Wilmington is evolving into a 21st-century destination, even as it comes to terms with its complicated past.
Leslie Ryann McKellar
There is a certain vagueness about our national awareness of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Some rememberWilmingtonfrom their youth as a prettybeach townwith an interesting old section down by the river.
Surfers at sunrise on Wrightsville Beach, just east of Wilmington, North Carolina.Credit:Leslie Ryann McKellar
Wilmington does not brand itself as aggressively as many otherSouthern coastal cities.
It has chill, as the kids say these days.
If you want to get to know it, you have to explore it some.
The Brutalist façade of the Blockade Runner Beach Resort.Leslie Ryann McKellar
The exploration is worth it.
Only a few pre-Revolutionary structures survived the fires that have sporadically destroyed sections of the city.
These football-size stones were carried over from England in the holds of ships to weigh them down properly.
From left: Summertime fun at Wrightsville Beach; a mezcal-peach-basil sour at Manna restaurant.Leslie Ryann McKellar
When a ship arrived in port, its stones were removed so goods could be put into the hulls.
The stones were then used to build foundations.
I recommend a tour of the Burgwin-Wright House & Gardens, built about 1770.
From left: Oysters and beer at Seabird restaurant; the bar at Seabird.Leslie Ryann McKellar
Wilmington does not brand itself as aggressively as many other Southern coastal cities.
It has chill, as the kids say these days.
Most of the fine craftwork to be seen inside the mansion was executed by enslaved and free Black artisans.
A lifeguard stand on Wrightsville Beach.Leslie Ryann McKellar
A permanent outdoor sculpture, Stephen HayessBoundless,stands within a park on the property.
Most people who visit Wilmington come not for history, of course, but for the natural beauty.
Our beaches are superb, especially given that all of them are public.
From left: Front Street, part of Wilmington’s historic district; Cedric Harrison of WilmingtoNColor at the 1898 Monument & Memorial Park.Leslie Ryann McKellar
The sand is pale and fine.
They sell nothing else.
Later take a walk on the wooden dock, which seems to extend fantastically far out over the ocean.
From left: A guest room with a view of the Atlantic at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort; a burrata salad with local vegetables at Manna.Leslie Ryann McKellar
The countryside around Wilmington can also yield surprises.
Its not the traditional postcard kind of nature, with hikes and waterfalls.
This country is flat.
From left: The Bellamy Mansion, a 19th-century house turned museum; the Atlantic Ocean as seen from a boat tour organized by Blockade Runner Beach Resort.Leslie Ryann McKellar
The soil is sandy and poor, easily exhausted.
But the landscape has its own weird treasures.
Little yellow prothonotary warblers flitted through the canopy.
From left: Kayaking the Black River; pitcher plants at the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden.Leslie Ryann McKellar
When we paddled up to it, it was totally enormous and unlike any tree Ive seen.
The outside bark looked like seal skin, slick and taut around the trunk.
Perhaps Wilmingtons greatest boast is its Venus flytraps.
From left: On the grounds of Blockade Runner Beach Resort; the pool area at Blockade Runner.Leslie Ryann McKellar
This part of the coast is the only place on earth where those famous carnivorous plants grow wild.
When friends pass through, the first place I typically take them is one of the Venus flytrap preserves.
Nobodys mind is ever not blown.
From left: The porch at Dreamers by DW, a boutique hotel; a lounge area at Dreamers.Leslie Ryann McKellar
There has been a lot of interesting science done on flytraps.
They can count, it turns out, and possess a kind of memory or sense of time.
There is hardly ever anyone else there.
Dreamers by DW, a boutique hotel in downtown Wilmington.Leslie Ryann McKellar
The exception has always been barbecue.
This part of eastern North Carolina has its own sub-regional style.
The sauce is not thick, red, and spicy, like you find farther west.
Here it is tangy and vinegar-based.
The hush puppies are not round but shaped like chubby fingers.
That may sound disgusting, but somehow, it bangs.
Just see to it to eat quickly, because the bun gets soggy very fast.
It closed a few years ago, one of many pandemic casualties.
We also have two fantastic soul-food places that have managed to stay open.
Not so, anymore.
They serve classic dishes like lamb cassoulet and beef bourguignon.
Ive eaten at Caprice maybe a hundred times and have never had a bad meal.
The cocktails and wine list are similar to the food: solid, unpretentious, tasty.
The proprietor, Billy Mellon, is cut from the old cloth.
A former military man, he circulates through the room in a suit with slicked-back hair.
One block south is Mannas competitor, PinPoint Restaurant.
The fried chicken is memorable, in a region where its hard to stand out for your fried chicken.
The most exciting new spot, which opened in 2021, is Seabird.
Head chef Dean Neff was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef this year.
The fish is so fresh you taste the seawater.
Once I went oyster harvesting with one of Deans providers, a sustainable shellfisher named Ana Shellem.
Shellem brings him dead mans fingers, a throw in of seaweed that he uses in salads.
What a weird, beautiful little city.
I recommend you get here before we figure out what we are.
Gnarly oaks groan in the ocean breezes.
There are plenty of houses and condos, but no cars.
A few passable restaurants and a grocery store mean you could stay as long as you like.
If youre spending a week in Wilmington, the island makes for a perfect vacation-within-a-vacation.
What a weird, beautiful little city.
I recommend you get here before we figure out what we are.
I came here once for six months, to get some writing done.
That was 20 years ago.
You might not stay that long.
In fact, it would be better if you didnt.
We have a housing crisis: new people are having a hard time finding a place to live.
To visit, though?
New owners have initiated a welcome renovation.
The contemporary interiors are decorated with blond wood and pops of pastel color.
Sit out on the long terrace and enjoy the ocean breezes.
And they make only one punch in original glazed.
Caprice Bistro
Timeless French dishes such as duck confit and steak frites prepared simply and elegantly.
Manna
Thoughtful revamps of American standards, as well an excellent craft-cocktail menu.
Trucks Chicken n Fish
A great soul-food place, with a legendary mac and cheese.
