Wilmington Wow

Wilmington Wow

Unbeknownst to us, 19^th century Wilmington, NC was a railroad powerhouse. One line from here was the longest rail line in the world when it was completed in 1840 – not long after railroad construction began. So our stop here fittingly started with a visit to the Wilmington Railroad Museum. The informative displays are housed in an historic warehouse and include several rooms with model trains as well as some of the real thing outside.  We enjoyed the Florida connections showing the 1950 era service to the sunshine state.

Wilmington is a city that respects its history with one of the largest historic districts in the states. Our horse drawn trolley tour gave us a taste of the vibrant restored commercial area plus some of the gracious homes on the river’s edge. We later walked the streets for a few photos to share while we browsed the unique shops in the Cotton Exchange and Old Market.

We also noticed the proliferation of public art strategically decorating the city – especially along the river walk. This area sadly is the result of urban renewal in the 1970s which wiped out much of the railroad history along the riverfront, but today it provides miles of bustling riverfront public space. The former rail yards have been replaced by a convention center and a modern community college – and we thought Gulf Coast had a prime location.

Along the riverfront we also found the Farmer’s Market overflowing with organic herbs, fresh greens, heirloom tomatoes and homemade treats plus local crafts. This was one of the best markets we have come across featuring authentic home-grown or home-made goodies rather than stalls reselling produce from the wholesale market. Our mooring on the city docks put us in the heart of town just a few minutes from all the fun here with the massive USS Carolina battleship museum as a backdrop. A stop here may become a regular side trip for us well worth the 15 mile trip up the Cape Fear River. With so many interesting options, we had to leave a few treats for our next trip.