Wilmington, North Carolina, Is The South's Best City On The Rise

Like a seasoned character actor, Wilmington has always excelled at playing its part—but not just any part, every part.

Situated between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, the city has spent decades transforming into whatever setting it has needed to be. In the late 1990s, it became an idyllic Cape Cod village for the teen drama Dawson’s Creek, and then it mimicked Los Angeles for Iron Man 3. Nicknamed Wilmywood, Wilmington has long been revered by Hollywood for its mild temperatures and versatility—and recently travelers have begun to take note.

Want a less crowded spring break escape? Its beaches are at your service. Seeking a charismatic riverfront city? Wilmington’s scenic Riverwalk and majestic live oaks rival those of Savannah. When it comes to the attributes of a great vacation town, it lacks for nothing—and that’s precisely why readers named it their top pick for the 2024 South’s Best Cities on the Rise.

If Wilmington has been whiling away its days as a talented but underappreciated character actor, then this is the year it finally gets the proper credit. Last spring, I spent a few days getting to know the long-overdue lead and brought along my older brother, Cyrus, for the grown-up sibling trip we never knew we needed. Cyrus (a devout urbanite) and I (someone who wilts when away from the mountains or ocean for too long) each found our own reasons to love the city. I realized my lifelong dream of surfing (if only for a few seconds), and he relished every bite of the best gluten-free pizza he’d ever had. We both discovered the beauty of a sunset boat ride and vowed to make a return trip with our mom.

Day 1: City Wanderings

My brother and I might have different travel preferences, but one thing we’ve always agreed on is food. So, upon arriving in Wilmington, our first stop was the Thaiand-Vietnamese restaurant Indochine. On the eatery’s social media-famous garden patio, every detail—from the live bamboo and brightly painted rickshaw carts to the paper lanterns and burbling koi pond stocked with tangerine-colored fish—echoed my most recent visit to Southeast Asia. I slurped up a steaming bowl of Thai Khao Xoi (yellow curry-coconut soup with chicken and noodles) that was just $13 on the lunch menu, while Cyrus opted for Vietnamese pho. We agreed that both dishes would earn the praise of our mom, who’s notorious for her harsh but fair restaurant judgment.

With time to spare before checking into our hotel, we decided to explore the Cargo District, an up-and-coming live-work-play development composed almost entirely of recycled shipping containers. Inside the industrial boxes, you’ll find coastal-cool clothing at Auggie & Zo, handmade toiletries and candles at Salty Soap Co., and exotic greenery at The Plant Outpost, among other shops. Crafted Outpost hosts a rotating selection of goods from local makers, and The Fuzzy Needle stocks “records, books, and other ephemera.” 

When we were ready for afternoon refreshments, the district overprovided. We powered up with iced matcha lattes at Blue Cup Roastery but also considered pints at Alcove Beer Garden next door, where containers stacked like Tetris blocks create plenty of cozy corners to duck into. After a little more shopping, we took a tour of End of Days Distillery, a pandemic-born facility that’s known for its award-winning gin, craft cocktails, and trendy tasting room.

Not five minutes from the artsy Cargo District, Wilmington’s historic downtown has a personality all its own. We rolled down a redbrick residential street, passing a parade of picturesque Queen Anne homes, until we stopped in front of our stay, Dreamers by DW. The inn is in a 134-year-old Victorian home, but nothing about the eco-friendly and design-focused bed-and-breakfast seems dated. The front yard is filled with a mix of native and tropical plants, providing a shady oasis where I spent languid afternoons lounging on a hammock in the corner of the expansive porch. Inside, the decor is modern and minimal, but every accent is intentional. A blush velvet sofa in the sitting room, custom dried-flower art, and a striking shade of deep blue covering the walls in the third-floor bedroom—each detail is dreamier than the last.

After freshening up, we walked the few blocks to Wilmington’s downtown. It was the weekend of the annual Azalea Festival (April 2 through 6 next year), so the atmosphere was particularly jovial. Waterfront seafood spots, ice-cream shops, and plenty of benches punctuate the Riverwalk, a 1.75-mile-long boardwalk on the Cape Fear River where you can stop and watch the boats dock.

Dinner that night was at Seabird, a labor of love from two-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Dean Neff. The restaurant celebrates the North Carolina shore through inventive dishes that utilize fresh catches from area fishermen and coastal foragers. Although the nautical-inspired dining room presents as relaxed but refined, the idea was never to gatekeep. In addition to being open for dinner, Seabird also offers coffee and counter-service pastries most days and hosts a weekly happy hour when local oysters are sold for $1 each. We sampled the menu, from the fall-off-the-bone Carolina Reaper Sorghum Pork Ribs to the surprisingly light Swordfish Schnitzel, but the showstopper was the Seasonal Seafood Tower. There were a few familiar flavors like Southern pickled shrimp and firecracker saltines, though the real delight was in unexpected combos like smoked tuna with harissa aïoli and clams served on the half shell with a chili-and-fresh herb vinaigrette.

Day 2: Call Of The Wild

After a day spent pounding the pavement, I woke up the next morning more than ready for the salty waves and soft sands of the Wilmington shore. At wild Kure Beach (pronounced CURE-ee), we braved the impending storms to take a drizzly walk along the 711-foot Kure Beach Fishing Pier. Nearby Fort Fisher State Recreation Area features about 5 miles of protected, undeveloped shoreline plus primitive trails that snake through marshland and pass by an abandoned WWII bunker.

As with most coastal weather, the storms were temperamental and fleeting, so by the time we arrived in the town of Carolina Beach, the sun was peeking out and the only vestiges of the morning’s rocky start were a few lingering clouds. This was the day I would finally achieve my goal of learning to surf. As a perennial overachiever, I had high hopes for my performance, so who better to help me reach my potential than decorated professional Tony Silvagni? He runs a surf school (under his name) out of Carolina Beach, where in addition to offering individual lessons and weeklong camps he also rents out chairs, umbrellas, surfboards, kayaks, paddleboards, and bikes.

I shimmied into a wet suit and strode into the water ready to hang ten. Unfortunately, the ocean had different plans for me. Despite my capable instructor’s best efforts, I spent most of the next hour doing little more than getting walloped by waves and working up a deep soreness in my shoulders. In my five attempts to stand up, I managed to string together two seconds only once, but it was more than enough. The exhilaration of ever so briefly catching a wave was electric.

I left buzzing with excitement until my brother teased me into submission. By the time we reached the Ferris wheel and carnival games of Carolina Beach’s old-school boardwalk, my ego was bruised and my stomach was grumbling. We followed the smell (and long line of people) to Britt’s Donut Shop, a cash-only institution where they’ve been making classic glazed donuts to order since 1939. I camped out at the wraparound counter and watched teenagers flip golden brown rounds in a steel drum fryer until at last my name was called. Inside an unremarkable white paper bag, I beheld pastry gold—impossibly light yeast doughnuts enrobed in just the right amount of still-hardening glaze.

If day one was Cyrus’ ideal itinerary, day two was mine. Our next nature-centered adventure brought us to Carolina Beach State Park, a portion of Pleasure Island that includes miles of wetland trails, a marina, a campground, and a storied 50-foot sand dune. While there’s plenty to explore in the park, my main reason for visiting was to see a Venus flytrap. Carolina Beach State Park is one of only a few places in the U.S. where the carnivorous plants grow in the wild. The easiest way to see them is to join a ranger-led tour (at 10 a.m. on Saturdays in the warmer months), but if you venture out on your own, check the edges of the Flytrap Trail and look closely; most of the plant’s identifiable “toothed” traps are only about an inch long.

With my outdoor cravings satiated, we spent the evening in the funky South Front District. Warehouses and old buildings have been converted into swanky wine bars, walk-up taco stands, and eclectic hangouts such as Satellite Bar & Lounge, a tavern where taxidermy, vintage couches, and a wide selection of craft brews bring in a diverse crowd. Across the street is Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria, an Italian restaurant from Vivian Howard, star of the PBS shows A Chef’s Life and Somewhere South. Order a wood-fired pie, but don’t ignore the house-made pasta or the best-selling Southern Fried Chicken Parm appetizer either. The bite-size nuggets are topped with hot honey, Parmesan, and pickled peppers and served in a pool of creamy, salty stracciatella.

Day 3: By Land and Sea

Wilmington’s biggest strength is that it has a little something for everyone, so we used our last day here to check off a few of the city’s top hits, starting with breakfast burritos and banana bread inside sunny Drift Coffee & Kitchen. We followed up with a stroll around Airlie Gardens, the gorgeous grounds where movies such as Nicholas Sparks’ The Choice were filmed. I felt small standing under the generous arms of the 500-year-old Airlie Oak and marveled at the patchwork facade of the Bottle Chapel. Airlie Gardens is also the best place to see the city’s collection of blush and hot pink azalea blooms every spring. We logged our final Wilmington seashore by spending the afternoon at resort-friendly Wrightsville Beach, where we watched surfers tackle the waves, and then meandered through the vibrant downtown and historic square. 

Beach vibes were high—and so were our spirits—as we embarked on our last adventures of the trip: an early dinner at the Panamanian restaurant Ceviche’s and a sunset boat cruise with Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours. As we rode around the Intracoastal Waterway, I sipped a canned cocktail from our earlier visit to End of Days Distillery, felt the wind blow through my hair, and witnessed the sky change from fiery orange to a more docile periwinkle. Along the way, our captain pointed out various islands and birds. The thought that the night couldn’t get any more perfect had just crossed my mind when, right on cue, a dolphin crested the surface of a wave, revealing his friendly fin. Now that’s movie magic.