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Plan to be in Wilmington for at least one weekend day, so you can visit EUE/Screen Gems Studios. Tours are held at 12 and 2 on Saturday and Sunday; reserve ahead, then arrive 30-45 minutes early. Guided by entertaining and informative tour director Jim Crews, we saw three of the eight sound stages, plus a back lot with vintage cars and trucks. Two sound stages contained sets for a popular TV program; the third was bare, letting us appreciate this building's enormous size. Several Muppet movies were filmed here, and a stray lighthouse was part of a leftover set. This stage also has a swimming pool, used in Sleeping with the Enemy, in which Julia Roberts was seen clinging to a buoy.
Cape Fear Ramble
A pleasant day trip is to drive south from Wilmington via Routes 132 and 421 to beautiful, uncrowded Kure Beach. Civil War buffs should visit the earthwork fortifications and Visitor Center at Fort Fisher. Take the ferry across the Cape Fear River to Southport; browse in its antiques shops, and stop for tasty grouper salad or grilled tuna sandwiches at the waterside restaurant, the Yacht Basin Provision Company. Return north on Route 133 to Wilmington, stopping to visit Orton Plantation Gardens enroute. The gardens are lovely if a bit unkempt, with venerable live oaks, Spanish moss, and even a Colonial-era graveyard.
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Lights, Camera, Action:
If the busy Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area has left you ready for a break, then zoom down I-40 for some slow-paced R&R in the historic port of Wilmington. Located on the Cape Fear River, just 125 miles southeast of Raleigh, this plucky little city, founded in 1739, has survived--and thrived--through more manmade and natural disasters than you can shake a magnolia blossom at, from a devastating war to urban decay, from killer hurricanes to biblical floods.
Activities:
We strolled along the Riverwalk on Water Street, poking around the shops at Chandler's Wharf, City Market, and the Cotton Exchange, enjoyed the sculpture garden at St. John's Museum of Art, ambled past historic churches and North Carolina's oldest synagogue, looked in on a few historic house-museums, and even admired the caboose at the Railroad Museum. Although you can drive over the bridge, it's more fun to take the boat shuttle from the landing at the foot of Market Street across to tour the Battleship North Carolina, active in every major naval battle in the Pacific during World War II. Check out the exciting musical and dramatic schedule at Thalian Hall. Well-known for its film school, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (910-962-7500) also sponsors first-rate programs. Wrightsville, Carolina, and Kure Beaches are just a short drive away, ideal for all water sports; golfers will head for one of nearly 40 nearby courses. More info…
Special Events:
A host of Christmas events await visitors, including the annual lighted boat parade and fireworks at Wrightsville Beach on November 25. The week of November 24 includes the Island of Lights festival at Carolina Beach/Kure Beach and the Festival of Trees at the Wilmington Hilton Riverside. The annual Holiday Lighting of the Battleship North Carolina is December 1, followed by the Old Wilmington by Candlelight Tour on December 2 and 3. Details…
Where to Stay:
These inns are in the heart of the historic area, within easy walking distance of all downtown restaurants, shops, and museums.
The elegant 1906 Graystone Inn is a 14,000-square-foot Italian Renaissance-style mansion. The expansive common areas extend from the mahogany-paneled library to the three-story hand-carved oak staircase. Guest rooms are impeccably decorated with antiques, fine reproductions, and designer fabrics; complimentary extras include creative breakfasts, afternoon wine, evening port, bottled water and juice, wake-up coffee and the morning papers.
If there are any innkeepers more welcoming and hospitable, thoughtful and attentive than Dennis Madsen and Chuck Pennington at The Verandas, we haven't met them. Their amazing renovation of this 1854 Victorian Italianate mansion involved the removal of more than 80,000 pounds of plaster, creating enough debris to fill 20 dump trucks. The inn now offers period charm, state-of-the-art engineering systems, and spotless housekeeping, making it equally appealing for business travel or romance. Other pluses include the award-winning gardens, sociable afternoon wine hour, tasty breakfasts, and convenient guest mini-kitchen.
An 1893 Queen Anne-style home with bay windows, turrets, and porches, the Worth House balances Victorian charm with owners Margi and Doug Erickson's concern for guests' comfort and convenience. The seven recently redecorated guest rooms are light and airy, most with sitting areas. Refrigerators on each floor are stocked with complimentary beverages and snacks. More inns…
Eating well:
The local film industry supports chic, urban-style restaurants serving creative cuisine, and a top example is Under Currant @ 10 Market (910-815-0810). Advance reservations are essential for outstanding dinners of grilled veal tenderloin with caramelized onions or Arctic char with baby spinach and raspberry hoisin sauce. Elijah's at Chandler's Wharf is fine for a casual meal overlooking the river. The Oceanic Restaurant is good for casual seafood in nearby Wrightsville Beach. More restaurants…
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