HISTORY OF WILMINGTON

Wilmington , North Carolina is a charming seaport town founded more than 275 years ago on the Cape Fear River. The city was very active during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, and played a strategic role as the home port for many Southern ships that supplied the armies of General Lee. In fact, Fort Fisher, just south of Kure Beach was the last port in the South to fall to the Union Army.

After the Civil War Wilmington became the largest seaport in North Carolina. This brought prosperity to the area which was reflected in the building of thousands of beautiful homes. Many of these homes still exist along the streets of the city, giving Wilmington the largest historic district in the state of North Carolina, over 300 blocks, and one of the largest on the National Register of Historic Places. Take time to stroll through the Historic District or ride in a horse-drawn carriage through the streets lined with stately mansions, magnolias, and Spanish moss. Walk along the Riverwalk, a waterfront park that overlooks the Cape Fear River and the Battleship North Carolina or tour the city and the river from the decks of a sternwheel paddleboat.

If you are not fond of historic homes and old battle fields, Wilmington also has wonderful white sand beaches, at Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach. It also has dozens of champion-ship golf courses that are open year round. And, believe it or not, Wilmington has the largest film industry in the US after Los Angeles and New York. Hundreds of movies and television shows have been filmed in and around the city and it is not unusual to spot a famous face dining in one of our fantastic restaurants or shopping in The Ivy Cottage.