A few weekends ago Nick and I packed up and headed to Wilmington for a long weekend away! One of my favorite parts about living in North Carolina is the proximity to both the beach and the mountains. Any time we want to, we can pack up our bags and head on a few hour trip to the beach or the mountains! We were both over the cold and rainy weather in Greensboro, so Wilmington and it’s island beaches was a great, easy weekend getaway for us! If you recall, back in September the North Carolina coast was affected by Hurricane Florence. Wilmington and surrounding areas experienced detrimental flooding, but I was so happy to see that almost everything has been restored and everything is open for business! We had a great time exploring, heading back to local favorite spots and finding new-to-me local businesses! I’m excited to share a recap of our trip to Wilmington and it’s beaches today with y’all!
Wilmington
On Friday afternoon we arrived to our hotel and the adventure began! We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott located in the Downtown Historic District, which is just a short walk to many restaurants, shops, and the Riverfront. Once we settled in we grabbed drinks and appetizers from Dram & Morsel. I can’t recommend this place enough. It was such a cool atmosphere and everything we ordered was SO good! I ordered the Tequila Katie and it was such a good, refreshing drink with a hint of spice. Afterwards we headed to Front Street Brewery for dinner. I have been going to Front Street for years with family and friends, so I knew I couldn’t miss out on it this trip! Their raspberry wheat beer is a must if you go! We ended the night with a comedy show at Dead Crow – which was a great intimate spot to catch a former SNL actor.
Carolina/Kure Beach
Saturday morning we woke up early and made out first stop at Drift Kitchen & Coffee for breakfast and it was the cutest spot with incredible food. Quite possibly the best açaí bowl I’ve ever had! Afterwards, we headed to Carolina Beach to explore a bit! In Carolina Beach we played around the boardwalk, took a walk along the beach, and headed to Fort Fisher/Kure Beach to explore there. Nick and I had been to Carolina/Kure Beach together quite a few times, so it was fun to go back and make new memories. 
We wanted to find the Coquina Rock Formation while it was low tide (the exact location was a bit confusing to find!) but we stumbled on a great area by the sea wall instead. It was so peaceful out there with the waves breaking and fisherman fishing! We grabbed lunch at Havana’s, located in a 100+ year home, and it was great! Such a cute spot and I can imagine it’s SO fun in the summer! We ended the day with dinner at Surf House and it may have been my favorite meal of the ENTIRE trip (which is saying a lot because I felt like we were constantly eating haha!) We tried a little bit of everything – scallops, steak, charred brussels sprouts – and each item was incredible!
Wrightsville Beach
On Sunday we woke up and had a leisurely morning before heading to Wrightsville Beach! I have spent many summers there, so I was looking forward to heading there during “off-season”. We got brunch at Bluewater and it was delicious as always! I wish it had been a bit warmer so we could enjoy the outdoor dining and the beautiful views! It ended up being really chilly and windy (which is atypical for the area), so we didn’t get to do as much as we wanted, but that definitely gives us an excuse to head back this spring or summer! 🙂
Monday morning came WAY too quickly and it was time to head back to Greensboro, but not before a stop at Bespoke Coffee! We loved having this coffee shop within walking distance. The coffee was great and the restaurant was so cute! We packed a LOT into a weekend, but there were still SO many places we wanted to go, areas we wanted to explore & things we wanted to see! I’ll be back later this week sharing ALL of the recommendations I got for Wilmington and the surrounding areas – including so many small businesses that rely on tourism and visitors to stay in business!
This post is in partnership with Wilmington CVB. All thoughts are my own.
So glad to hear Wilmington is okay after the hurricane! One of my sorority sisters lives there now and I keep meaning to go visit her- maybe this is the year!
xoxo A
Love this post! Corey’s family lives in Wilmington, so I’ve really enjoyed getting to know this area. I can’t wait to try out some of your recommendations next time we go. Thanks for sharing!!
This looks like an amazing getaway! It is making me crave the ocean so bad. Thanks for sharing beauty! XO
Cathclaire
Thanks for visiting us here in Wilmington. You have to go see my friend Matt at Bitty and Beaus coffee next time you’re here. Unfortunately Wilmington and the surrounding area are far from recovered. We just know how to pretty it up for the tourists. Thousands are still out of their homes.
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for reading my post! I actually stopped by Bitty & Beaus on my way out of town and met my sister there! My sister goes to UNCW and works with a special needs girl who works there! It was such a great spot!
And I totally agree that not *everything* is recovered. I witnessed quite a bit of it as we explored the area, and am well aware of the damage since my two SILs and sister live in Wilmington and the surrounding areas. It’s extremely sad that people are still displaced from their homes after the hurricane. I partnered with the Wilmington Tourism Board to share that many places of business are restored and open for business in an effort to bring tourism back there! I think it’s a misconception for a lot of tourists that the area is still in a state of emergency, so I was happy to partner with the tourism board to share that for the most part the businesses, etc. that rely on tourism are open and ready for visitors! 🙂
Have a great weekend! xx
Emily
I’ve never been to North Carolina and am hoping to go this summer – definitely adding Wilmington to my list!
This sounds like the perfect weekend getaway!! I’ve never been, but it’s definitely on the list.
xx rebecca
Oh my gosh now I really want to go!!! I’ve been dying to make it down to Wilmington lately and totally craving the beach. Love all of your snaps, especially the one at the boardwalk – so cute!
xo Laura Leigh
Louella Reese
This is a great getaway! And that açai bowl looks delicious
Willmington is such a cool area! I used to live in NC and it was so fun going to the beach
I’ve never been but this looks soooo lovely! I may have to add this to our travel list.
What a fun little trip! I miss the Carolina beaches SO much.
I’ve heard such great things about Wilmington. I definitely need to check it out – your photos are adorable!
I’d love to visit here! Great post.
What a cute beach town! I’ve never been to North Caroline (only South!) so I would love to explore this area.
I’m absolutely obsessed with Wilmington! I went there almost two years ago and can’t wait to go back. Def bookmarking this for my next trip, you found some super cool places!