15 Reasons Wilmington, NC is the Best of the Carolina Coast

25.09.2024 - 14:46 / matadornetwork.com

Not all oceanside vacations are created equal, and one trip to Wilmington and our island beaches will show you why we’re the crown jewel of coastal getaways in the Carolinas. With the city’s historic River District and Riverwalk, along with three island beaches just minutes away, there’s plenty to explore. Expect to encounter turquoise waters, exceptional sand, one-of-a-kind nature escapes, and award-winning chefs and breweries — just a few of the many attractions you’ll fall in love with on this slice of the North Carolina coast.

Ready for a countdown? Here are the top 15 reasons for getting yourself to Wilmington ASAP.

Performing and visual arts thrive in Wilmington. Tear yourself away from the galleries to take in a play, show, or film at one of the state’s oldest theaters: Thalian Hall Center for Performing Arts. The venue’s architecture, décor, and performances have delighted audiences for well over a century, as the Thalian has been in continuous operation since 1858. A few blocks away, The Wilson Center stands in modern contrast, bringing Broadway shows and concerts to one of the most technologically advanced performance spaces in the region.

Love a fair? Wilmington has more than 150 annual festivals, events, and street fairs, celebrating our arts, culture, and history, and delivering something to do in every season. In spring, the North Carolina Azalea Festival — a show-stopping display of azalea blooms, gardens, and goings-on — dishes out five days of merriment. Dust off your shagging shoes for June’s Carolina Beach Music Festival, one of the longest-running music festivals in the country, which has bands performing and crowds dancing with their toes in the sand. And in November, the Cape Fear Kite Festival fills the air over Fort Fisher State Recreation Area with fanciful kites.

Perched on the banks of the Cape Fear River, Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park offers concertgoers the chance to catch a show from big-name touring acts a short stroll from the hotels, restaurants, and breweries of downtown. Even when packed, there’s not a bad seat in the house at this venue that accommodates 7,000+. Smaller shows, intimate concerts, and up-and-coming acts, meanwhile, flock to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, where an audience of up to 1,200 can enjoy a concert season nine months long in a lakeside setting surrounded by century-old cypress trees.

Azalea-lined paths, trellises dripping with fragrant flowers, thousands of blooming plants, and the ancient Airlie Oak make the waterside Airlie Gardens a must-visit for green-thumbed nature lovers. The historic Lebanon Chapel sits among pines and azaleas, the Minnie Evans Glass Bottle House celebrates the visionary folk artist (and longtime Airlie Gardens