This mural -- titled Marine Magic -- is located on the side of The Dive Food & Spirits in Carolina…read moreBeach. You really can't miss it: It is huge (about 50 feet) and colorful, and it's one of several beautiful murals that have been painted all along this area of the beach town. Marine Magic was painted in 2021 by Raman Bhardwaj (aka artistraman), a muralist, painter and illustrator in North Carolina. According to the artist's website, he has painted lots of murals all around the state and beyond. He's very talented! This piece of public art is just one example of his skills. The mural depicts marine animals with lots of bright blue and neon colors. There's a sea turtle, jellyfish and shark on the mural. The artwork really gives off a beachy vibe, which is appropriate considering this area is by the beach!

The Boardwalk was beside our hotel and a short stroll. We were sad to see the iconic Ferris wheel…read moreby the Boardwalk was taken away. Despite the cold weather and construction, it was good to see the beach and walk the boardwalk that morning. Most of the businesses were closed and we spent very little time there. Still a nice walk.

There were rides set up at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk -- the kind of rides that you'd see at a…read morecounty fair -- but we visited in the morning and they weren't operating. It's all good, though, because we didn't want to ride them anyway! The rides just added a nice festive touch to the atmosphere. We mostly visited the Boardwalk for one thing: Britt's Donuts, which is a Carolina Beach staple. (And which I go into more detail about in my review for Britt's, so go read that, if you want.) When we visited, the shops were just opening (some wouldn't open for a couple of hours), and there was a nice, lazy feeling to the boardwalk. We grabbed a cup of coffee and hot chocolate at Crush and Grind, and walked around with our hot bag of donuts while looking at the murals all around the boardwalk. We parked across the street from Crush and Grind, at a dirt lot that requires you to pay to park. I imagine that parking becomes hard to find when it's busy, but we had the parking lot to ourselves when we visited.

Downtown Wilmington is an enchanting and eclectic blend of unique coffeehouses, shops, and places…read more Foodies & coffee lovers will love the unique cuisine and indie coffee places. Every place we explored seemed a short walk from our hotel or a short driving. Parking can be expensive yet there are parking garages with stellar prices in downtown. Wilmington is the Hollywood of the South with a history & future of being a hot location for movies and film. We kept ending up places filmed in a movie or television series. Some of the places we explored in Wilmington: Papercut Books, Hidden Grounds Coffee, The Cotton Exchange, The Copper Penny, The Museum of the Bizarre, and The Black Cat Shoppe. For beach lovers, Wilmington has Carolina Beach and the views are spectacular. We chose to explore Wilmington in the winter when it was off season and had few to no tourists especially on the beach. We didn't get to go to all the places we wanted to see but we plan to in the future.

Did you know that Dawson's Creek was filmed in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina? It was! I…read moredidn't know that little nugget of information about one of my favorite WB teen dramas until a friendly local let me know. And not only was Dawson's Creek filmed in downtown Wilmington, but you can go on a tour of all of the filming locations! So, you too can walk on the Wilmington Riverwalk and reminisce about the first time Andie and Pacey kissed. Or visit the original "Icehouse" where Joey worked. Yes, it's all here in downtown Wilmington. Even if you're not into Dawson's Creek, this area is a really neat place to explore. Definitely walk along the Riverwalk / boardwalk and pop your head into some of the many shops and restaurants that are around. This area is right by the water, and in the distance, you can see the USS North Carolina battleship. There is also a horse-drawn carriage that you can hop onto, and many different tours that explain the history and architecture of the area. We visited during the peak summer months, and there were lots of people around. This is definitely a popular tourist spot.

When I came across the Tribute to Carolina Shag mural while I was visiting Carolina Beach, it…read moreinstantly became my favorite. There are many murals in this area of town, but this one was notable to me because of one thing in the mural: white loafer dress shoes, which look almost exactly like the kind of shoes my late grandfather used to wear. Was my abuelo a fan of the Carolina Shag? Or maybe just cool old guys who like dancing also like penny loafers? I'll probably never know the answer to these questions. This piece of public art is a celebration of Shag dancing and a tribute to Malcom Ray "Chicken" Hicks, who, according to my brief internet research, was a member of the Shaggers Hall of Fame and one of the people who invented the dance known as the "Shag." Chicken helped introduce R&B music to Carolina Beach in the 1940s, and was active in getting young people involved in shagging. Yeah, baby. The mural was completed in 2023 by graffiti artist JEKS (aka Brian Lewis), a self-taught member of the street-art scene in Greensboro, N.C. Knowing this info about the artist makes me love the mural even more, because I love street art and especially people who make street art without formal training. This artwork is incredible. It's located on a south-facing wall of a storefront on Lake Park Boulevard, so you should go admire it yourself in you're in the Carolina Beach area.

Visit d this location during a vacation in Wilmington. Not only does it have a park for kids to…read moreenjoy, the location has pickleball courts, kayaks, paddle boats and a walking trail that circles the beautiful lake. We hoped to see gators but missed them all. Tons of turtles though. The walking trail is 5 miles around the lake and easy with shaded spots, and various lookout locations with benches to rest or simple zen out. I wish I lived closer so I could walk this look weekly!

This is such a nice park. Wilmington has done a nice job up keeping this park. I love the 5 mile…read morewalk around Greenfield Lake, especially during azalea season. My kids enjoy the skate park and playgrounds. The trials are well kept. Lock your car and keep items out of view. This park is known for vagrants and we did see one person approach our car and try the doors. They scurried away quickly when they noticed we saw them. This could be because we have out of state plates but locals say this park is known for crime.

Magical, dreamy little town. If I could move there tomorrow I would. Great little restaurants…read more Charming downtown, I see why movie are filmed in this town. Golf carts abound and they decorate them in such cute ways. If near, stop by and get a dose of happiness just driving through the town if you can't stop. But stopping is suggested.

Tucked away on this very hard to reach tiny sea side town you will happily find small shops…read moreChristmas all year long amazing 4 Star restaurants friendly people mild weather and very low taxes that make this a place I call my second home come and stay away. Even on a rainy summer night dozens of people will venture out to the swings and stay for a while. The best July 4 fireworks in the south great beaches and shopping old and new treasures including art galleries this tiny town is a treasure.

Such an amazing idea at such a peaceful place! Perfect for writing a letter to God or that loved…read moreone in heaven!

Sweet little place to visit and sit. Also a great place to…read moretake visitors. Not a bad walk if you park at access 4, there is bench nearby.

I had another absolutely fabulous day trip. They have added a restaurant and some more stores to…read morethe island since I had been there. The ferry is always fun and this time on the way home I stood on the bottom front. Warning: you will get soaked!! It was hilarious to me and I enjoyed every minute of it. Our 6 person hold carts were so fun and I love exploring the island. I highly recommend going for the day and precooking a golf cart. Just play on the trails, visit the beach, and be a kid!!

My overall impression of Bald Head Island was that it was a private club, and outsiders were not…read morewelcome. This was most explicitly true when I wandered onto a path and was immediately and passive aggressively told that I had to leave as it was part of a private golf course with a tournament going on, even though signage had suggested a pedestrian path to the beach. "You probably knew this was private property", I was told. There weren't a lot of pedestrians on the island, with paths occasionally being present but other times not, leaving me to walk on the road. It's crazy expensive and not easy to rent a golf cart, which appears to be the prevailing mode of transit. I went through an inland forest on a path that wasn't all that well maintained. When I traversed the island to the far side, another private club awaited, which I had to circumnavigate while fearing I'd be sassed again for walking onto someone's unmarked private property. Eventually, I made it to the tip of Cape Fear. Once you get past the private development, the natural area is quite nice. The offshore shoals apparently support an interesting ecosystem, and even from the shore, a variety of cool seaweed was evident. I expect for those who own or rent property here, and who book tours or have boats, there is a lot of great stuff to do on the island. But even then, the ferry is not great, and there are very few businesses on the island and the food in Southport didn't impress me either. If you own a house here, and your own boat, I guess you can do well for yourself. I do not have that much money, and if I did, I wouldn't spend it here. It is not a welcoming or convenient place for the daytripper, which is perhaps why it is not crowded. Clearly, the island was not developed with the public in mind. When I traveled over, I was thinking of other islands I've visited, both locally and across the world. Some have had much better infrastructure and businesses, while others have been left more natural and are less developed. This one was basically a bunch of McMansions. I visited for the cachet of seeing the actual Cape Fear, as I live up the Cape Fear River and often repeat the words Cape Fear without ever having seen it. But it wasn't the visitor experience I'd hoped.