Wilmington

Understand

The city is famous for its beaches, seafood, and historic plantations. There are also aquariums, museums, historical sites, festivals, libraries, film studios, and theatres to enjoy in this richly cultured city. As of 2020, there were about 116,000 people residing in the city, and about 300,000 residents in the metro area. The racial makeup of the city is about 70% White, 26% African American, and the remainder other races. Wilmington was the site of the only violent overthrow of a democratically-elected government in United States history. During the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, a mob of 2,000 white Democrats massacred an estimated 60 black residents, and the duly-elected city government (including several white men) installed a white supremacist government in its place despite the city's population being more than 55% African-American at the time. This was following the 1898 election in which a coalition party that promised free public education for all and equal voting rights for every African-American man in the city had secured a majority of city council seats.

Climate

Wilmington sits between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. With the influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream, some 45-60 miles (70–95 km) offshore, Wilmington and North Carolina's Cape Fear Coast (Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach) enjoy a temperate subtropical climate year-round. Summer temperatures are usually in the 80s °F (close to 30 °C). Seasons are mild, with an average 212 sunshine days and a mean average temperature of 63.7 °F (17.6 °C). The average winter temperature is about 50 °F (10 °C). The average summer heat index is around 96 °F (36 °C) during the day and 76 °F (24 °C) at night. A heat index of 107 °F (42 °C) for a daytime high and 83 °F (28 °C) for nighttime lows is not unheard of, but can occur in periods of high heat and humidity.

Getting there

By car & From Charlotte, or the south via I-95 N, take US 74 E (exit 14 in North Carolina from I-95). It will take you about an 1.5 to 2 hours to get to Wilmington from the junction of I-95 and US 74. If taking this route, fill up your gasoline tank before merging onto US 74 E, because stops are few and far between until arriving in Wilmington. US 74 (running concurrent with US 17 and US 76 at this point) crosses the Cape Fear River Bridge into Wilmington just south of the Historic District.

& From Raleigh, the north via I-95 S, or the west, take I-40 E. It will take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours to get to Wilmington from the junction of I-95 and I-40. You should be aware that stops between I-95 and Wilmington are infrequent, although there is a rest area near Warsaw, at the exit for NC 24. The interstate ends at US 117 in Wilmington.

By plane 1 Wilmington International Airport (ILM IATA), 1740 Airport Blvd (to the northwest of downtown). Most major American carriers or their subsidiaries fly to Wilmington. As of early 2025, there are flights from major airports in the eastern U.S., plus Dallas, but despite the airport's name there are no international services. Your options for getting into town are rental car, taxi and the Ride Micro minibus service which is something between a bus and a taxi. The larger airports in Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte have flights from elsewhere in the Americas and Europe.

By bus Bus service to Wilmington is via Carolina Trailways, a subsidiary of Greyhound. Direct buses connect Wilmington to at least Charlotte and Raleigh, and with transfers you can get in from elsewhere on the Greyhound network.

2 Wilmington Bus Station, 505 Cando St. 9AM-1PM, and 4PM-6PM. Service is infrequent, with only a few arrivals and departures per day, and the station is open for limited hours. (updated Mar 2025)

Getting around

Wilmington is very much a driving town. Below are some alternatives to driving, but the boating and biking mentioned are mostly recreational activities, not the best way between points A and B. If you're arriving in Wilmington without a car, you will need to rent one, use cabs for the duration of your stay (which must be called ahead of time), or rely on the inadequate and infrequent coverage of the local bus network.

By bicycle The NCDOT Cape Fear Run Bicycling Highway 5 connects Apex to Wilmington and closely parallels the RUSA 370 mi (600 km) brevet (long distance bike) route. The 300 mi (480 km) Ports of Call Bicycling Highway 3 connects Wilmington to Bath, Edenton, New Bern and Southport. The River to Sea Bikeway (signed route 1) runs for 10 miles from downtown Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach along local streets and off-road paths. The Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization provides maps of local bicycle facilities and routes. The Gary Shell Cross City Trail runs from Wrightsville Beach, through multiple city parks, ending 15 mi (24 km) later at E.L Wade Park.

By boat There are two water taxi services that connect to local attractions:

Wilmington Water Taxi. Connects downtown to Battleship North Carolina. (updated Mar 2025) Masonboro Water Taxi. Connects Wrightsville Beach to the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve at Masonboro Island. (updated Mar 2025) Many area attractions, including downtown Wilmington, Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach are accessible by boat via the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway.

By bus WAVE Transit, by the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority, operates 11 local routes through the city of Wilmington and New Hanover County. Most of these operate every 30 minutes on weekdays. There is also infrequent service to the towns of Belville, Bolton, Hallsboro, Lake Waccamaw, Leland, Navassa, and Whiteville on the west side of the Cape Fear River. The base fare for a one-way trip is $2. The

See

1 Bellamy Mansion Museum, 503 Market St., ☏ +1-910-251-3700, [email protected]. M–F 9AM-5PM. Tours on the hour Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM and Sunday 1-5PM. Built for planter Dr. John D. Bellamy in 1859, the Bellamy Mansion is Wilmington's most spectacular example of antebellum architecture. Today, the mansion operates as a museum of history and design arts, and is owned by Preservation North Carolina. See exhibits on architectural history, historic preservation and design arts, and see the newly restored carriage house and gardens. Plans are being made for restoring the slave quarters. Free parking lot on Market St. side of the museum and free street parking on block surrounding the museum. Adult $12, military or senior $10, student $6. (updated Feb 2025) 2 Burgwin-Wright Museum and Gardens, 224 Market St., ☏ +1-910-762-0570, [email protected]. M-Sa 10AM-4PM. Tours on the hour M-F with the last tour at 3:30PM. On Saturdays, tours on the half-hour, with the last tour at 3:30PM. From the house museum's own website: "Using the old jail as the foundation, the Burgwin-Wright House was built in 1770 by John Burgwin, planter, merchant, and treasurer of the colony of Carolina. In 1781, 'the most considerable house in town' w