Plan your day out with this interactive map of area historic sites, musuems and tours.
‘Henrietta III’ Riverboat
Narrated sightseeing cruises are noon and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday April – October. Tickets: $12 adult, $5 children 2-12. Dinner dance cruises are 7:30-10 p.m. Fridays April – December (Tickets: $36 adult, $25 children 2-12, includes tax and gratuity), and 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturdays April – December (Tickets: $39.50 adult, $28 children 2-12, includes tax and gratuity). Gospel cruises are offered 6:30 p.m. Thursdays May – October ($29 adults, $19 children 2-12, pre-paid reservations required). Murder Mystery Cruises are available 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday May – October ($36 adult, $25 children 2-12, pre-paid reservations required). Prices and schedules subject to change. All cruises board 30 minutes before departure from the foot of Dock Street. Details: 343-1611 or www.cfrboats.com.
Airlie Gardens
300 Airlie Road; historic formal garden. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Cost: $5 adults, $3 children 6-12, free for children 5 and younger. Free for New Hanover County residents on the second Saturday of each month. Details: 798-7700 or www.airliegardens.org.
Capt. J.N. Maffitt Boat Rides
Depart from the foot of Market Street. 45-minute narrated sightseeing cruises: departs at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weekend from May 1 through memorial Day and after Labor Day through mid-December. Tickets: $10 adult, $5 children ages 2 to 12. Fifteen-minute river taxi to the Battleship North Carolina departs from Wilmington on the quarter hour and departs from the battleship on the hour and half hour except at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., when sightseeing cruises are in progress. Tickets: $3 adult, free for children younger than 2. Prices and schedules subject to change. Details: 343-1611 or www.cfrboats.com.
for the Performing Arts
Self-guided tours of antebellum theater. Available when the box office is open – Tuesday – Saturday and Sundays and Mondays of scheduled performances. Hours are noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2 – 6 p.m. Saturday and two hours prior to curtain on Sundays and Mondays. On days of performance, will-call window hours are extended through curtain. Backstage tours are offered Tuesday-Friday by appointment. Admission for the 45 minute tour is $10 adults, $8 seniors, $4 students. Group tour discounts are available for 10 or more visitors. Thalian Hall members receive complimentary tours. Details and reservations: 343-3660 or www.thalianhall.com
Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington
A guided walking tour with tales of Wilmington’s ghosts and the unexplained. Departs at the sign at the foot of Market Street. 6:30 p.m. Thursday – Saturday in January and February. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday in March. Departs nightly at 8:30 p.m. April 1 – October 31 plus 6:30 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday in November. 6:30 p.m. Thursday – Saturday in December. Special Halloween tours will be announced. Tickets: $12 adult; $10 seniors, military, students; free for children 6 and younger. Tickets may be purchased at the sign prior to the event or advance order tickets. Details and reservations: 794-1866 or www.hauntedwilmington.com
Haunted Pub Crawl
Hoist pints in haunted pubs and hear eerie tales. 21 or older only. Call or visit Web site for current hours. Tours begin somewhere underground in the Cotton Exchange. Admission: $15 per person. Details and reservations: 794-1866 or www.hauntedwilmington.com
Hollywood South On-Location Tours
See in person locations used in the more than 400 feature films and television shows produced in Wilmington. Tours leave the foot of Market Street. Call for times from October through May. Tours run 6 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday June-Sept., weather permitting. Tickets: $10 adult, free for children younger than 10. Details: 763-0288 or 470-2601, or visit www.hollywoodsouthnc.com
Oak Island Nature Center
Menagerie, exhibits and nature trail. Summer hours: noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Winter hours: noon-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday. N.E. 52nd Street and Yacht Drive, Oak Island. Free. Details: 278-5518
Orton Plantation
Antebellum plantation, public gardens (private residence). 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily March-August. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily September-November. Closed Thanksgiving Day and December through February. 9149 Orton Road, S.E. in Winnabow (off N.C. 133 between Wilmington and Southport). Admission: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $3 children 6-16, free for children younger than 6. Details: 371-6851 or
www.ortongardens.com.
Screen Gems Studio Tours
1223 N. 23rd St., one-hour walking tour of film studios. Tours are offered at noon and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Memorial Day to Labor Day. And at noon and 2 p.m. Saturdays only the rest of the year. Tickets: $12 adults, $10 students, $8 seniors ages 65 and older, $5 children younger than 12. Details: 343-3433 or www.screengemsstudios.com
Cape Fear Museum
Exhibits on history and culture of the Lower Cape Fear Region, including dioramas of Civil War Wilmington and the Battle of Fort Fisher. Open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the museum is also open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Mondays. 814 Market St. Admission: $5 adult, $4 seniors 65 and older, military and college students. $1 children 3-17, free for children younger than 3. The first Sunday of the month is free to New Hanover County residents. Details: 341-4350 or www.capefearmuseum.com
Cape Fear Serpentarium
Snake and reptile exhibits. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, and 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday Sept.-March. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday April-August. 3 p.m. feedings on Saturday and Sunday. Ticket: $8 adult all day admission. Children younger than 2 get in free. 20 Orange St. Details: 762-1669 or www.capefearserpentarium.com
Franklin Square Gallery
Pottery, paintings and weaving by local artists. Hours vary, call for details. Franklin Square Park, 130 E. West St. in Southport. Admission: Free. Details: 457-5450 or www.franklinsquaregallery.org
Ingram Planetarium
Intersection of N.C. 179 and N.C. 904, Sunset Beach. Call for program descriptions. Details: 575-0033 or www.ingramplanetarium.org
Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum
Featured exhibitions and a permanent collection of North Carolina art from the 18th century to the present, color prints by Mary Cassatt. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays. Admission: $7 adult, $15 family, $2 ages 5-18, free for children. 3201 S. 17th St. Details: 395-5999 or www.cameronart
museum.com
Missiles and More Museum
Exhibits on “Operation Bumblebee,” the first U.S. missile tests off Topsail Island after World War II, plus local history and nature, 2-4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and other times by appointment April through mid-October. (November through March open by appointment only.) Inside the Assembly Building, 720 Channel Blvd., Topsail Beach. Admission: Free. Details: 329-4446.
Museum of Coastal Carolina
Exhibits on history, wildlife and habitat of the coast. New touch tank with live sea animals. Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday, with evening hours 5-8 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, through Labor Day. Autumn hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday through Memorial Day. Adults $5, children under 12 $3. 21 E. Second St., Ocean Isle Beach. Details: 579-1016 or www.museumofcc.org
N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Extensive exhibits on North Carolina freshwater, coastal and ocean life, including “touch pool” for children and 235,000-gallon ocean exhibit. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission: $7 adults, $6 senior citizens and active military, $5 children ages 6-17, free for ages 5 and younger. Free days: M.L. King Jr. Day, Valentine’s Day, Veteran’s Day and Christmas Eve Day. Details: 458-8257 or www.ncaquariums.com
N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport
Maritime artifacts of the Lower Cape Fear region, plus a research library. 116 N. Howe St., Southport. Details: 457-0003 or www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/maritime/branches
/southport_default.htm
N.C. Military History Museum
Memorabilia from all U.S. armed forces, Spanish-American War to present. Volunteer-run facility. Off U.S. 421 at Air Force Recreation Area. Details: 251-7324 for hours of operation.
Battleship North Carolina Memorial
Self-guided tours of World War II battleship, plus exhibits on the war and North Carolina veterans. Open seven days a week. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Labor Day to Memorial Day weekend. Off U.S. 421 across the Cape Fear River from downtown Wilmington. Admission: $9 adults, $8 seniors, active-duty and retired military, $4.50 children ages 6-11, free for 5 and younger. Group rates. Details: 251-5797 or www.battleshipnc.com
Bellamy Mansion Museum
Restored antebellum Southern townhouse, plus rotating exhibits on regional history and architecture. Tours on the hour 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays. 503 Market Street. Admission: $7 adults, $3 children 5-12, free for 4 and younger. Details: 251-3700 or www.bellamymansion.org
Brunswick Nuclear Plant Visitors Center, Progress Energy
Interactive exhibits, graphic displays and videos on energy. Also, scale model of the nuclear plant. Free. Hours vary. Call in advance. N.C. 87 two miles north of Southport. Details: 457-6041
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site
Excavated remains of colonial port, ruins of St. Phillip’s Church and Confederate earthworks. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 8884 St. Phillip’s Road SE, off U.S. 133 between Wilmington and Southport adjacent to Orton Plantation. Admission: Free. Details: 371-6613 or www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/brunswic/brunswic.htm
Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens
Restored circa-1770 Georgian home, occupied by the British during the Revolutionary War. Tours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. The tours begin on the hour with the last tour beginning at 3 p.m. September through December schedule may be altered in the morning due to New Hanover County School program; please call for information. Open Hearth Cooking Demonstrations, call ahead for information. Admission: $7 adults. Details: 762-0570 or www.geocities.com/picketfence/garden/4354/
Fort Fisher State Historic Site
Guided tours and demonstrations at remains of Civil War earthworks. Open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday April 1-Sept. 30. Open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday from Oct. 1 until March 31. Closed Veteran’s Day; Thanksgiving holidays, (Nov. 24-and 25); and Christmas holidays (Dec. 23 through Dec. 26).Off U.S. 421 south of Kure Beach. Admission: Free. Details: 458-5538 or www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/fisher/fisher.htm
Latimer House
Restored Victorian home with period furnishings and fixtures. Headquarters and archives for the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday. 126 S. Third St. Admission: Adults $7, students $3. “Walk and Talk” tours at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays: $9, need reservations. Combination ticket for Latimer, Bellamy and Burgwin-Wright homes, $18. Details: 762-0492 or www.latimerhouse.org
Moores Creek National Battlefield
Revolutionary War site maintained by the National Park Service. Visitor center with exhibits and video on the Feb. 27, 1776 battle; self-guided tours on the battle and on the Colonial naval stores industry. Group tours available by appointment. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Free. Off N.C. 210 at Currie, 20 miles north of Wilmington; accessible from I-40. 283-5591. www.nps.gov/mocr
Poplar Grove Plantation
Restored antebellum peanut plantation house and grounds. Tours, blacksmithing, basketry and weaving demonstrations available. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving Day and closed the week of Christmas, reopens first Monday in February. 10200 U.S. 17 North in Scotts Hill. Admission: $8 adults, $7 seniors and military, $5 students 6-15. Details: 686-9518 or www.poplargrove.com
