A Long Weekend in Wilmington, NC
We ventured to Wilmington this past summer with another couple and had a very relaxing (and sun-filled) long weekend. It was just the break we all needed.
FRIDAY
We drove to Wilmington which is about 3 hours from Charlotte. There is an international airport there if this is a beach and city you’d like to visit via plane.
We spent the afternoon on Wrightsville Beach and had a little happy hour at Shark Bar & Kitchen and were lucky enough to find our public beach parking right out front of Shark Bar & Kitchen earlier in the day. We did some dips & chips & smashed avocado and a round of margaritas (okay fine, we had two rounds). Their cocktails were fabulous and the space was bright and clean. Service was wonderful.
We decided to stay in downtown Wilmington which is about 20 minutes from the beach so after happy hour, we checked in at The HIVE which is a unique Airbnb-but-hotel type of property. It was nicer than most Airbnbs we’ve stayed in as the furnishings were unique and also felt intentional. The linens were Brooklinen which we have at home and love, so definitely an upgrade. Each unit has a mini kitchenette which was stocked with complimentary snacks and a few seltzers and local beers. The room featured a tap of filtered water and a complimentary water bottle which was so nice.
We winged dinner on Friday evening and ended up at Circa1922. Think old school in style with dark mahogany and velvet booths with servers in bow ties but like also, old school like could use a refresh. But the food was good! We shared a cheese and meat board. The paella was a favorite amongst the group.
After dinner we walked around to find a spot for some drinks and landed at The Reel Café, a little dive bar that had a good outdoor space and live music playing 90s grunge.
SATURDAY
Brunch was kind of difficult as we had no reservations anywhere and a lot of places actually didn’t accept them. We ended up waiting for about an hour at The Fork ‘N’ Cork, and I won’t say this a lot, but it was worth the wait. By the time we were seated, we were starving and the kitchen here is small but mighty (as is the restaurant, the entirety probably seats about 30 including the bar). Breakfast was substantial and considering the portion sizes, incredibly value priced.
We headed to the beach after brunch then later in the afternoon, Justin and I decided to go back for a weekend siesta—we just love a solid post-sun nap, isn’t it the best?
Before dinner, we grabbed cocktails at Manna which was a delight, though the bar area is small and first come first serve, so not the best for a group environment. But across the street at Crust Kitchen and Cocktails we were able to all grab a quick drink before dinner.
I planned ahead for dinner…as soon as we decided on this couples trip to Wilmington, I made reservations at Seabird thanks to the suggestion of Meghan from I’m Fixin’ To. She is a North Carolina blogger who travels across the entire state, so if you are local to the Carolinas, give her a follow! I ordered the Seabird Martini because where else am I going to have a dirty martini with plankton sea brine? I convinced the table that everyone else needed to order the Hummingbird, a take on the Hemingway Daiquiri—IYKYK. We split some oysters and shrimp cocktail to start. And for mains, the Eastern Cioppino was a hit amongst the table.
After dinner we went for more cocktails, of course. What does one do on vacation? We stumbled upon The Blind Elephant, a fabulous speakeasy down an abandoned alley. The selection of spirits here was great and the menu was very inventive with wonderful bartenders.
We weren’t *quite* ready for bed…what is bedtime on vacation? (Listen, vacation Alexandra is not like Sunday through Thursday Alexandra). So for a final (short) round, we settled up to the dive, Cape Fear Wine & Beer. Bring cash—not for the drinks, but for the jukebox so you can play all of your sing along favorites. It was a memorable night. Spice Girls, anyone?
SUNDAY
To avoid the mistake of waiting an hour for breakfast/brunch knowing we’d all be severely hungover—I made reservations at BLUE SURF Arboretum West. Needless to say, we had a little scenic drive as it was not super close. Sorry, friends. Breakfast was fine, I would NOT go out of my way to go here but we didn’t want to just wake up so it was nice to have one final meal together before we headed back to Charlotte.
Stay
The HIVE
Eat & Drink
Shark Bar & Kitchen
Do
