recommend taking a tour of the Latimer House.

This wasn't one of the major theater brands but offered a general big budget movie selection. It…read morewas an old school experience; the first theater I've been to in a while where the procedure was to actually walk up to a window and buy a ticket from a person, rather than a kiosk. I came in to dodge the rainy weather and they were understaffed, but eventually someone else came up there and got the line moving and I made my movie on time. The seats were okay, but not reclining. Restrooms were on both sides of the building, and apparently I was the only one who figured out that to escape the rush after your movie you can just go to the other side. The shopping center was a bit spread out; there's no garage, so you might have to walk a bit for parking.

We wanted to just go see a movie that my wife hadn't seen but I did. The theater is huge, but we…read moregot the smallest section and the seats, although somewhat comfortable, were very cramped. I love the seats that recline, but this section was too small for those. Concessions were overpriced here too.