Historical Wilmington, North Carolina, is only the beginning of what awaits explorers of this peninsula that juts into the Atlantic Ocean.
By Phil Bowie
July 2006
Hostile Indians, dangerous shoals hidden under the Atlantic Ocean, and notorious pirates combined to make Cape Fear, North Carolina, aptly named for struggling early settlers. However, these days there’s no reason to be skittish about exploring one of the best mid-Atlantic destinations for adventurous travelers.
The Cape Fear Peninsula dips south into the Atlantic Ocean near the state’s southern border. On its east (ocean) side are Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach. Confederate Fort Fisher lies near the southern tip. The western border of the peninsula is the Cape Fear River, which leads up to the port city of Wilmington.
Wilmington is the best place to begin exploring the area. Its very historical heart is charming, but to see it you’ll need to leave your motorhome at the campground and take your towed vehicle, because the streets are narrow and RV parking is not available nearby. Three large car parking decks are located in the downtown area, though. Once you’ve situated your towed vehicle, proceed to the visitors center booth on the riverfront (at Third and Water streets) or the main visitors center at Third and Princess streets.
This whole downtown area is a historical district that spreads across an amazing 230 blocks. For an overview you can take a horse-drawn carriage tour that clip-clops along the shady brick and cobblestone streets. The tour leads past stately homes that survived the Civil War, such as the ornate Bellamy Mansion, circa 1860, dressed up with elegant Corinthian columns. The 1770 Burgwin-Wright Museum House & Gardens, with its grand entrance staircase, is another popular spot.
Visitors also can board an old-fashioned motorized open-air trolley for a narrated ride. Or, to get some exercise, take a self-guided walking tour. That way, you can poke around some of the 30 antique shops, the two dozen specialty shops located in the pre-Civil War Cotton Exchange, or the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science. The latter has a special exhibit about Wilmington native and basketball legend Michael Jordan. Michael shares his hometown heritage with notables such as journalist Charles Kuralt, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, singer Charlie Daniels, and the mother of artist James McNeill Whistler, who was memorialized in her son’s famous painting.
Another noteworthy educational stop in the district is the Children’s Museum of Wilmington, at the corner of Second and Orange streets, housed in a newly renovated three-building complex with hands-on exhibits that will enthrall and delight. And regardless of whether you like or dislike snakes, you’ll remember time spent at the Cape Fear Serpentarium on Orange Street, where some of the world’s most beautiful and dangerous reptiles are safely exhibited behind glass.
Art galleries dot the area as well. Those downtown include American Pie, which features pottery, jewelry, and sculpture; the funky New Elements Gallery on North Front Street, with contemporary crafts, prints, and unusual sculpture; and Golden Gallery in the Cotton Exchange, displaying fine watercolors and photography. The original Thalian Hall, an 1858 Italianate theater, has something going all year long: major plays, musicals, ballets, and touring name performers.
Also downtown you can board the Captain J.N. Maffitt, a vintage World War II Navy launch that takes 48 passengers on scenic river cruises and will ferry you across the river to tour the 728-foot Battleship North Carolina, which is open year-round. Served by a crew of more than 2,300, this warship fought heroically in every major campaign in the Pacific during World War II. You also can easily reach the ship by motorhome or car; just take the bridge from town to the ship’s dock. Ample parking is available.
The fancy 600-passenger Henrietta III also glides along the river, looking like something from a Mark Twain book, with three elegant viewing decks, two dance floors, and refined dining.
Downtown Wilmington is an excellent place to eat, but you’ll have to choose from a large variety of establishments. The Caprice Bistro, for example, offers French cuisine downstairs and a comfortable sofa bar upstairs. Paddy’s Hollow in the Cotton Exchange has good old juicy American steaks and burgers. The Underground Sandwich Shoppe is in the basement of the state’s first skyscraper at Front and Market streets. A new favorite is The George on the Riverwalk, serving American cuisine with a European flair. An old favorite is Elijah’s, which provides outside dining under a wide awning on the riverfront, where the hot corn bread could serve as a dessert and the crab dip is legendary. Hell’s Kitchen Pub & Grill was a stage set for the TV series “Dawson’s Creek”; now it serves as a luncheon restaurant with an unusual salad bar, and as a high-energy nightspot.
Outside of downtown, your motorhome can be used to access many other sites. Wilmington has been called “Hollywood East” because it’s home to Screen Gems Studios, the largest motion picture facility in the United States outside of California. It’s only a short drive from downtown, and tours of the lot and studios are available. This is where many movies and TV series were filmed “” and still are.
Also outside the downtown district are Wilmington’s many parks, gardens, and lakes. Airlie Gardens elegantly decorates 67 acres with winding walks amid fragrant flower beds, an enchanted rain garden, century-old camellias, and a stalwart 450-year-old oak that has survived many a hurricane. Airlie was once owned by a family that held lavish society garden parties with diamond rings as favors. Greenfield Park and Gardens encompasses more than 250 acres, including a lush cypress swamp; it offers nature trails and canoe and paddleboat rentals. The Arboretum of New Hanover County on Oleander Drive has 4,000 species of native plants on display. And moss-hung Orton Plantation & Gardens, across the river from town, could have come right out of Gone With The Wind.
The many gardens are enjoyable all year, but each spring the community cooperates and yards all over the city bloom with such a profusion of azaleas that a special four-day festival celebrating the flowering shrub has become a tradition, complete with a queen and a gala parade.
A short drive down the Cape Fear Peninsula point will take you to Fort Fisher, the last major bastion of the Confederacy. This huge fort was built from dirt and had many interior rooms, all connected by an underground passageway. The fort withstood two battles with Union forces until it fell. A fiber-optic display details the final battle in January 1865 “” it was the largest land-sea skirmish of the Civil War. The remains of the fort and a museum are located there today.
Nearby is the excellent North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. A humid half-acre conservatory houses regional flora and critters such as tree frogs and box turtles, but the main attraction is the 250,000-gallon, two-story tank that contains 500 saltwater creatures, including sharks, rays, and many colorful fish. A porthole on the lower level is deeply concave, so you can poke your head and shoulders inside and enjoy the illusion of standing among the many creatures. A touch tank with horseshoe crabs and other fascinating species is fun for kids and adults. Outside is a hiking and biking trail that birders enjoy.
So much can be enjoyed near Cape Fear that it’s a good idea to obtain a guide prior to arriving. In addition to the attractions just noted, visitors can enjoy several dozen golf courses and 31 miles of white ocean beaches. Numerous festivals and events take place throughout the year, including the Chowder Cook-off and the Beach Blast Music Festival in spring; the Castles and Scoops Sculpting Contest and weekly fireworks at Carolina Beach during the summer; and deep-sea fishing tournaments, a blues and jazz festival, and a downtown “Ghost Walk” in the fall. New happenings this year include an African-American-themed self-guided tour of Wilmington, and the opening of an aviation museum at the Wilmington International Airport.
Don’t be afraid to visit this notorious cape anytime you can arrange it.
Further Info
Cape Fear Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau
24 N. Third St.
Wilmington, NC 28401
(877) 406-2356
(910) 341-4029
E-mail: visit@cape-fear.nc.us
www.cape-fear.nc.us
You may request a copy of the visitors guide when you call, or download one from the Web site.
Area Campgrounds
The following may not be a complete list, so please check your favorite campground directory or the Business Directory, published in the January and June issues of FMC and online at FMCA.com.
Carolina Beach Family Campground
9641 River Road
Carolina Beach, NC 28412
(910) 392-3322
www.carolinabeachfamilycampground.com
Offers wooded sites, a swimming pool, a laundry, a store, and craft rooms.
Carolina Beach State Park
1010 State Park Road
Carolina Beach, NC 28428
(910) 458-8206
E-mail: carolina.beach@ncmail.net
www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/cabe/home.html
Offers 83 shady sites arranged on a beautiful 760-acre island. Amenities include drinking water and rest rooms with hot showers, along with picnic tables and grills, but no hookups. Six excellent walking trails wind through woodland and marsh, revealing such sights as insect-devouring Venus flytrap plants. Fishing is available from a wheelchair-accessible deck. Rangers hold regular nature programs.
Wilmington-Wrightsville Beach KOA
7415 Market St.
Wilmington, NC 28411
(888) 562-5699
(910) 686-7705
E-mail: info@wilmingtonkoa.com
www.wilmingtonkoa.com
Located seven miles from downtown Wilmington and five miles from Wrightsville Beach. Newly remodeled and nicely landscaped, it offers large pull-through sites with power up to 50 amps, a pool and playground, a laundry, a full-service store, and Internet access.
How North Carolina Got Its Nicknames
Carolina was divided in 1710 into two regions: the southern part was called South Carolina and the northern, or older settlement, North Carolina. From this came the nickname the “Old North State.” North Carolina became renowned for the products derived from pine trees, such as turpentine, pitch, and tar.
The “Tar Heel State” nickname came about during the Civil War. During a fierce battle, as the story goes, the men supporting the North Carolina troops were driven off. The North Carolinians successfully fought it out alone. After the battle they reportedly were asked by one of the troops who had fled if the Old North State had any more tar. One in the North Carolina ranks supposedly retorted that the tar would be put to the heels of the other troops to make them stick better in the next fight. When Confederate General Robert E. Lee heard of the incident, he reportedly said, “God bless the Tar Heel boys,” and from that the name stuck.