A Weekend in Wilmington, NC

My four best friends and I were long overdue for a vacation. Two years ago, we spent a weekend in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Last year we missed out. Since our schedules could not match last year, we decided that we had some major catching up to do. So for this year’s vacation, my besties and I decided to move up the coast. This year, my best friends and I traveled to Wilmington, South Carolina!

Within the same week of my family’s vacation in the mountains, I traveled with my girlfriends to one of my favorite cities in North Carolina. Having traveled with my family there once before, I was excited to share my love for Wilmington with my best friends.

To make sure that all of us would get up and on the road on time, my friends and I had a sleepover and got on the road around 10:00am. Total travel time was about three hours from my best friends’ house to our house in Wilmington, NC.

OUR STAY

Our location of choice was near the downtown area, we chose to stay in a bungalow through AirBnB. The bungalow was highly rated and reported close to all the happenings in the area including Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Wal-Mart, and downtown Wilmington.

THINGS TO DO

On our first day, we had mocktails at Carolina Ale House (which I realized is becoming a tradition every time we go out of town). Then we made our way to our house. Once we  settled in, we decided to take advantage of the sunset at Wrightsville Beach where we took some awesome photos of ourselves and watched the sunset. Fun fact: Wrightsville Beach was also a filming location for famed WB/CW show, One Tree Hill. By nightfall, we found ourselves in Wal-Mart, about ten minutes away from the beach and bought groceries for breakfast and some snacks for the weekend.

Day Two, I woke up extra early (okay 8:00am) to be a complete fangirl. You guessed it, I toured the closest One Tree Hill houses in my neighborhood. I was obsessed with this show and I was so excited to tour these houses and it was even more exciting that I was able to see these houses for myself and be a geek for a day!

Later that day, we went to Carolina Beach after having breakfast together. I have to admit that I was a little buzzed on the way to the beach. I also took full advantage of my friends volunteering to drive so that I could enjoy my day drinking (don’t judge me). The total drive from our house to Carolina Beach was about twenty minutes but it honestly didn’t feel like it took us that long to get where we were going. Along the way, we had great conversation about our future endeavors and it was at that moment that I felt a strong connection to my friends who I’ve known for over ten years.

Carolina Beach was an amazing location, even though it was high noon and extremely hot outside. Despite the heat and bad parking meters, we managed to find a good place to park and ran to the water as quickly as possible.

WHERE TO EAT

For lunch, we asked the locals and ate at Michael’s Seafood Restaurant. There were other suggestions such as the Sea Witch Cafe & Tiki Bar, the Shuckin’ Shack, and the Surf House Oyster Bar, but Michael’s was highly regarded so that’s where we went. The food was absolutely divine! I highly recommend their famous seafood chowder; it’s full of meat and very hearty. I chose their shrimp and scallop scampi while my friends had their choice of seafood macaroni bake, crab legs, shrimp bruschetta and pasta.

THE NIGHTLIFE

I have to admit, Wilmington nightlife surprised me. At first glance, my friends and I thought that we’d be stuck at a random bar, forcing ourselves to have a good time, but if I  never teach you anything while reading my blog, one thing I always suggest is asking the locals. Thanks to our favorite beach babe, Julia (who also recommended Michael’s), we decided to try Level 5 in downtown Wilmington. The Uber ride there was about $10 for a ten-minute ride.

I can’t give a full interpretation of Level 5 mainly because my friends and I were slightly inebriated. But based off my memory, and thankfully my vlog, I can tell you that we had a pretty good time! There are other nightclubs in the downtown area, but we had too much fun in Level 5 to leave. I loved the rooftop view and the breeze was a Godsend because it was so crowded. The bar closed at 2:00am and we tried to catch an Uber, which never arrived. Thankfully, we met some nice guys who were gracious enough to take us all home. Travel tip: when you travel in a group, stick together no matter what! All five of us packed in one car, not including the driver, and got home safely.

I think that this trip was our best trip so far and I can’t wait for our next Girls Trip!

Where to Stay

Airbnb

• Santa Fe Bungalow

• Sinatra’s Hideout

• Downtown Condo

• Hampton Inn & Suites @ Wrightsville Beach

• Hampton Inn: Wilmington Downtown

Where to Eat

• Breakfast

  • The Dixie Grill

  • Jester’s Cafe

  • The Basics

• Lunch/Dinner

  • Michael’s Seafood Restaurant

  • The George on the Riverwalk

  • The Shuckin’ Shack

What to Do (Attractions)

One Tree Hill Attractions

• Brooke’s House (2314 Tattersalls Drive)

• Haley’s House (1811 Chestnut Street)

• Peyton’s House (1901 Chestnut Street)

• Lucas’ House (1829 Wrightsville Avenue)

• TRIC (1121 Front Street)

• Carolina Beach

• Wrightsville Beach

• Kure Beach

What to Do (Nightlife)

• The Husk

• Duck & Dive Pub

• Level 5 at City Stage

• Godfellas

• The Copper Penny