NOTE: This is my first blog, so read on at your own peril as I figure this out. A few introductory paragraphs before I get to the destination du jour.
My other half and I like to travel a lot. We also have children of the two- and four-legged kind, so we look for quick getaways that allow us to spend some time exploring together while not being gone so long that we (a) feel guilty and (b) incur the wrath of those children.
In looking for the next destination, we also employ two general rules. First, we are lucky to live in a Southwest Airlines hub, so we search for places that are quick flights away via Southwest. Because Southwest flies to less trafficked destinations, we have enjoyed surprisingly fun trips to places like Louisville, Manchester and Detroit.
Second, before booking a trip, I like to first check out the "gayness" of a destination. Not because I only want to spend time with my tribe or plan to hang out in gay bars, which we almost never do. It's just that I find gay friendly (or at least not overwhelmingly homophobic) cities and towns with citizens who just don't care who you happen to be with are more fun, a little more interesting and welcoming of everyone with no asterisks or footnotes.
Destination 1 of 2010: Wilmington, NC and the Cape Fear Coast.
At the turn of the last century, Wilmington was the largest city in North Carolina. My former hometown of Charlotte holds the title now. A lesser-known port city sister to Charleston and Savannah, Wilmington slid into a decades long decline following THAT war, a terrible race riot and economic malaise. This is good news for today's visitors. This historic city is dirty with beautiful old homes and churches of the many periods of its long history. Home to a large campus of the UNC system, Wilmington also benefits from a regular infusion of bright young minds, talents and interests. All of this creates a nice mix of old and new on an evolving basis. It's also a gateway to the beach towns of the Cape Fear Coast: Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach and Carolina Beach. While thousands of Washingtonians and Baltimoreans regularly flock to the Outer Banks, this southern part of the North Carolina coast rewards more intrepid travelers, though it's obviously quite popular with Carolinians north and south.
GETTING THERE: Wilmington has its own airport with direct connections. But, following my rule number one, and bright and early on New Year's Day 2010, we boarded a Southwest flight to Raleigh-Durham. Though not our final destination, RDU is a great jumping off point for eastern North Carolina. And, there certainly are reasons to linger in the Triangle. We did linger long enough to walk around the State Capitol complex in Raleigh, where I learned that North Carolina has given the nation three presidents, two of whom I might have guessed. James Polk and Andrew Johnson might have come to mind, but the third, Andrew Jackson, who was born in the state, I would never have guessed. We also had a fine New Year's Day meal at Poole's Diner in downtown Raleigh. It's the kind of place that has a chalkboard menu and that's it. Really tasty food. The chocolate mouse with caramel and blackberry sauce rocked.
ON THE ROAD: The drive from Raleigh to Wilmington takes about two hours via I-40. We had reserved a room at the Rose Hill Inn in downtown Wilmington. When I e-mailed about reservations and mentioned I was from the Washington-Baltimore area, the owners helpfully reminded me that I was asking about Wilmington, North Carolina, not the more famous and nearby Wilmington in Delaware. The location is perfect, the rooms are big and comfortable and breakfasts were delicious, right down to the Virginia (not North Carolina) ham, a nod to the Old Dominion heritage of the owners.
WHAT TO DO IN WILMINGTON: A lot is the short answer. The nearby beaches are an obvious draw in the warm weather months, as well as the North Carolina Aquarium, although we did not make it there on this trip. Willmington also is the permanent home of the battleship USS North Carolina, in which our 8-year-old was interested following his third-grade lesson on Pearl Harbor.
For us, though, the three great attractions on a brilliantly cold January weekend in Wilmington were food, historic buildings and shopping. Wilmington, much like Savannah and Charleston, is home to some beautiful houses of worship of every faith. The Baptist, Catholic, Jewish and Presbyterian houses of worship each are spectacular.
We also toured one antebellum mansion, the Bellamy Mansion. It's a gorgeous structure, for sure. What I liked, however, was the fact that the tour guide's script included information about the TREMENDOUS contributions and sacrifices made by the owners' slaves in its construction and maintenance just prior to and following the Civil War. I have found other historic home tours in the South lacking this obvious point of view, so this tour was refreshing.
Shopping also is surprisingly good in Wilmington. The historic downtown has many interesting stores, at one of which I found the perfect present for my friend in San Antonio: a purse made by North Carolina artist Holly Aiken at Edge of Urge.
Runners take note. There is a nice river walk along the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington. Though it was frosty, I enjoyed early morning runs along the river walk and the surrounding historic streets. I heard from locals that there is a half marathon that centers around the battleship.
LET'S EAT: Sitting as it does at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, Wilmington offers great seafood, but we experienced meals with thought, invention and creativity. Our first dinner in town was at Circa 1922. This was the first recommendation of our innkeepers. They had really interesting tapas on the menu, and the North Carolina trout was awesome. The setting, a former fire station house one block from the Cape Fear River, is really beautiful.
The next night, we dined on the recommendation of our innkeepers at Caprice Bistro, a wonderful, if drafty on a cold January night, French restaurant run by Thierry and Patricia Moity, who previously ran Patou Bistro in Charlotte and Cafe de Bruxelles in New York. A French restaurant run by Belgians means you can scoff down delicious muscles and good beer along with the great bread and wine.
My other half and I like to travel a lot. We also have children of the two- and four-legged kind, so we look for quick getaways that allow us to spend some time exploring together while not being gone so long that we (a) feel guilty and (b) incur the wrath of those children.
In looking for the next destination, we also employ two general rules. First, we are lucky to live in a Southwest Airlines hub, so we search for places that are quick flights away via Southwest. Because Southwest flies to less trafficked destinations, we have enjoyed surprisingly fun trips to places like Louisville, Manchester and Detroit.
Second, before booking a trip, I like to first check out the "gayness" of a destination. Not because I only want to spend time with my tribe or plan to hang out in gay bars, which we almost never do. It's just that I find gay friendly (or at least not overwhelmingly homophobic) cities and towns with citizens who just don't care who you happen to be with are more fun, a little more interesting and welcoming of everyone with no asterisks or footnotes.
Destination 1 of 2010: Wilmington, NC and the Cape Fear Coast.
At the turn of the last century, Wilmington was the largest city in North Carolina. My former hometown of Charlotte holds the title now. A lesser-known port city sister to Charleston and Savannah, Wilmington slid into a decades long decline following THAT war, a terrible race riot and economic malaise. This is good news for today's visitors. This historic city is dirty with beautiful old homes and churches of the many periods of its long history. Home to a large campus of the UNC system, Wilmington also benefits from a regular infusion of bright young minds, talents and interests. All of this creates a nice mix of old and new on an evolving basis. It's also a gateway to the beach towns of the Cape Fear Coast: Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach and Carolina Beach. While thousands of Washingtonians and Baltimoreans regularly flock to the Outer Banks, this southern part of the North Carolina coast rewards more intrepid travelers, though it's obviously quite popular with Carolinians north and south.
GETTING THERE: Wilmington has its own airport with direct connections. But, following my rule number one, and bright and early on New Year's Day 2010, we boarded a Southwest flight to Raleigh-Durham. Though not our final destination, RDU is a great jumping off point for eastern North Carolina. And, there certainly are reasons to linger in the Triangle. We did linger long enough to walk around the State Capitol complex in Raleigh, where I learned that North Carolina has given the nation three presidents, two of whom I might have guessed. James Polk and Andrew Johnson might have come to mind, but the third, Andrew Jackson, who was born in the state, I would never have guessed. We also had a fine New Year's Day meal at Poole's Diner in downtown Raleigh. It's the kind of place that has a chalkboard menu and that's it. Really tasty food. The chocolate mouse with caramel and blackberry sauce rocked.
ON THE ROAD: The drive from Raleigh to Wilmington takes about two hours via I-40. We had reserved a room at the Rose Hill Inn in downtown Wilmington. When I e-mailed about reservations and mentioned I was from the Washington-Baltimore area, the owners helpfully reminded me that I was asking about Wilmington, North Carolina, not the more famous and nearby Wilmington in Delaware. The location is perfect, the rooms are big and comfortable and breakfasts were delicious, right down to the Virginia (not North Carolina) ham, a nod to the Old Dominion heritage of the owners.
WHAT TO DO IN WILMINGTON: A lot is the short answer. The nearby beaches are an obvious draw in the warm weather months, as well as the North Carolina Aquarium, although we did not make it there on this trip. Willmington also is the permanent home of the battleship USS North Carolina, in which our 8-year-old was interested following his third-grade lesson on Pearl Harbor.
For us, though, the three great attractions on a brilliantly cold January weekend in Wilmington were food, historic buildings and shopping. Wilmington, much like Savannah and Charleston, is home to some beautiful houses of worship of every faith. The Baptist, Catholic, Jewish and Presbyterian houses of worship each are spectacular.
We also toured one antebellum mansion, the Bellamy Mansion. It's a gorgeous structure, for sure. What I liked, however, was the fact that the tour guide's script included information about the TREMENDOUS contributions and sacrifices made by the owners' slaves in its construction and maintenance just prior to and following the Civil War. I have found other historic home tours in the South lacking this obvious point of view, so this tour was refreshing.
Shopping also is surprisingly good in Wilmington. The historic downtown has many interesting stores, at one of which I found the perfect present for my friend in San Antonio: a purse made by North Carolina artist Holly Aiken at Edge of Urge.
Runners take note. There is a nice river walk along the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington. Though it was frosty, I enjoyed early morning runs along the river walk and the surrounding historic streets. I heard from locals that there is a half marathon that centers around the battleship.
LET'S EAT: Sitting as it does at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, Wilmington offers great seafood, but we experienced meals with thought, invention and creativity. Our first dinner in town was at Circa 1922. This was the first recommendation of our innkeepers. They had really interesting tapas on the menu, and the North Carolina trout was awesome. The setting, a former fire station house one block from the Cape Fear River, is really beautiful.
The next night, we dined on the recommendation of our innkeepers at Caprice Bistro, a wonderful, if drafty on a cold January night, French restaurant run by Thierry and Patricia Moity, who previously ran Patou Bistro in Charlotte and Cafe de Bruxelles in New York. A French restaurant run by Belgians means you can scoff down delicious muscles and good beer along with the great bread and wine.
Great post! Enjoyed the history and description. And, nice eye on the shopping. Wish I was your friend in San Antonio, hee hee.
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