Top Things To Do in Downtown Wilmington

For the holidays, Ryan and I went home to spend time with my family. If you didn’t know, my parents and sister live in the little beach town, Carolina Beach. Fortunately, Carolina Beach is a short 2-hour drive from home in Raleigh, NC.

While Carolina Beach may be a small town, there is still LOTS to do! Especially since the area is surrounded with different places to travel. We took Sunday to head to downtown Wilmington for some shopping, eating, and sight-seeing.

Downtown Wilmington is filled with plenty of activities and sights to explore. If you’re wanting to check out Wilmy, make sure to block a whole day off for your adventure. Between the sights and stores, you’ll be busy from morning til night! These are just a few of my favorite things to do downtown. 

Cotton Exchange

The Cotton Exchange is Wilmington’s local shopping destination. This outside/inside mall holds over 30 local shops and restaurants. Start your experience at Coastal Paws, and grab a delicious dinner at Paddy’s Hollow!

If you’re a history buff, you’ll love this complex. It is named due to the inclusion of the Old James Sprunt Cotton Exchange building; a business that claimed to be the largest exporter of cotton on the east coast until its dissolution in 1950. History is abundantly displayed throughout the gracious courtyards and within the four distinct restaurants.

The Cotton Exchange is located in historic downtown and offers its patrons free parking validation while shopping and dining.

Riverwalk

Are you in need of some beautiful views? The Riverwalk is a wonderful stroll alongside the Cape Fear riverfront. The Riverwalk is a mile-long of gorgeous scenes, delicious restaurants, and other beloved attractions.

The walk was originally built in the 1980’s to generate more interest and tourism in Wilmington. The path itself is wooden and super popular with runners and joggers. It provides easy access through downtown without driving.

One Tree Hill Tour

My absolute favorite show was filmed in Wilmington! One Tree Hill used many different locations throughout downtown as important places in the show like TRIC and Karen’s Cafe.

Wilmington actually offers walking tours for a small price that will take you to all the Tree Hill spots. Or you can type in the locations on your GPS and head there yourself. This Huffpost article will help you find One Tree Hill filming locations!

While your strolling along the Riverwalk, take a picture at the infamous “Naley” bench. You know… the one were Nathan gave Haley the cracker jack bracelet. It’ll be pretty difficult to miss since it has tons of OTH carvings in it.

Battleship

The USS North Carolina resides in the Cape Fear river. She has 15 battle stars (making her the most decorated American battleship of World War ll), however she no longer is in use. The USS North Carolina is a museum ship.

You can go visit the battleship during your trip to Wilmington. The tour is self-service and you get to learn more about the history of the ship during. It’s so cool to step back in time and let history come alive through the crews’ stories.

Airlie Gardens

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make it to Airlie Gardens this visit but it’s an absolute must! The Christmas season can be difficult to get in because of Enchanted Airlie, a .5m stroll through beautiful holiday lights. The event lasts Thanksgiving to Christmas and is a huge New Hanover Tradition… so tickets typically sell out in the first week.

However, Airlie Gardens is free to just walk around and a great place for photos. The gardens were created in 1886 as a private garden, for the Pembroke Jones family. You can explore over 67-acres of a lush, flowing, naturalistic Southern garden, with thousands of azaleas, camellias, magnolias, and wisteria.

Have you ever been to Wilmington, North Carolina? What are some of your favorite downtown activities? Let me know if I’m missing anything on my list.

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