Wilmington is often ranked as one of the fastest-growing places in America and I’ve seen inevitable changes, but the very soul of the place is, thankfully, still the same. Even now, at the age of 47, I can’t listen to the soundtrack of Dawson’s Creek without shedding a tear. It takes me right back to my own summers spent there just like Belly, (minus the love triangle, thankfully). Having been back this summer with my own girls in tow, I was struck by how many hidden gems are now newly recognizable thanks to hours spent inhaling the aforementioned small-screen favorites. If you’re keen to see those sets up close and personal, there is nowhere I can recommend more highly. Seeing my own girls learning to surf, making friends for life, using the Southern plural pronoun “y’all” and jumping freely from the wooden posts that jut out into the waterway, I am reminded of how I first fell in love with Wilmington during the very summer that, I guess, I also turned pretty. Or, at the very least, came of age.
Where to play
Wrightsville Beach is a haven of activity, but boat days are often the most memorable. Fringed either side by untouched islands—many of which disappear at high tide—small vessels dock up on neighboring islands such as Masonboro, where families gather, drinks’ coolers and beach chairs at the ready. Alternatively, you can hop on the small ferry from nearby Southport to the stunning shores of Bald Head Island where only golf carts and boats roam.
In stark but wonderful contrast, the historic downtown area of Wilmington is made up of beautiful colonial, Gone with the Wind style homes. Bulging with indigo blue hydrangeas and boasting wrap-around porches complete with rocking chairs, they scream out for a Long Island Iced Tea and gossip with old friends. The World War II North Carolina Battleship sits proudly on the adjacent Cape Fear River and a hip stretch of cobbled streets, bars, boutiques, and restaurants. All offer up a hit of culture, fabulous food and live music that plays late into the night. And, if you stay in North Carolina a while, take a few days out to drive to the Blueridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail crossings. In the height of a humid summer, the temperature drops at least 20 degrees (you’ll be glad of that) and the views across to Tennessee from the Great Smoky Mountains are almost ethereal.