This is one of the most beautiful Coastal cities you will ever visit. We have been going here on…read morevacation since I was a little kid. My father actually grew up here and the city has certainly change over the years into a great tourist destination. Beautiful homes are everywhere in and around the city as well as some of the best dining you will find anywhere. You are just minutes to some of the best beaches in the state where you can still rent a "beach house" for a week and spend your vacation staying right on the water in a fully furnished house instead of cramped in a hotel room

Oak Island Lighthouse NC 3-1-25 This lighthouse is in…read moreCaswell beach NC. It looks like it's made of cement and built in 1958. You can climb it but you have to reserve a guided tour online then you can climb it. It is 153 feet high and has ships ladders for steps to get to the top. You will have to go a total of 131 ladder steps. This beach area is beautiful, and we had to add this Lighthouse to our tour. Open house tours are offered Memorial Day through Labor Day Wednesday & Saturday. Other than the Lighthouse and beach there is nothing else to see. I would not make a special trip to see it but if you're in the area or want to add it to you list of seen Lighthouses go for sure. I give this Lighthouse a 4 out of 5 stars. Follow Me On Fb For More Reviews Gulf Coast Terry

Went to see this lighthouse with my family expecting some boring lighthouse. No it's not boring. I…read moreactually had a good time here and the beach access is very close which is also nice. I don't know much about lighthouses but I know this is a good one

This site had escaped my notice on numerous visits to the area, but I found a reason to stop in…read more The weather was rainy, but it actually wasn't the worst decision to visit, as rain without wind was reasonably manageable with an umbrella and the precipitation was effective in suppressing the bugs and heat that I would have otherwise experienced. There were no alligators in sight though, so what I got out of it was a historical visit. And I have to say, it's an impressive historical site. It has both a colonial and a Civil War history. One distinction I find hard to explain is that I don't hear a ton about pre-Revolution America in a lot of places I visit in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, but the Carolinas emphasize this period a lot more in their sites. This place has a museum, which includes such artifacts as a confederate flag that was apparently presented to Abraham Lincoln as a trophy of Union victory, leading to some interesting turns in history. The outdoor experiences include a walk through some excavated ruins and around the old earthen fort, as well as a nature trail. Notably, a memorial to the Africans who were brought to the area was affecting. For those visiting the area from afar, North Carolina does not charge for entrance to state park sites, unlike most other states. The location is not terribly far in absolute driving time from Wilmington, but it will transport you to another time.

Beautiful grounds, with very interesting ruins. The staff is also very friendly and helpful. We…read moreloved all of the fox squirrels!

Old Baldy is North Carolina's oldest standing lighthouse. Admission for adults is $8 and gives you…read moreaccess to the lighthouse and Smith Island Museum of History. To reach the top of the lighthouse you have to go up 108 stairs and 5 landings. It could be considered challenging for some. The views at the top are worth it and were beautiful. If you are on BHI a trip to Old Baldy is a must.

$6 for admission to Old Baldy? Hell yeah…read more This attraction is run by a non-profit, and I suspect they do a pretty solid job of not making so much of a profit. I'd like to come back during peak season sometime to get the fully-fledged 2-hour history tour, but even without doing that, you'll get plenty out of just visiting the lighthouse and its one-room history museum. The lighthouse itself is rad. The view is fabulous. The setting can't be beat. A no-brainer if it's your first visit to the island. (And if it's open.)

This marker is alongside River Road between Wilmington and the Caswell/Oak Island beaches. It is in…read moregood condition and there is a grassy area where you can stop. Probably not legally, but I was only here for a minute. The marker reads, "Major General Howe was the commander of Southern Department of the Continental Line, 1776-78, and North Carolina's highest ranking officer. Lived 4 1/2 miles east." Online, there is more information. "Robert Howe, Continental army general, was born in 1732 in New Hanover County. Howe inherited a considerable fortune from his parents and grandparents, owning several large plantations in the New Hanover and Bladen counties. He served in several minor public posts in Bladen County, including as a militia captain and magistrate in the 1750s and 1760s. After Brunswick County formed, Howe was elected to the colonial assembly, a post he held for six consecutive terms. He also served as a militia officer for Brunswick County, and commanded Fort Johnston from 1769 to 1773. During the War of the Regulation, Howe commanded that artillery of Governor William Tryon at the Battle of Alamance." "At the outbreak of the Revolution, Howe served as a member of the Wilmington Committee of Safety and led the local militia that took control of Fort Johnston. On September 1, 1775, Howe was appointed colonel of the 2nd North Carolina Continental regiment. After the death of James Moore in 1777, Howe was appointed to succeed him as commander of the Southern Department and was promoted to major general on October 20, 1777." "Howe returned home in 1783 at the war's end, intent on resuming his life as a planter. In 1786 he was elected to the House of Commons, however he died on December 14, while traveling to the meeting of the body. He was the highest-ranking officer from North Carolina to serve in the American Revolution." [Review 14233 overall, 1556 of 2020, number 2676 in North Carolina.]

The Old Brunswick County Jail was not open for the season when I was there but I could still walk…read morearound and admire the two story brick building. It was built in 1904 and served as a jail for 70 years. The Southport Historical Society stepped in to restore the building and preserve history and it opened to the public in 2004. On the second floor are two jail cells and each cell could hold four bunks, a toilet and a sink. The jailer lived downstairs with his family. It would be great to go back when it is open and hear the stories on the museum tour. "Crimes of the Heart" starring Sissy Spacek had some scenes filmed at the jail.

The Old Smithville Burying Ground is a beautiful old cemetery. Smithville was the original name of…read morethe town now named Southport. It is thought to be the oldest cemetery in Brunswick County. The oak trees and shrubs make this a peaceful place to wander and explore history. The gravesites go back to the 1700s and include Revolutionary War soldiers to those lost when a steamship sank to those working on the Cape Fear lost at sea to those that helped make Southport what it is today.

The Fort Johnston-Southport Museum & Visitor's Center is a great way to start your exploration of…read moreDowntown Southport. Admission is free. The museum part provides good background information on the town and its history. One room contains all the films made in the area and also has some memorabilia from those films. The Visitor's Center has many brochures and maps and the ladies working the day I was there were very helpful about parking and about my ferry ride the next day.

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!

This marker is along Country Club lane just south of the Barbee bridge…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/g-v-barbee-sr-bridge-oak-island?hrid=COGYbv5UtiFQYI_yFQA9Gg on the way to the Oak Island Lighthouse https://www.yelp.com/biz/oak-island-lighthouse-oak-island?hrid=JaoQ0Zd9MwogR7_L5ZqYmA. The marker reads, "Fort Caswell. Seized by North Carolina Militia three months before firing on Fort Sumter. Governor Ellis ordered its return to Federal authority; three miles east." The marker is in front of a bank at a major intersection. For some reason, the marker is not in the state database, so here is information about the site from elsewhere. The fort is at the eastern tip of Oak Island at the entrance to the Cape Fear River. It is named after former governor Richard Caswell and the original fortifications and earthworks were completed in 1836. Over 61 gun emplacements, it provided defense of the city of Wilmington, which is 20 miles upriver. In 1861, it was seized twice by a group called the "Cape Fear Minutemen", who were subsequently ordered by Governor John Willis Ellis to return it to the keeper of the fort, the only man stationed there by the U.S. Army at the time. When the state finally seceded, the new Confederate Army made it, along with nearby Fort Fisher, one of the most elaborate defensive system in the world at that time.This system, along with swift blockade runners, kept Wilmington's port open longer than any other. The U.S. Army built a full military reservation on the site in the 1890s, complete with coastal artillery batteries, but abandoned it after World War I. Most of the buildings currently extant as well as the sea wall were built during this period. From 1937-1941, the fort was unsuccessfully converted into a resort, with the gun emplacements used as swimming pools (two artesian wells produced hot mineral water to fill the pools). In 1941, the Navy purchased the fort for use as an anti-submarine base during World War II. The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina bought the property in 1949 as surplus for $86,000. [Review 13980 overall, 1302 of 2020, number 2620 in North Carolina.]