Five years have passed since we moved to Wilmington and we’re still discovering new things to love. It has beautiful beaches, a clean riverwalk, delicious restaurants, an abundance of activities to enjoy on the water and even historic sites and architecture that date back to the founding of America! I’m excited to share recommendations for each of those things in this Wilmington Travel Guide series! We’ve already covered Where to Stay & Where to Shop and Best Restaurants & Coffee Shops. Today I’m sharing some of our favorite things to do in the area!

What to Do

There is no shortage of things to do in the Wilmington area! This will definitely be a category I’ll have to come back to periodically and update because there always seems to be more to enjoy here than there is time! Here are a dozen options to get you started:

1. Wilmington Riverwalk:

The riverwalk is downtown along Water Street where you’ll find an assortment of boutiques, shops, outdoor cafes and water tours! We love the opportunity to share some gelato and watch the sun set from here.

2. Horse Drawn Carriage Tours:

For a more touristy experience, you may enjoy catching one of the horse drawn carriage tours on Market Street by Springbrook Farms. They’ll take you through the historic district of downtown between Water and Front Streets and are open April through October, no reservations needed. You can usually find one ready across the street from Kilwins!

3. Tennis + Farmer’s Market + The Loop:

I clumped these three together because they’re all in the same basic area and would make for a great morning!! I recommend parking in in the Wrightsville Beach Park where the basketball, tennis and pickleball courts are located. Pickleball open play is available Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 7AM-11AM April-September and 8AM-12PM October-March.

The Wrightsville Beach Farmer’s Market is open Mondays from 8AM-1PM May-December on the Wrightsville Beach Softball Field.

“The Loop” is a 2.45-mile walk that follows this path:

Maybe my favorite part of the path is all the beautiful homes on the intra-coastal that I dream about. 🫠

4. Picnic on the Beach:

This beautiful setup is by Seaside Charcuterie! She put this together for a proposal I photographed on Wrightsville Beach (a couple whose wedding I later got to photograph on Chesapeake Bay). 🤩

Another great option for a luxury beach picnic is Collective Law — tell me her setups aren’t dreamy?!

5. Shark Tooth Hunting:

We’ve had our best success hunting for shark teeth on Holden Beach, but you can find them on Wrightsville Beach sometimes, too! It seems easiest to spot them when the sun is low on the horizon (the light glints off the shark teeth in the sand).

6. Paddleboarding:

This is one of our favorite activities we can do almost year-round. We go out often enough it made sense to invest in our own inflatable boards, but you can also rent them from Wrightsville SUP. If you’re looking to purchase your own, the best time to shop around is during Isle’s Labor Day Sale in September (we got ours for a fraction of the cost doing it that way).

We’ve also rented jet skis from here and have LOVED that!

7. Jungle Rapids:

Hard to beat mini putt and bumper cars. We’ve made some good memories at Jungle Rapids.

8. The Cargo District:

The Cargo District is an area downtown that has repurposed cargo containers into everything from restaurants to art galleries to coffee shops. There’s a lot to explore here, but if you’re hungry, maybe start with a burger from the Mess Hall!

9. Carolina Beach Fireworks:

Every Thursday night from May through August, there is a free firework show over the ocean at 9PM! You can see it from the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. Each show lasts up to 15 minutes!

In the fall, there’s a pumpkin patch at the pier and starting October 1st, you’re allowed to have your own campfire there at Freeman Park as well (just down from the pier). Having a fire near the ocean is probably my favorite thing EVER. Some of my favorite memories have been from when we’ve been able to do this!

10. Airlie Gardens:

You know the phrase, “Keeping Up with Joneses”? It actually comes from Pembroke and Sarah Jones, who purchased this property (now known as Airlie Gardens), hosting lavish parties with an annual entertaining budget of $300,000 (in the 1800s, mind you)!

Since then, the 70 acres of gardens have been restored and preserved. We’ve had countless picnics here by Bradley Creek!

11. Lewis Farms:

Nearly every year since moving here, we’ve made our way back to Lewis Farms for buckets of strawberries! As much as we love the smoothies, coffee cakes and muffins we get to enjoy for months afterwards, I’m not sure anything is quite so good as eating them fresh-picked and warmed by the sun. Depending on when you go, there are also blueberries, raspberries and blackberries available for picking, too! Before you go, be sure to have a scoop of ice cream and browse the greenhouse.

12. Schedule a photoshoot:

One of the best ways you can memorialize your time here is set aside an hour for portraits before you go!!! Whether you’re visiting on a family vacation, for a couple’s getaway, or any other reason, I would love to meet you at any of the locations in this post for your own collection of portraits to remember your trip by! If you’re visiting from out of town, just mention that you saw this post and I’ll take $100 off your session!!

$100 off any portrait collection 🕊️ contact me here

13. Southport:

We love Southport so much we originally considered moving here instead of Wilmington — it’s the quintessential southern, seaside town full of charm. If you’re here over the 4th of July, they are notorious for their parade, but really, there’s no bad time to come and you’ll find plenty to enjoy. Fishy Fishy is our favorite place to eat when we’re here!

14. Surf Lessons:

RC Surf Instruction gives both private and group lessons, including guided surf sessions just for women. No experience or equipment needed!

Historic Sites

One of my favorite things about the coastal Carolina area is that it’s not only beautiful, it’s rich with history. Even just walking downtown Wilmington and admiring the old homes is enjoyable, especially in April during the Azalea Festival Parade when the azaleas are in bloom on nearly every corner (this is also the best time to catch Airlie Gardens)! Whether or not you’re a history buff, these next four recommendations are definitely worth your time:

1. Burgwin-Wright House:

The Burgwin-Wright House was built in 1770 and is the only structure in Wilmington from the colonial era that you can still tour! The layered gardens make a beautiful location for portraits.

2. Tryon Palace:

New Bern, where Tryon Palace is located, is about 90 minutes north of Wilmington but worth the drive! Like the Burgwin-Wright house, Tryon Palace was built right around the Revolutionary War. The formal gardens represent the garden style of 18th-century Britain and each year they host a free concert by the North Carolina Symphony on the grounds!

3. Bellamy Mansion:

The Bellamy Mansion downtown Wilmington was built during the Civil War and has elements of Greek Revival and Italianate styles. It’s entirely open to tour from basement to belvedere.

4. The Battleship North Carolina:

The Battleship NC was in every major naval offensive during WWII! There are nine levels to the ship, so the exploration feels endless… every time we come, the boys are making some new discovery. We find it especially meaningful catching the Memorial Day service here each year.

If you noticed I didn’t mention any beaches yet, it’s because that category is large enough to deserve it’s very own post!! Check back soon for Favorite Beaches + Where to Explore!!