In the spirit of my previous “What the hell is there to do in _____” threads, I figured I’d start another. You all always give me the best advice and tips on the coolest things to see.
I’ll be going to NC this summer to visit my boyfriend who was recently sent out there. Seeing as he’s just now getting to know the area, he’s still trying to figure out what we can do while I’m there.
Some pertinent information:
[ul]
[li]He’s in Jacksonville, but I’ll probably be flying into a much cheaper airport (Wilmington seems not too far away and is significantly cheaper).[/li][li]I’m a big history nerd, particularly military history. Anything along those lines would be super good times.[/li][li]We’ll have a car to get around.[/li][li]I’ll probably be there for a long weekend- Thursday to Monday morning or something like that.[/li][/ul]
So, is there anything to do in North Carolina? Suggestions that don’t fit into the history realm are of course welcome, too.
I don’t know about Jacksonville, but here are a few ideas in the Wilmington area off the top of my head:
-visit the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial , now in crrrrrazy camoflauge paint that’s supposed to reflect how it looked during the war. It’s a WW2 battleship that is now a monument to NC’ians who died in the war. You can tour a number of parts including some of the gun turrets, and you can even hand-crank the anti-aircraft guns. That was my favorite part as a kid.
-go to the beach
-visit filming locations from hit teen series Dawson’s Creek
-drive down the coast, on route 17 I think, just into South Carolina and pick up some real fireworks at State Line Fireworks. I guess you can’t fly with those, but you could have a little fun while you’re there.
You should definitely try some real NC-style barbecue, especially pulled pork.
My first thought is the Biltmore, which is an absolutely incredible house built by a member of the Vanderbilt family. However, that’s in Asheville, NC, which is not exactly close to Jacksonville. Also, the Biltmore is kinda pricey. But it’s kind of neat to tour, because you get to see lots of restored furnishings, and it’s much more spacious and well-lit than many historical buildings. Nice gardens too.
Second thought is Myrtle Beach–which is technically in South Carolina–and frankly, if I were visiting someone as close to the ocean as it looks like you are, I’d certainly make time to lie on the beach or go swimming in the water, but I have no reason whatsoever to believe that Myrtle Beach is superior to any other beach in the general area. It just happens to be the only one I’ve been to–and that was a long time ago.
Third thought, on the history angle, is Unto These Hills an outdoor theater production telling the story of the Trail of Tears, and how the Cherokee were moved westward. However, that takes place in Cherokee, NC, which is even farther from the ocean than is Asheville.
So there you have my suggestions, which are probably not helpful at all.
Wilmington itself has a quaint, historic downtown. And there is no need to far afield to go to the beach. Going a little bit afield, a visit to the Outer Banks, maybe Ocracoke Island, would be a great day at the beach. The NC mountains are nowhere near the beach (maybe a long 6-7 hour drive?), so save Asheville and Cherokee for another trip. There are coastal outdoor theater productions, too, if that appeals to you, I think one has a Lost Colony play. The NC icoast is great for a relaxing trip, taking in one or two sights over a long weekend, but mainly enjoying the beach and good food.
Swansboro is a cute little town near Jacksonville (about 20 minutes away, at most). There’s a little used bookstore, some shops to browse, and there’s a restaurant there (I can’t remember what it’s called, but it has a deck that you can sit outside on…you’ll see it, there are only a few restaurants there) and it has the BEST peach cobbler anywhere in the entire world.
And if you want to go to the beach, Emerald Isle is right there.
It’s one of my favorite places because of what Harriet already Hit.
If you are never likely to be back I’d spend ~$4.00 and go to the the Wright First Flight Memorial in Kitty Hawk - not because it is so awesome but just because it is something for everyone who is interested in History to check off thier lifetime TDD list if they are able to do so (IMO).
If you do get to the Lost Colony, the Elizabeth II - (A 16th Century re-created ship) is nearby and fairly cool.
Edit because I assumed it was in the Outer Banks – It is 178 miles Wilmington to Kitty HAwk – so uh, Never mind
I too would also go to Kitty Hawk. It stays with me much more than the Biltmore. Be sure to see the presentation inside before you go outside and relive what the Wright brothers did.
Nearby you can book a little airplane ride. Seems to me it may have been a bi-plane. I would find out before I actually arrived.
You can walk the path of the flights. It is awesome! I think it helped me to end a thirty year fear of flying.
Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions- they’ve all been well up my nerdy ally. I’m actually amazed you guys came up with so much- my research on the subject has turned up so little it was most surprising.
Nothing is even remotely set yet, but I’m anal retentive and like to learn every little thing about every little place I go. I suppose I’m like that because there’s nothing worse than going on a trip somewhere, coming back home, and realizing, “What? THAT was there? DAMNIT!”
The beach is a possibility, but then again I’m from California so a beach is not such an unheard of commodity around these parts. Although, it would be pretty cool to see the sunrise over the ocean for once.
I don’t think we will want to drive anywhere obscenely far. I mean, if a long drive were in the cards, I’d just have him meet me in my most favorite place to visit- Washington D.C. (which actually is still a possibility).
And ZipperJJ, your winks and nudges are both understood and noted. Trust me, one cannot visit her hot Marine boyfriend without a whole lotta wink wink nudge nudge going on. But I mean, let’s be realistic: you can only wink wink nudge nudge so long before things go numb, sore, or raw. You have to plan your wink wink nudge nudging accordingly, lest you wink wink nudge nudge yourself out too fast.
So, any other fun suggestions? Anything? Anything at all?
My aunt and uncle golf their brains out. I think there are an inordinate number of courses there.
I like to take pictures. Seriously, you can make that the event for the day. People, nature, architecture…there’s a neverending supply of cool stuff to look at no matter where you go.
Since you don’t want to spend the whole weekend driving across the state, your best bet is to stay around Jacksonville.
Most of the things around Wilmington have already been mentioned.
Other Ideas:
**Sneeds Ferry ** - There’s a fish camp on the sound (Riverview Restaurant, IIRC) which has soft-shell crabs to die for.
Topsail Island/Surf City - There’s the Missiles and More Museum, which details the history of the Navy’s missile projects from the fifties. The museum is in the old assembly building. As you drive down NC50 to Surf City, you’ll see these 3-4 story buildings on the beach - those are the old launch towers.
Topsail Island - Topsail is a very dynamic island. Drive to the very north end of the island, and you can see the inlet carving away on the point. There are several very, very expensive homes that in the near future will be very, very wet. As you drive to the south end of the island, you can see several spots where the ocean has been trying to cut new inlets. When you get to the south end of the island, Serenity Point, you can see where the beach has been growing by several yards per year.
You can see a bit of Civil War history at Fort Mason State Park, which (surprise!) encompasses Fort Mason. It’s about an hour away from Jacksonville and there’s lots of other stuff to do at the park.
Also if you head back toward Emerald Isle, you can see the recently renovated and expanded NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. I’ve only been to the one on Roanoke Island, but I liked it a lot and would like to see this one too. I could seriously watch the otters all day long.
I’ll never understand the appeal of golf (or maybe I will when I’m older, I presently don’t though), so that’s definitely not a thing for me. On the other hand, I *adore * taking pictures. No matter where I go or what I do, pictures will be taken in vast and disgusting numbers. But yeah, I’m definitely happy for suggestions of pretty places for pretty pictures.
Maus Magill, sadly I’m a dirty, horrible heathen and I loathe any creature from the sea (well, for eating purposes). Though, I will pass on the seafood restaurant information to the boyfriend so he and his buddies can go crab it up while I am miles and miles away and therefore not having to smell it. Icky.
The missile museum sounds really, really interesting, though! I’m definitely going to add that to my list of things to potentially do. I love that stuff- my favorite place to go in Vegas is the Atomic Testing Museum. The island also sounds like it’d be a nice place to take pictures and the way you describe it sounds a bit like Malibu- point and laugh at the dumb rich people.
romansperson- Fort Mason sounds great. I love Civil War history! Oh, you also managed to say the magic word: otters. I love otters. So adorable! In fact, last time the boyfriend was home we went to the beach and I think we eventually settled on Monterey Bay because I loves me some otters.
All wonderful suggestions- thank you guys! So I- being a desert dweller- am I probably going to fall over in horrible, humid pain, aren’t I? That’s ok, one does not need good, non-frizzy hair to have a good time. At least, I hope not.
Keep 'em coming. Your suggestions are all fantastic.
I grew up in Swansboro, NC and lived around the corner (walking distance) from that restaurant - White Oak River Bistro. I spent all my summers working at the Crab House restaurant, I don’t know if it’s still around. I would also recommend Hammock’s Beach, you have to take a ferry to get there and it’s a really really pretty beach.
But yeah, I’m definitely happy for suggestions of pretty places for pretty pictures.