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Wilmington Travel Guide, North Carolina

The city is named after the earl of Wilmington and it is located in North Carolina at the junction of the Cape Fear River's northeast and northwest branches. Its position made it become one of the major ports in the county and an important trade and manufacturing center. It has been functioning as a port for a long time and during the World Wars it had an important role in naval supplies.

The city has a long history whose reminders are present in the historic area that combines Wilmington’s colorful past with a contemporary freshness. The consciousness of the need to preserve natural beauty and architecture of the city led to the city hosting one of the largest districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The district is the old residential section of town bordered by Princess, 4th, Front and Nun streets full of Georgian, Victorian, and Italian homes.

Among the most visited are the Cotton Exchange and Wright House buildings. The Cotton Exchange building is a 2-foot-thick brick wall building beautifully restored that was once an exchange building. Now it hosts lovely restaurants and shops and its setting on the riverfront makes it even more charming. People come here to shop and enjoy the beautiful view of the river.

The other building, the Wright House dates 1771 and is one of the city’s landmarks.

As tourism is very well developed in the city, part of the historic sites of the city can also be seen from water if you go on one of the cruises offered by Henrietta III. You will be able to see the Cotton Exchange building, the beautiful harbour, the Riverfront Park. There are various cruises you can choose from during from spring till winter.

The town has also learned to sell its location as haven for film making. It started with the shooting of Firestarter and since then the city became a major site for the movie industry. It is so big that only Los Angeles and New York beats it. Thus its nickname "Hollywood East” suits it perfectly. This new industry has brought huge income to the city but it has also brought tourists that only brought more money making the city’s economy a thriving one. There are those who come to visit the city just to see where films are made and they are offered tours of the real studio where films are produced so the tourists do not feel like they are visiting a museum.

Other attractions for tourists include the beach, namely Wrightsville Beach where both locals and tourists who cram into the otherwise wide beach during the high season. The beach is all long as a mile along Cape Fear coast. It is quite packed with people who want to enjoy its beige sands, sea oats and of course swimming. The beach is ideal for enjoying and cooling down in the hot summer season.

The waterfront makes a good base for fishing. You can try your luck from the deck but chances and the fishing experience are improved if you get out on the water and you have better chances if you take a charter boat that can offer trolling and bottom-fishing opportunities. Many depart from the Carolina Beach Municipal Marina.

There is no more dramatic or memorable experience available to the typical tourist in Wilmington than to enjoy the wonderful scenery of the waterfront, walk the streets of its historic area and see where their favourite film was produced.