Wilmington (North Carolina) attractions
Bellamy Mansion, 503 Market Street, +1 910 251-3700, . Tours on the hour Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM. Offices open M–F 9AM-5PM. Built for planter Dr. John D. Bellamy in 1859, the Bellamy Mansion is Wilmington's most spectacular example of antebellum architecture. Today, the mansion operates as a museum of history and design arts, and is owned by Preservation North Carolina. See exhibits on architectural history, historic preservation and design arts, and see the newly restored carriage house and gardens. Plans are being made at the moment for restoring the slave quarters. Admission for adults $7, Children (5-12) $3, Group tours $5 (20 or more persons with required advance reservations).
Burgwin-Wright House, 224 Market Street, +1 910 762-0570, . M-Sa, 10AM-4PM. M-F, tours hourly, with the last tour at 3:30PM. On Saturdays, tours on the half-hour, with the last tour at 3:30PM. From the house museum's own website: "Using the old jail as the foundation, the Burgwin-Wright House was built in 1770 by John Burgwin, planter, merchant, and treasurer of the colony of Carolina. In 1781, 'the most considerable house in town' was occupied by Lord Cornwallis as his headquarters shortly before his defeat and surrender at Yorktown, Virginia."
Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market Street, +1 910 341-4350, . Tu-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the Museum is open M 9AM-5PM. The "Cape Fear Museum of History and Science collects, preserves, and interprets objects relating to the history, science and cultures of the Lower Cape Fear."
Cape Fear Serpentarium, 20 Orange Street, +1 910 762-1669, . M-F 11AM-5PM, Sa-Su 11AM-6PM. Hours may vary seasonally, so phone ahead for confirmation. The Cape Fear Serpentarium features more than 80 exotic snakes from around the world. Tickets are $8 and children under 2 years of age are free. Ask about special group or educational discounts.
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Wilmywood
You see trailers and movie crews filming on location. When you walk down the street you run into a celebrity. Are you in LA? No. What about New York? Not there either. You are in Wilmington, the USA's third largest film and TV production site. Television shows (such as Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, and HBO's Eastbound & Down) and movies (including The Crow, Blue Velvet, and Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive) filmed in Wilmington are making this area a major center of American film and television production.
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EUE Screen Gems Studio, 1223 North 23rd Street, +1 910 343-3433, . Tours are offered at 12PM on Saturdays from September to May and Saturdays and Sundays 12PM and 2PM from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Tour of EUE Screen Gems Studios North Carolina takes visitors through North Carolina's film history. This one-hour walking tour includes visits to the sets of Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill.
USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial, +1 910 251-5797, . Moored in quiet dignity and majesty the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, across the river from downtown Wilmington, beckons visitors to walk her decks. Envision the daily life and fierce combat her crew faced in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
From all across our Nation they came, young men who had grown up in the crucible of the Great Depression and now determined to serve their Country in its time of need. These are the men whose stories you will encounter through their oral histories, photographs, and mementos as you experience the Ship and the exhibits.
Step back in time and let history come alive through the crews’ stories. Discover and build your personal connection by steering the ship, starting her engines or even firing the guns. The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA It's Your Experience.
The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is open every day of the year, including all holidays, as She serves as a memorial. Summer Hours: Friday before Memorial Day (May 27, 2011) through Labor Day (September 5, 2011): 8:00 am – 8:00 pm, EXCEPT Independence Day (4th of July) when the ship closes at 6:00pm for enforcement of firework safety zone. Winter Hours: Tuesday following Labor Day (September 7, 2010) through Thursday before Memorial Day (May 26, 2011): 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, EXCEPT Christmas Day when the Ship opens at noon.
Ticket sales end one hour before closing.
The tour is self-guided and is well-marked so that you can tour at your own pace. We recommend allowing at least two hours for the tour, but for the true enthusiast, you can spend much more than that.
Adults: 12 and over: $12.00, Seniors: 65 and over: $10.00, Military: Active or retired with military ID: $10.00, Children: 6 through 11: $6.00, Children: 5 and under: Free
Burchetta Glassblowing Studio & Gallery, 201 Redcross Street (Historic Downtown Wilmington), ☎ 910-399-7614, . 10-5. Live Glassblowing Daily. We invite you to watch as we demonstrate our Glass Blowing skills everyday from 10 am - 2 pm and answer any question you may have. Now you can make your own Art Glass. We offer Glassblowing Lessons, and in as little as one hour you will leave with a piece of Art Glass that you have created. Tours for large groups are available by appointment. Busses Welcome. �
Fort Fisher Aquarium, 900 Loggerhead Road Kure Beach, NC 28449 (The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is located on US 421 approximately 15 miles south of Wilmington, just beyond Kure Beach. From Southport, take the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry.), ☎ 910-457-6942, . 9AM to 5PM. Fort Fisher is a great local aquarium. It comes standard with all the regular fish that you see at every aquarium. Then Fort Fisher goes above most aquariums by having a large terrarium on the entry level with reptiles from venomous snakes to an albino alligator. In the next section are seabirds, turtles, and seahorses. The marine lower level has the bulk of the interesting ocean creatures, with a very good shark exhibit; a touch tank with rays and skates; and octopi, a moray eel, jellyfish, and a whale exhibit. The "exotic aquatics" section has Hawaiian fish, lion fish, spiny lobster, poison dart frogs, and a great display of the pacific reef. The new Megalodon exhibit consists of a 23-foot curved projection screen that brings this monstrous shark back from extinction. The aquarium has a "Shark Bites" snack bar that has a variety of food. $8 general admission, $6 for kids 3-12, $7 for seniors, under 3 is free. (33°57′46”N,77°55′32”W)�
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Wilmington (North Carolina)
