My granddaughter and I dropped by and painted ceramic pieces. Cost $90. They needed to be glazed,…read moreso they stay there. Three weeks later I call to find out when they will be ready. I leave a detailed message. It's been almost a week - no return call.

Hot Mess Studios is one of a few great pottery studios in the Wilmington. They have group and…read moreindividual private lessons and parties for on wheel pottery, canvas painting, and piece painting. They have 3 speciality nights you can sign up for in advance. On Thursdays they do Ladies Night Sip & Spin where you get one hour 1 pot, throw as many as you like, keep what you like for just $10 more + wine. Fridays are "Filthy Fridays" where adults 16 and over can sign up for a 7 pm or 8:30 pm time slot and get 1 pot + 1 ball of clay with the option of more at $10 each. On Saturdays they do the same thing but it's family friendly sessions (ages 7+) from 1 - 6pm, and 16+ reservation only from 7-8 pm. They're closed Monday - Wednesday with an exception of private reservations in advance. If you have special time and group number requests I'm sure they can accommodate if you call ahead and plan. They're very responsive, professional and easy to schedule with. I did all my scheduling through email and received prompt responses. The gal running our lesson, Emma, was also so professional and sweet. She's great at what she does and I'd recommend any beginner taking lessons from her. When we arrived Emma greeted us at the door, walked us through the studio, showed us the process and helped us whenever we needed throughout the activity. I had a certificate for 2 hours, 2 people, and 4 pieces each. It was plenty of time and almost too much clay for two first timers, which is a good problem to have. I'm not sure if that special is still running but check their website to see active discounts - they run great deals, often, and are super affordable for what it is! I would highly recommend trying it out or giving as a gift!

I took a group here for my friend's bachelorette on a rainy day and we had the best time! We all…read morechose to do candle making and it was so fun to get to pick our own scents, color, decorations and vessel! It is also a great deal--less than $50 for the experience and a large custom candle to take home. Just keep in mind that after you make the candle, it takes over an hour to set so make sure you bake that into your time as you have to come back to pick it up. Overall, great experience and friendly staff!

Ive never heard of this place before but my wife surprised me with a date night and we had a blast…read more We had so much fun throwing paint and had a nice charcuterie board afterwards to talk about it and let the canvas dry a bit. Kathy was incredible and made everything super easy and fun. The price is great for what you get to do and they have a ton of other crafts you can try. We'll definitely be back!

Painting at Bookworm Pottery was a fantastic experience! There were plenty of pre made pottery…read morepieces to choose from in a wide range of aesthetics! Also plenty of paints as well. It can get crowded, but it wasn't a deterrent as everyone was having fun.

Was getting caught up in life and just needed to try something new and this was just what I needed…read more Our teacher Alexis was so kind and thoughtfully explained each step in detail. I took the cozy bookworm Saturday class and now I just have to wait for my pottery pieces to go into the kiln:) definitely worth the effort and money and a happiness guarantee. P.s. all the ladies that were in my class gave me some good laughs. It is so fun making mistakes because who cares, you just recenter your clay.

Adorable cute place! Fun for a ladies night or a date. Highly recommend. Lovely owner who was super…read morehelpful!

Painted Father's Day mugs here and was perfect. Great environment for a little one to get messy and…read morecreative!

Absolutely loved this gem of a place. I wanted to do something for my birthday that was active…read moreand something that everyone could enjoy. The best part of this creative studio is they have MULTIPLE options for each person to pick what they want to create. When you walk in you are greeted by the wonderful owner who checks you in and then they show you their bar/drink menu They then will go through the process you will be going through to create your project. You do each and every step which is super cool. You start with deciding if you want to add some character to your board, then you pick stains and or add on some white wash or paint techniques. Next up is your stencil and paint. It is all so much easier then you think but is a little time consuming. After the paint they even help you seal it with wax so that your creation lasts! Really enjoyed this experience and really cannot wait to go back (possibly with my little one for one of the family nights!).

Angela Creasy at the Creative Child Studio at theArtworks in Wilmington, NC, offers a wide variety…read moreof programs and educational opportunities for children of all ages. Not only does she offer year-round classes, but also offers summer camp programs that specialize in team building, art appreciation, and art development. During summer camp, Angela and her assistant, Katherine, provide a safe and inclusive program for all students. Our grandson developed many skills during this week of art camp. We so appreciate the care and education he received. It was a perfect environment for learning.

Private Axe Throwing Party was AWESOME!!…read more WHAT FUN! They have a really great (SAFE) facility that has LOTS of space (we plan to go back for some paintball fun!). It's really a class-act setup & a fabulous 'different' experience which made for a great party! We booked a party, which on Mon-Wed they are closed & it's only private parties (not sure if this is year round or just the winter hours?); but it was GRAND having the WHOLE PLACE to ourselves! We just had 8 people for an 18th b-day party & we could easily have had another 4-6 people with the room they have for axe-throwing. The Axes area is a nice size but also cozy, almost like a neat 'bar' environment. *FYI-it is BYOB-no liquor* We brought wine for adults & sparkling juice for the teens. 3 boys, 1 girl and 4 adults.....we ALL had so much fun! $249 isn't cheap, but it was worth every penny. 90-minutes (which the fabulous gentleman who was there for us did not start our time until all safety briefing & instruction time was over) of throw time was MORE than enough, the last 10 minutes you could tell it was time to go eat, so more than 90 min would just have been too much. There are 3 high-top tables with 4 chairs each. There are 5 throwing lanes. Each lane has mesh metal screens on the sides and thick wood-paneled walls. The targets (which I read about on their site) are really amazing, the thicker blocks they use vs. cheaper boards make the axe's stick GREAT and easily for almost any throw-er. The 'games' are projected onto the boards and have score keeping that is fun & easy (like a bowling alley) with a PC mouse & keypad. The gentleman who was there for our party experience was fantastic, even came in a few times & showed us different throw-angles to try and (as a 'mom') I felt safe that he was keeping an eye on everything too. Super nice and accommodating gent - helped make our evening even more fun! Helpful tip: If you go at night, the sign is currently not lit, so it's RIGHT after Black's Tire/Goodyear. The parking lot is dark, but you'll see the lights inside are on! OH - take snacks & drinks for your party, also any plates or utensils - they only have the tables/seating & the entertainment!

Crossfire Does It Again!…read more Crossfire gets better and better every time I visit. They rebuilt after the hurricane, a beautiful new interior for paintball and nerf. After COVID, they added GellyBall. And now, AXE THROWING! I had never thrown axes before and it was easy to get the hang of enough to have fun. Also, the computer projects different games onto the wooden target so you never get bored. I went with just one other person but this would be a blast for a group - co-workers, friends, bachelor/bachelorette party, school organization, fraternity/sorority outing. No limits.

There are very few architectural salvage places along are near the coast in eastern North Carolina…read more This is one of them. Very cool variety of things ranging from 1980s all the way back to the 19th century. Doors lighting, hardware artwork... It's most anything you can think of. Will always return from time to time as they rotate their inventory regularly.

This place is the bomb. I stop in every once in a while just to see what they have on hand. You…read morecan't really go there looking for something particular, but they do have a lot of stuff and it's a great place with awesome people working here.