Airlie Gardens is one of those places that reminds you why folks used to put on a good pair of…read morewalking shoes and spend an afternoon outdoors instead of staring at a screen. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and rich with history. Even though only some of the flowers are blooming right now, there is still plenty to enjoy--towering live oaks draped in Spanish moss, winding paths, ponds, sculptures, and the feeling that you've stepped back into old Wilmington. The famous Airlie Oak and the historic chapel make it feel more like wandering through a living postcard than just another garden. Airlie dates back to the late 1800s and was created by Sarah and Pembroke Jones before becoming a public garden preserved for future generations. The gardens are well kept, easy to stroll through, and especially lovely this time of year with the Azalea Festival season beginning. It is the kind of place where you slow down, take a deep breath, and remember that nature did landscaping long before homeowners associations started issuing warning letters. The one drawback--and for us older folks it is a real one--is that there simply are not enough restrooms spread throughout the grounds. With so much walking involved, having a few more bathrooms around the gardens would make a tremendous difference and would make the experience more comfortable for seniors and families. Overall: 4 out of 5 stars. A beautiful, historic Wilmington treasure that is absolutely worth visiting, especially in the spring--just be sure to make a restroom stop before setting out on the trails.

This place is so gorgeous! This week we got lucky and discovered that Airlie was hosting a Bird…read moreWalk during our vacation. We had an amazing time and saw so many birds! The gardens were beautiful as always. I also found some more unique earrings at the gift shop, along with a magnet and keychain as souvenirs.

Whenever I go back up to the Northeast to visit, I like to pickup something coastal for the…read morekiddies, this is my go to spot!! Not only am I supporting the Southport Maritime Museum programs (all gift shop proceeds are returned to the museum) but encouraging an appreciation and lessons of our local maritime history for their future visits!! Not to mention the shop is filled with adult books on local maritime lore. A hidden Southport treasure!!

The North Carolina Maritime Museum is a very modestly sized free museum located behind the visitors…read morecenter in Southport. Though it's only one large interior room, it packs a lot of local maritime history within. I'm not a big history buff, so I breezed through in less than 10 minutes, but found it fits in perfectly for a small town on the water like Southport. It also helps that it's right behind the visitors center and just off the core of the historic business district of Southport. I'd recommend a visit if you had some free time in Southport or if you're interested in the maritime history of the area. There's a small gift shop near the entrance and adjacent restrooms.

This was the best vacation game ever for my family! We had such a good time figuring out the clues…read moreand making an adventure. Especially fun when you don't know an area and are looking for something to do together. Great idea...kudos!

From the owner: Interactive scavenger hunt through historical Southport, NC.read more

A great museum to learn about the Wilmington railroad system. You can learn about how it got…read morestarted and also about the people that worked for the railroad. There were lots of model trains to view. The entrance fee was very reasonable..only 12 dollars for an adult ticket. The fact that it was just a block away from the hotel that I was staying at was a plus.

It's a very cool railroad museum. Located right in downtown Wilmington. They do have parking but…read moreonly a few spots. Cost is reasonable. Kids under 2 are free. They do add 3% to the price if you use a credit card. From what I can tell from their website, you can't purchase tickets in advance. Just have to purchase at the front desk. There are two parts, inside and outside. Outside has a train engine and a caboose. You can go inside both. These two don't take long to see. Inside has a lot more, including large running model train sets. Kids can interact with the train sets by pushing buttons to start trains, control bridges and other things on the set. There is also a play area where kids can put on different hats and vests, and play with train themed toys. The model train sets span two different rooms. There is also a museum section showing historic railroad items, including discussing the railroad history in the Cape Fear region. It's differently worth a visit. Kids will love it.

Maybe we just needed a diff captain? I don't know that JOE respects women, altogether. I had made…read moreit clear, online, what I was seeking on this private trip for my fam but there was no communication back, so I reiterated it when I got on the boat. After I had mentioned that I didn't want a crowded beach, he took us to a crowded area & then dumped us off in the hot sun to walk to a nearby beach. We had all been exhausted by the sun the day before, and knowing that, he still insisted we walk the 10 min walk in the hot sand to the beach. After a quick dip, I texted him that we would like to explore someplace else as we walked back to the boat & he replied "okay, no worries". But when we got back, he insisted we stay at the crowded area & that he would not be taking us anywhere else. When I expressed my confusion, he verbally attacked me & went onto be passive aggressive & aggressive the rest of the trip. Above all else, what hurt the most was when he was talking with my nephew about being in the military. When I told him his wife, who was seated right beside him, was also in the military, he completely dismissed me & her. I also found out later from my 11 yo daughter that he said some unkind things when I wasn't on the boat & she was still on. I still gave him a $100 tip in cash bc I didn't want him charging my card more than expected. But in no way do I think he earned it. I have not experienced this kind of bad behavior/service from any kind of business in 19 years.

Cameron was a terrific captain. My group enjoyed our trip to Masonboro Island immensely yesterday…read more I would highly recommend Cameron and Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours.

This is a great small museum. I didn't take a full tour. We were greeted by a very hospitable…read moremuseum host who engaged my grandchildren immediately with a scavenger hunt (with the promise of a reward afterwards!) We had great fun looking for all the items and learned a few things along the way! I'll need to go back for an adult perusal!

This is a very nice small museum that packs a lot in a small space. The museum covers the history…read moreof Southport including indigenous people, pirates, merchant marines, the Civil War, WWII, to the present. It's a wonderful place to learn about the important role Southport has played in both North Carolina and the USA's history. Great for children of all ages.

Extremely friendly and helpful staff!!! Very interesting historical place. The view is amazing. If…read moreyou are visiting the area stop here first. If you have any questions the staff can help you out!

The Fort Johnston-Southport Museum and Visitors Center is the perfect place to start off your visit…read moreto Southport, NC. It's a great way to get acquainted with this small town and learn a little about their film and local history. The building dates back to 1746 and is perfectly situated across from the water, with chairs out front to sit in to enjoy the view. Best of all, it's free to visit. I especially loved the room with exhibits about movies and television shows that have been filmed in Southport over the years (they were filming a Netflix show on the waterfront when I visited). It's also the meeting point for Southport Fun Tours, which I highly recommend. While the museum isn't going to knock your socks off, it's perfect for a town the size of Southport, and a place you can easily cover within a few minutes if you're in a time crunch.

Private Axe Throwing Party was AWESOME!!…read more WHAT FUN! They have a really great (SAFE) facility that has LOTS of space (we plan to go back for some paintball fun!). It's really a class-act setup & a fabulous 'different' experience which made for a great party! We booked a party, which on Mon-Wed they are closed & it's only private parties (not sure if this is year round or just the winter hours?); but it was GRAND having the WHOLE PLACE to ourselves! We just had 8 people for an 18th b-day party & we could easily have had another 4-6 people with the room they have for axe-throwing. The Axes area is a nice size but also cozy, almost like a neat 'bar' environment. *FYI-it is BYOB-no liquor* We brought wine for adults & sparkling juice for the teens. 3 boys, 1 girl and 4 adults.....we ALL had so much fun! $249 isn't cheap, but it was worth every penny. 90-minutes (which the fabulous gentleman who was there for us did not start our time until all safety briefing & instruction time was over) of throw time was MORE than enough, the last 10 minutes you could tell it was time to go eat, so more than 90 min would just have been too much. There are 3 high-top tables with 4 chairs each. There are 5 throwing lanes. Each lane has mesh metal screens on the sides and thick wood-paneled walls. The targets (which I read about on their site) are really amazing, the thicker blocks they use vs. cheaper boards make the axe's stick GREAT and easily for almost any throw-er. The 'games' are projected onto the boards and have score keeping that is fun & easy (like a bowling alley) with a PC mouse & keypad. The gentleman who was there for our party experience was fantastic, even came in a few times & showed us different throw-angles to try and (as a 'mom') I felt safe that he was keeping an eye on everything too. Super nice and accommodating gent - helped make our evening even more fun! Helpful tip: If you go at night, the sign is currently not lit, so it's RIGHT after Black's Tire/Goodyear. The parking lot is dark, but you'll see the lights inside are on! OH - take snacks & drinks for your party, also any plates or utensils - they only have the tables/seating & the entertainment!

Crossfire Does It Again!…read more Crossfire gets better and better every time I visit. They rebuilt after the hurricane, a beautiful new interior for paintball and nerf. After COVID, they added GellyBall. And now, AXE THROWING! I had never thrown axes before and it was easy to get the hang of enough to have fun. Also, the computer projects different games onto the wooden target so you never get bored. I went with just one other person but this would be a blast for a group - co-workers, friends, bachelor/bachelorette party, school organization, fraternity/sorority outing. No limits.

went to address provided via google and yelp and when calling option to leave a voicemail but no…read moreresponse or call back. seems to be a vacant lot with no signage in or around the area.

Booked a 5 minute slot at 10:20am on the grand opening day (Saturday). When I arrived, I was…read morethinking to myself if this was a good idea. The front yard area of Time to Rage could use quite a bit of work to make it aesthetically pleasing. But once I was in the rage room and starting breaking things, it was totally worth it. To book a session, it's easy to book it on their website in either 5, 10, 15 minute increments or a customized timeframe. They offer various glassware such as cups, wine bottles, plates as well as printers, TVs, copiers. If you want to break bigger items like a TV, I recommend asking for it in advance to make sure you have it. In my session, I only had glassware. There is free street parking right in front. After parking, you enter a small room, where you get dressed up for your session. You put on disposable coveralls, disposable ear plugs, gloves, and a face shield. Make sure to wear closed-toed shoes before coming. There is only one room to break things and only one person is allowed at a time. You can choose any song to play while you're breaking things in your session. You might want to do some research beforehand on what kind of song to use, if you want a specific song. Otherwise, they have a small chalkboard with the top 5 songs written that people like. I chose Drowning Pool - Bodies, which is an awesome song to rage to. In the rage room, they had baseball bats and golf clubs to break things. You can also stand behind two drawn out lines on the floor to throw things at the wall. All of the glassware were sitting on a table in the middle of the room. There were some broken things that were left in the room against the walls, like broken TVs. They did not get in the way of raging for me. I have never done this kind of activity before so I was a little nervous before my session. But once I picked up the bat and started swinging, it was so much fun and cathartic. Let me tell you, this is more carhartic than punching a bag. I wish they were able to give me a heads up of when my 5 minutes was almost to a close. The owner is thinking of a solution for that. I also wished they had plenty of items to break in the first place before I started raging. They told me I was pretty quick at breaking things compared to other people, so they had to give me some more things to break, just 4 more cups. Maybe if I had bigger substantial items, that would have taken up some more time. 5 minutes would be plenty of time to rage, but, only if there are a lot of things to break without pausing. If you have a lot of cooped up emotions, then 10 minutes+ might be better. I definitely recommend this to everyone to try at least once in your lifetime!