In New Hanover County, several themes can guide your trip planning: a riverfront path through historic downtown Wilmington, gardens with different ways to explore, and coastal destinations where nature and history meet. When choosing your accommodation, first consider what you want your stay to focus on: waterfront paths, garden visits, or the region’s history.

Paths between the riverfront and the coast

The Wilmington Riverwalk runs for 1.75 miles along the Cape Fear River and through historic downtown Wilmington. The riverfront and the city’s history are part of the same route. The Riverwalk is also connected to the River to the Sea Bikeway, the East Coast Greenway, and the Cape Fear Historic Scenic Byway. These three names give an idea of how many different routes are linked to Wilmington’s path.

The Loop on Wrightsville Beach offers a different kind of route: this 2.45-mile fitness trail circles the inner island. In direct comparison, The Loop is longer than the Riverwalk; at the same time, the routes described differ in their surroundings and character. The Riverwalk follows the river and passes through historic downtown, while The Loop circles the inner island.

Coastal landscapes and history

Carolina Beach State Park is home to Sugarloaf Dune and Venus flytraps. These natural features give the park a distinctive character: a named dune and a special plant species take center stage. At Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, visitor amenities include surf fishing and round-the-clock beach access for pedestrians.

Fort Fisher also tells a Civil War story. The fort kept the port of Wilmington open to blockade runners until the final months of the war. Its fall on January 15, 1865, helped seal the Confederacy’s fate. Tours of the preserved grounds begin at the visitor center, which also offers an audiovisual program about the fort’s history. This connects the site’s historical significance with a specific way of learning about its past.

Wrightsville Beach also has a historical connection to the coast: a state historic highway marker recognizes it as the birthplace of surfing in North Carolina and points to surfing activities organized there in 1909. At the northern end of Wrightsville Beach lies the 300-acre Mason Inlet Waterbird Management Area, where free guided tours are offered. Masonboro Island is an estuary reserve for many threatened species, lies just below Wrightsville Beach, and is accessible to groups by boat. Together, these three places represent different coastal themes: surfing history, guided tours, and a protected estuary.

Gardens with different ways to explore

Airlie Gardens covers more than 67 acres of gardens, walking paths, and historic structures. A self-guided tour takes visitors through more than a dozen gardens. Those particularly interested in the property’s history can take guided tours on weekdays by reservation. The self-guided route and the tours requiring reservations offer different experiences: exploring independently or taking a tour with a historical focus.

The New Hanover County Arboretum is a free, public educational green space on 7 acres. It is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and has more than 10 gardens, including a native plant garden and an herb garden. For planning your visit, both the specific opening hours and the gardens’ thematic variety are useful. Together with Airlie Gardens, the arboretum shows two different ways to explore garden spaces: on an expansive self-guided tour or through individual gardens with specific themes.

This selection makes it easy to compare the trip’s different focuses: riverfront and city history, coastal paths and nature, Civil War history, or gardens.

Discover more destinations: Bayshore, Wake, Lenoir, Forsyth, Clay County, Brunswick, Chowan County, Halifax.

For the main travel overview: North Carolina.