Start from 89 curated places around Wilmington, NC, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Seabird
Dean Neff's downtown seafood-and-shellfish counter, opened in 2021 and now a James Beard Outstanding Chef finalist. North Carolina oysters by the dozen, daily-changing fish, and a serious cocktail program.
Manna
A serious New American tasting-leaning room on Princess Street, with a small daily menu of farm-driven plates and a wine list that goes deeper than any Wilmington list has a right to. The city's special-occasion dinner.
Trails & outdoors
Carolina Beach State Park Sugarloaf Trail
A 3-mile loop through pocosin and longleaf-pine flatwoods to a 50-foot dune that used to mark the river entrance for pilots. The closest legitimate forest hike to downtown.
Greenfield Lake Park Trail
A 4.5-mile paved loop around a Spanish-moss-draped urban lake just south of downtown, with cypress knees, herons, and a small alligator population. The city's primary walking and biking route.
Things to do
Cameron Art Museum
A 42,000 sq ft art museum south of downtown, with a permanent collection that runs Cassatt, Hiroshige, and Guston alongside rotating regional shows. The serious art stop in a city that is mostly history museums.
Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
A long-running history-and-natural-history museum in the Market Street complex, with a giant ground-sloth fossil and rotating exhibits on Cape Fear regional history. The default rainy-day stop with kids.
Landmarks & sights
Battleship North Carolina
A WWII-era battleship moored on the Cape Fear across from downtown, with self-guided tours through nine decks of the ship. The Pacific-theater veteran is the city's headline historic site and a serious time commitment if you let it be.
Airlie Gardens
Sixty-seven acres of formal gardens along Bradley Creek, with a 467-year-old live oak, a Minnie Evans bottle chapel, and seasonal azalea displays. The most photogenic green space in the city.