A Wonderful Weekend in Wilmington

We made it until midnight on New Year's Eve and slept in on New Year's Day. Once we all got moving, we loaded the car, took Skippy the chick next door for a sleep-over and headed east to Wilmington. With I-40, we are only two hours away from the beach. Unfortunately, I-40 is the most boring road you could ever travel and seems to take twice as long!

But once I-40 ended, our vacation began! Wilmington is a beautiful town with many ornate churches throughout. The downtown area has a big city feel with an artsy flair. There is a Port City Java on every corner (to keep Starbuck's out of town according to one of the locals). All of the shops back on to the Cape Fear River. The feel of the town is a cross between San Francisco and New Orleans. It's a happy place!

When we arrived at our hotel, I was surprised that our room didn't have a number but a name. We were staying at a Best Western for goodness sakes! What Best Western names a room? The Coastline in Wilmington, that's who!

To get to the Tower Room, you take the elevator to the 4th floor. When you enter the door to the Tower Room, you immediately climb a set of stairs. At the top, a living area is to the right with a flat screen TV and a small kitchen area.

To the right is a large bathroom with a bathtub and a shower. Another flat screen TV adorns the wall. Back in the living area, the far side is lanked with another staircase that leads to a king size bedroom. There are windows in every direction. From the bedroom, we overlooked the River, several beautiful bridges and the USS North Carolina.

To the east, the view is the walkway along the river with a Coast Guard ship docked along the shore. The Cotton Exchange backs onto the river. Great shopping! Towards the front of the hotel is a train museum with several cars parked out front.


The four of us were more than comfortable. The boys pulled out the couch in the living room, flipped on the tube and relaxed. In the morning, our continental breakfast was brought to our room. A phone call from the front desk let us know it was on the way up.

If you have mobility issues, this is not the room for you. I would also be wary if my children were younger. With two teenagers and strong legs, it's perfect!

What to do? We drove to Wrightsville for a quick walk on the beach. On the first day of January, several guys in wetsuits were surfing. What a way to bring in the new year. We fell into the "watchers" category.



After some poses from the kids, we were off for lunch in the Mayfair shopping center. All of your favorite shops can be found here. Back towards the hotel, we stopped by the Coast Guard ship for a quick tour.

A bit of trivia...the paintings on the side of the ship tell the story of their conquests. This ship had thwarted 30 marijuana shipments and 5 cocaine deliveries. The ship seemed awfully small to house 80 people when they are out at sea. Make sure you allow plenty of time to roam in the locally-owned shops downtown. You'll find trendy, vintage, kitschy, books, clothes, skateboards, coffee, coffee, and coffee!

Just so you know, staying at the Coastline was WAAAYYY better than staying at the...

Now, I will attempt to load photos!