With solid trails for walking and biking, impressive brewpubs and museums, and a laidback vibe, the quiet offseason is a perfect time to visit North Carolina’s coastal city.
We were riding our mountain bikes through pine forest at the Blue Clay Bike Park, on the northern outskirts of Wilmington. It was a sunny Sunday morning in late November, and maybe a dozen other riders were spread out along the quiet trails.
Like we always do, my wife and I warmed up on the beginner loop, which has nearly two miles of fast and mostly flat riding with occasional berms and rollers. There’s about seven total miles of trails here, and the bulk of the mileage is just across the road on the hilly intermediate loop. That’s where I turned my wheel next. The goal was to work up an appetite at the start of a four-day visit.
When my wife and I moved to the edge of the South Carolina Lowcountry for her teaching job, we didn’t expect to find much in the way of outdoor adventure. At first, we mostly traveled to the mountains. Gradually, we discovered a series of lesser-known coastal trails and parks from Florida to the Delmarva Peninsula. Instead of visiting during the long and humid summer, we usually prefer the mild winter offseason when crowds and bugs are mostly absent. Because Wilmington offers a little of everything, this port city on the lower Cape Fear River quickly became a favorite destination.
Wrightsville Beach
After our MTB ride on the way into town, we drove east across the city. We usually travel with our camper, but for this trip we decided to stay at an oceanfront hotel in Wrightsville Beach. Throughout the area, offseason lodgings can cost half the summer rate. Driving onto the island, we passed The Loop, a popular 2.5-mile pedestrian path that circles a park and tidal marsh.
Before checking in, we rode our bikes a few miles along Lumina Avenue to the northernmost beach access. After locking up, we walked along the quiet beach. We paused at the quirky Wrightsville Beach Mailbox, which sticks out near the dunes. Inside, there’s a notebook filled with messages from passersby. Most notes offered the kind of vague platitudes found in social media captions. But one seemed to be a break-up message, and another hinted at apocalypse: “Don’t eat with people you wouldn’t starve with. Goodnight!”
On our ride back, we stopped at Mercers Fishing Pier. As expected, the summer crowds were gone and replaced by limited numbers of friendly locals and offseason visitors.
After settling into our nice room on the fifth floor of the Holiday Inn Lumina, my wife suggested that we hang out on the balcony. Glancing around an amphitheater of such terraces, I noticed over a dozen were occupied by fellow guests watching the rhythmic waves.
“So, we just sit here and look at the sea?” I deadpanned.
“This is what normal people do on vacation,” said my wife, rolling her eyes. “Not everyone has to do every activity within a hundred-mile radius.”
Fair enough. It’s true this is not my normal type of trip. I usually prefer long days of biking, paddling, or hiking, often involving camping in remote areas. But sometimes it’s good to change things up.
For dinner, we checked out Wrightsville Beach Brewery. My vegetarian wife really enjoyed the vegan pepperoni pizza and salad, to which I added a side of tasty wings. She liked her raspberry Berliner Weiss, and I was blown away by the crisp Spring Suit cold-fermented IPA. We learned long ago that Wilmington has an impressive brewpub scene, and this one did not disappoint.
Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher
The next morning, we drove south toward Cape Fear. Our first stop involved a timed-entry reservation at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The state operates three coastal aquariums, each focused on education and conservation related to regional waterways and aquatic species. A few favorites include the river otters, shark tank, and an albino alligator. Outside there are short walking paths around the grounds.
Afterward, we drove to the end of the road, past the ferry terminal. Battery Buchanan is an old landmark in Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. There are some sandy paths, one of which leads to what’s called the rocks. At low tide, people walk partway out on this rugged jetty, mostly to fish. While it runs for nearly a mile out to Zeke’s Island, the rocks become increasingly slippery and are entirely submerged at high tide, when the jetty must be avoided.
The highlight of this rec area is exploring historic Fort Fisher. This restored earthen fortification was the site of a pivotal Civil War battle during the winter of 1864-65. After a bloody naval and land invasion, Union troops captured the fort and city, thus cutting off a vital supply line for the Confederate Army. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox less than three months later. You can circle the palisade, walk atop several platforms, and continue on an oceanside path to the beach.
After picking up sandwiches and smoothies at Malama Café, we went over to the nearby Carolina Beach State Park. We’ve come here a half dozen times over the years to hike the nine miles of sandy trails winding through scenic pines, wetlands, and dunes. We started on the Flytrap Trail, which passes several viewing platforms above native carnivorous plants. Then we made a big loop around the park. The best trails and views are along the Cape Fear River, including the Sand Live Oak Trail.
Our final activity was playing disc golf at Good Hops Brewing. Years ago, after a hike, we stopped here for a beer. Sitting on the outside patio, a colorful disc flew over our heads, and I got the bright idea to add yet another hobby. The distances to the baskets may be short, but the wooded grounds offer plenty of challenging obstacles to negotiate on the compact nine-hole course. The best part is you can tote your microbrew in a plastic cup during a quick game.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for a delicious curry dinner at the unassuming Tandoori Bites. This popular Indian restaurant occupies a renovated Wendy’s franchise. I can say, without hesitation, that this was the best meal we’ve ever had inside a fast-food building.
Parks, Museums, and the Riverwalk
By our third day, I had the whole coastal vacation thing fully figured out. Each morning, I went out on the balcony to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic.
“You gotta see this,” I’d say to my wife.
She’d roll over in bed, lift her head, and mutter: “I can see it just fine from here.”
After I got us coffee and walked on the beach, we’d head out across the city mixing favorite activities and new stops. We started by walking several miles of paths at Airlie Gardens, past tidal ponds, colorful flowers, and massive southern live oaks, including the state’s largest.
There are a lot of parks around Wilmington. While Airlie Gardens has an entrance fee, the other options are free. The nearby New Hanover County Arboretum is a smaller botanical garden. The small Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden is a good place to see pitcher plants and native Venus flytraps. Near downtown, Greenfield Park has walking paths along a lake lined by bald cypress. Today we checked out Halyburton Park. The 1.5-mile walking loop passes through woods that roughly circle a pocosin, an ephemeral wetland found in the sandy bottoms of Carolina bays.
Then we explored some of Wilmington’s many museums. We stopped by Cameron Art Museum, which displays rotating exhibitions and works by North Carolina artists. There’s also a short nature trail and a great café for lunch. Downtown, we’ve previously visited the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, which has an eclectic mix of fossils, space exhibits, and local history displays. There’s a small Railroad Museum and several historic mansions to tour. Moored in the Cape Fear River, Battleship North Carolina is a fascinating museum ship that allows you to venture inside a historic vessel from WWII.
Our favorite thing downtown is the Riverwalk, about two miles of mostly boardwalks along the waterfront. There are bars, restaurants, and breweries on the way, and many more can be found by detouring into downtown. Today, we checked out Flytrap Brewing, where my wife had a peach cider, and I enjoyed their Czech pilsner. Just down the street is another local favorite, Edward Teach Brewery, named for the infamous pirate Blackbeard who frequented this coastline in the early 1700s.
After our long walk, we decided to splurge for dinner. Located in the historic Hall’s Drug Store building, Rx Chicken and Oysters is a newer and popular restaurant. The sides and a salad impressed my wife, who wanted a mac-and-cheese change from her typical vegetarian burger or pizza. I basically ordered off the sign over the door, trying several mild oysters with about a pint of hot sauce and some excellent fried chicken.
It was yet another successful trip to Wilmington. The next morning, we ended just like we started. On our drive out of town, we were back on our mountain bikes, riding laps at Blue Clay.
Cover photo: The upper trail at Blue Clay Bike Park. All photos by Mike Bezemek.
