Beautiful beaches and spectacular shoreline serve as backdrop to a variety of getaways in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State can meet the needs of retired sojourners taking it easy or weary workaholics tired of the daily rat race.
Half an hour's drive south of Wilmington lies the charming little town of Southport. A number of bed-and-breakfast inns and old homes welcome travelers who want to get away from the bustle of their busy lives. Southport scenes may look familiar to you. It is the home of one of the state's oldest cemeteries. The Old Southport Burying Ground has appeared in movies such as "I Know What You Did Last Summer." A walk around its graves takes you back into the early 1800s. Park the car at Southport's Visitors' Center and begin the hour-long Historic Southport Trail, a self-guided walking tour past charming turn-of-the-century homes. Drive or walk down to the waterfront and enjoy a soft-shelled crab sandwich and fries while relaxing at an outdoor table. Visit the Southport Maritime Museum. Take the ferry over to Fort Fisher and enjoy a picnic on the beach.
Southport has a number of bed-and-breakfast inns, including Lois Jane's Riverview Inn, Cape Fear Inn, and Theodosia's Bed and Breakfast Inn for those who want to get away from it all.
The port city of Wilmington sits on the Cape Fear River in southeastern North Carolina. The childhood home of basketball star Michael Jordan and journalist David Brinkley, Wilmington serves as the final home of the WWII Battleship USS North Carolina. Travelers to Wilmington can stay at one of the hotels along the waterfront or a few streets back in one of a number of charming, convenient bed-and-breakfast inns in central Wilmington.
Visitors can stroll historic streets, many with the original cobblestone or brick still in place or take a ride on the Wilmington Trolley. Either, or both, are great ways to see the city. Ride past beautiful mansions and civil war shipyards and steep yourself in African-American history or railroad history.
Walking remains an ideal way to see Wilmington. Step into some of its downtown museums or old houses. Stroll along a wonderland of azaleas and dogwoods and other blazes of natural color. Delight in window shopping, old buildings, churches, and the old Cotton Exchange. Have lunch or dinner along the Riverwalk. Go on your first--or tenth--Segway tour. It will take more than a weekend to see all that Wilmington has to offer.
A quick trip to Nags Head, North Carolina, will delight any beach lover wanting to get away from the crowds. The quaint town of Duck is a short drive further north through the towns of Kitty Hawk Kill Devil Hills. No matter what type of lunch, dinner, or breakfast dining you prefer, area restaurants oblige the ocean tourist. Seafood, fast food, chicken, steak, or vegetarian fare come in price ranges for every pocketbook. Walk on the beach via a number of public access areas, visit lighthouses and shipwrecks, and walk on the dunes at Jockey's Ridge, where the Wright Brothers made their famous flights.
Hotels and motels are convenient to the ocean on this narrow section of North Carolina's Outer Banks and come in a variety price ranges. Bicycling, kayaking, picnics on the beach, or just taking in the splendor of nature's scenic sky and sea offer you another North Carolina getaway destination.
