Calabash residents can make a 52-minute drive north to the Port City while also traveling 300 years back in time. Wilmington offers all the amenities of a modern city – fine dining, upscale shopping, cultural events and cutting-edge entertainment – while also embracing its rich past. Enjoy the best of both the new and old worlds in the downtown waterfront district on the banks of the Cape Fear River.
The downtown waterfront district features boats and water taxis that ferry visitors to popular spots along the Cape Fear River, such as the Cotton Exchange shopping center that occupies an old warehouse district, and the Battleship North Carolina, which allows patrons to tour the World War II Era vessel. Cafes, theaters, art galleries, and brew pubs are among the many sites to see in the downtown district.
This pre-Revolutionary War city is one of the oldest and most historically significant settlements on the East Coast. Incorporated in 1739 but settled many years earlier, Wilmington served as a major port for the export of tobacco, cotton and other agricultural goods that made this region a hub of Colonial Era culture. The city has gone to great lengths to preserve its past with tours of historic homes, churches and gardens.
