July 2026 - The Fort Fisher Historic Site was on my list of places to see near Wilmington, North…read moreCarolina . Ft Fisher,an ancient fort during the Civil War in the 1800s, is a preserved historic site with a visitor center. The remains of the fort with walking trails are by the visitor center and both are opened to the public. The visitor center is a fairly new building has exhibit galleries, a movie cinema room, the Friends of Fort Fisher Gift Shop, an Activity Hall, and public restrooms. Ft. Fisher has a fascinating history. It was a vital port of Wilmington during the Civil War & supplied necessary goods to Confederate armies inland. The museum on the second floor has an outdoor balcony to view the remains of Ft. Fisher and the trails. It also has exhibition galleries and areas with displays of ancient artifacts, photographs, and information about Fort Fisher and the people who lived in the area & created the Fort, and its role in the Civil War and its history throughout the years. I stayed in the visitor center about 30 minutes and wished I could stay longer. I was able to see all the exhibits and see some of the videos about the fort in the cinema room. If you want to engage completely in the exhibits, go on the scavenger hunt, history, walk the trails, and see the remains, plan your visit accordingly to stay for a few hours. This would have been ideal for me. I plan to visit again and walk the trails to see the remains next time.

Beautiful walking path along the water with stunning Live Oak trees on the other side of the beach…read more Another must-see area/beach if you are visiting or plan to in the future. Tons of history here dating back to the Civil War, and it just seems like a great place to come and unwind after a long day and have a moment in nature. Approximately ten percent of Fort Fisher still stands today, along with a restored palisade fence. They offer tours of the grounds too. Live Oaks are some of my favorite trees, and I could not get enough of the beautiful opening we came upon just absolutely covered in Live Oaks. We even saw a family having a photoshoot among the trees - a great spot for photos and especially memorable planned shoots like that! If I was a local here I would probably visit this spot weekly, especially when the weather is extra nice. We went on a bit of a windy day so I know it would be even better when it's less hot out and calmer winds.

This site had escaped my notice on numerous visits to the area, but I found a reason to stop in…read more The weather was rainy, but it actually wasn't the worst decision to visit, as rain without wind was reasonably manageable with an umbrella and the precipitation was effective in suppressing the bugs and heat that I would have otherwise experienced. There were no alligators in sight though, so what I got out of it was a historical visit. And I have to say, it's an impressive historical site. It has both a colonial and a Civil War history. One distinction I find hard to explain is that I don't hear a ton about pre-Revolution America in a lot of places I visit in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, but the Carolinas emphasize this period a lot more in their sites. This place has a museum, which includes such artifacts as a confederate flag that was apparently presented to Abraham Lincoln as a trophy of Union victory, leading to some interesting turns in history. The outdoor experiences include a walk through some excavated ruins and around the old earthen fort, as well as a nature trail. Notably, a memorial to the Africans who were brought to the area was affecting. For those visiting the area from afar, North Carolina does not charge for entrance to state park sites, unlike most other states. The location is not terribly far in absolute driving time from Wilmington, but it will transport you to another time.

Beautiful grounds, with very interesting ruins. The staff is also very friendly and helpful. We…read moreloved all of the fox squirrels!

So relaxing! Love the rocks and how close it is to the aquarium and fort fisher historic site. Free…read moreparking and plenty of room to enjoy the ocean and sand! There is also clean bathrooms and plenty of picnic tables for you to enjoy!

Love this beach area! It is on the much quieter side which is nice…read more Anyway, we headed this way, as they have live music on Sundays 6 pm to 8 pm I believe. We had a grand ole time.

Great All Around Highly Recommend for the family.The dolphins were awesome! The crew were very nice…read moreand knowledgeable.

We came back again this year and had a blast! It was a totally different experience than last year,…read morewhich made it totally worth it. No dolphins this year, but we did get to go out further thanks to calmer waters and the captain was very knowledgeable on all of the history of the area. I would definitely still recommend this to anyone!

The Boardwalk was beside our hotel and a short stroll. We were sad to see the iconic Ferris wheel…read moreby the Boardwalk was taken away. Despite the cold weather and construction, it was good to see the beach and walk the boardwalk that morning. Most of the businesses were closed and we spent very little time there. Still a nice walk.

There were rides set up at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk -- the kind of rides that you'd see at a…read morecounty fair -- but we visited in the morning and they weren't operating. It's all good, though, because we didn't want to ride them anyway! The rides just added a nice festive touch to the atmosphere. We mostly visited the Boardwalk for one thing: Britt's Donuts, which is a Carolina Beach staple. (And which I go into more detail about in my review for Britt's, so go read that, if you want.) When we visited, the shops were just opening (some wouldn't open for a couple of hours), and there was a nice, lazy feeling to the boardwalk. We grabbed a cup of coffee and hot chocolate at Crush and Grind, and walked around with our hot bag of donuts while looking at the murals all around the boardwalk. We parked across the street from Crush and Grind, at a dirt lot that requires you to pay to park. I imagine that parking becomes hard to find when it's busy, but we had the parking lot to ourselves when we visited.

"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass."…read more- An unsubstantiated quote attributed to Japanese Admiral Yamamoto This marker is not far from the Brunswick Town historic site, https://www.yelp.com/biz/brunswick-town-fort-anderson-state-historic-site-winnabow?hrid=-SdScFPXQAgnBgruEnXR1w and recalls an attack on the colony. It reads, "A Spanish expedition captured the town of Brunswick, 1748, during King George's War, but was soon driven away by the colonial militia." In 1748, two Spanish vessels, the 130-ton twenty-four gun sloop Fortuna and a smaller sloop of twenty guns, appeared at the mouth of the Cape Fear on September 3, along with a captured vessel from South Carolina. The Spaniards cruised up the river, capturing two additional vessels and landed at Brunswick taking the town. The next day local militia led by Captain William Dry attacked the Spaniards, who fled to the safety of one of the two Spanish ships. [Review 13985 overall, 1307 of 2020, number 2625 in North Carolina.]

This marker points out the nearby Brunswick Town historic site not far away which is well worth…read moreyour time if you're here already, yelp.com/biz/brunswick-t.... The marker reads, "Brunswick. Founded circa 1725, long a principal port of North Carolina, site of Spanish attack, 1748, and of Stamp Act resistance, 1766. Later abandoned. Was 2 miles southeast." Online, "Maurice Moore, the son of South Carolina governor James Moore, established himself in North Carolina in 1725 with a 1,500-acre grant from the Lords Proprietors. As a business venture, Moore laid out Brunswick Town, located in present-day Brunswick County, in 1726. It was named for King George I of England who was a member of the German House of Brunswick-Hanover. Situated on the Cape Fear River, the town became the colony's chief port for exporting naval stores and lumber to Europe and the West Indies." "Brunswick residents faced a series of hardships. On September 4, 1748, sailors from Spanish ships came ashore and attacked the town. Citizens drove out the Spaniards and ransacked their ship. They sold the ship's contents and even the sailors themselves, using the proceeds to finance the construction of St. Philip's Church. In February of 1766, residents rallied against the Stamp Act in one of the earliest acts of armed resistance to the Crown in America." "the Confederate Army constructed Fort Anderson on the site in 1862. After the fall of Fort Fisher in 1865, Union troops captured the fort. In the 1950s and 1960s state archaeologists began uncovering the foundations of Brunswick. Today the walls of St. Philip's, dating back to 1754, and the foundation of Russellborough are visible. Brunswick Town is a state historic site operated by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources." [Review 13976 overall, 1298 of 2020, number 2616 in North Carolina.]

If you've ever wanted to go on sailboat, this is an amazing experience! The Captain, Jim, was very…read morefriendly and knowledgeable about everywhere we went and sailing in general. On the sunset cruise, it can get a little hot sometimes, but once you make it to the ocean breeze, it is perfect. I was able to sit up at the bow and I definitely recommend it. You are able to see straight where you're going and have the best view. If you are near Wilmington at all and want to go out on a boat on the water, I would definitely recommend this. We went out for 2 hours and made it back right as the sun was setting.

Had a fantastic time with Captain Jim for our sunset sail! It was absolutely beautiful and Captain…read moreJim shared a ton of knowledge about the area and its history! The views were spectacular and it was such a great experience with the other couples in our group! If I am in NC again, I would definitely do another sunset sail! Great views and great company!

Carolina Dreamin' was one of the first murals I saw as I entered the cute boardwalk area of…read moreCarolina Beach. This colorful piece of public art is painted on the side of a coffee shop called Crush & Grind (which is equally great; see my separate review for this cafe). This mural was painted by Jason Parker, a North Carolina-based street artist / muralist. He created it in the fall of 2020. According to basic internet research that I just did, the artwork is supposed to conjure images of Carolina Beach's brilliant sunrises, the native flora in the dunes and the surfers who are eager to catch an early morning wave. I feel like it does that! It's definitely giving beach boardwalk.

Wow - we finally discovered this park on our third trip to Carolina Beach. It is so peaceful and…read morebeautiful. We visited the camp office ATL use the restrooms before hiking. There is a small exhibit area about some of the animals, geology, geography, and history of the area. We hiked the 3 mile Sugar Loaf trail. It was more challenging than expected due to the sand. The weather was very pleasant the day we went in the spring. We saw quite a few other people enjoying the trail and having picnics. We heard a lot of birds including woodpeckers. The variety of trees and pinecones during our hike was fascinating.

This place is beautiful and so natural. Love it. The trails are windy. Use an app because I got off…read moretrack a few times and ended up taking the scenic route. That was okay. It was a beautiful way to pass the time.