Is there a mini beach vacation in your future? Then pack your bags and head to Wilmington, North Carolina! Home to One Tree Hill, Wrightsville Beach and the best hot dogs ever, it’s our go-to vacation spot. Since we shipped Scott off to Montana for the summer, the boys and I loaded up the car, drove nine hours and met my parents and sister in the lovely city for a memorable summer vacation.
Checking in.
We spent five nights and five days in Wilmington at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. About a year ago I discovered travel rewards credit cards and ever since I've only had one regret: that I didn't discover them sooner. I'm only going to talk about my rewards for this specific trip, but stay tuned, because I've been waiting to share some travel credit card secrets for awhile. Scott opened the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card at the beginning of 2018. While IHG hotels are not my favorite and I normally wouldn't recommend this credit card (just because there are a handful of travel rewards credit cards I'd recommend before this one), if the signup bonus can get you free travel to a location you've had your eye on like us, I'd say go for it! We knew we wanted to plan an upcoming trip to Wilmington beforehand and we knew the signup bonus could get us up to five free nights so we went for it (yes, we paid absolutely nothing for our hotel). For simply spending $2,000 in the first three months of account opening, we earned an 80,000 point signup bonus. When redeeming rewards points with IHG, customers get their fourth hotel night free. Since the Holiday Inn Express & Suites retails for 20,000 points a night, with the fourth night free bonus we had enough for five free nights. In addition, cardholders earn 10 points per $1 spent at any of their 5,200+ hotels worldwide and 1 point per $1 spent everywhere else. There is a $89.00 annual fee, however, it pays for itself with the Anniversary Free Night at one of their eligible hotels worldwide, every year. Finally, cardholders get automatic Platinum Elite Status as long as they remain an IHG Rewards Club Premier Cardmember.
Our favorite part about our stay was definitely the free continental breakfast. We had a wide range of choices from cinnamon rolls and muffins to eggs and bacon, as well as various cereals, fruits and yogurt. Interested in free travel? Check out the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card and see if it's right for you!
Dining out.
My favorite vacation activity? Eating. And I think the boys would agree. Day-to-day I try and stick to a low carb diet but vacay is the perfect time to indulge in my favorite foods. And this trip was no exception. From Mexican cuisine to Italian cuisine to seafood, we enjoyed a little taste of everything!
On our first night in Wilmington we chose to eat at K-38 Baja Grill (Oleander location). It’s a Baja Mexican grill that uses chilies and spices from all over the Southwest and Mexico in their restaurant. Bring on the chips and queso, tacos and burritos. If you like Mexican food, this place does not disappoint and their sister restaurant, Tower 7, is also a good choice, located on Wrightsville Beach. Other locations include: K-38 Porters Neck, Cafe Del Mar, K-Bueno Cocina, KBueno Mexi-Q Grill, KBueno Norte, and Cruz.
The Pilot House is located in historic downtown Wilmington in the newly restored Chandler’s Wharf. It was originally built as a residence, so guests actually dine inside a restored 19-century house. There is also the option to sit on the riverfront deck, which I recommend, because it offers spectacular views of the Cape Fear River! All of the dishes from this upscale restaurant are made from scratch. The menu ranges from "down home cooking", to Cajun, as well as traditional Southern food. Because I was full from our Kilwins dessert before dinner, I went with a traditional salad with grilled chicken.
Bluewater Waterfront Grill is one of my favorite restaurants in Wilmington. Located on the waterway, they offer breathtaking views of the water and sunset so it’s a must to snag a table outside. They serve a selection of traditional American food as well as fresh seafood and all of us enjoyed too much fish, shrimp and fries. And as a bonus, Bluewater has a summer music series every Sunday from 4:00-8:00 p.m., April 1 through September 30 that I highly recommend.
Who would have thought a hot dog stand could be so popular? We always make at least one trip to the Trolly Stop while in Wilmington and it’s the perfect lunch spot if you’re relaxing on the beach. The very first Trolly Stop opened in 1976. The original store is called Station 1 because it was located on the first stop on the trolley line in Wrightsville Beach, and it is still there today. Since then, the Trolly Stop has expanded to Southport and Chapel Hill. The concept is simple. First, you pick a hot dog: Sabrett, Original Trolly, Carolina Smoked Sausage, Vegetarian, or Fat Free Turkey. Then you pick a style: North Carolina, American, All The Way, Surfer, Chicago, Nuclear, German, Wrightsville Beach, Battleship, Cape Fear, Old Baldy, Mexican or My Way. Because I am a picky eater I always get the Original Trolley, Old Baldy (totally plain) and I add melted cheese. The boys both tried the Nuclear. It consists of deli mustard, melted cheese & jalapeno peppers. They gave it 5 stars. Note that the Trolly Stop accepts cash only.
Despite passing by this little dessert shop for many years, this was our first-time visiting Kilwins. The smell of fresh homemade waffle cones was always tempting, but it wasn’t until I took my first bite that I realized what I had been missing! The first night we had dessert before dinner and we loved our ice-cream cones so much that we went back two more times. When in Wilmington, do as the Wilmingtonian's do! Between the six of us we tried almost a dozen flavors:
Blue Moon
Butter Pecan
Cake Batter
Cappuccino Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Heavenly Hash
Maple Walnut
Mint Chocolate Chip
Sea-Salt Chocolate Caramel
Turtle
My favorite flavor was hands down Cappuccino Chocolate Chip. In addition to their Original Recipe ice-cream, Kilwins sells Mackinac Island fudge, various candies and chocolate treats, and fresh apples dipped in their original caramel recipe. And, don’t worry if there is a line! Guests can check out the homemade treats being produced right before their eyes while they wait.
Pasta and pizza, por favore! Every family vacay usually includes dining at a Mexican restaurant and at an Italian restaurant. So, on our last night in Wilmington, we chose to eat at Osteria Cicchetti. Their menu includes a variety of pasta dishes, a full Antipasti selection, and specialty pizzas. We sat outside and Maddox and I enjoyed lasagna while Alex tried the pizza – very delizioso!
Having fun.
It's true what they say: life is better at the beach! We spent most of our days having fun in the sun on Wrightsville Beach. We tossed football, played frisbee, and had ping pong battles. We wrote our names in the sand and jumped a ton of waves. We also got sunburned and sand everywhere, but hey YOLO!
Swimwear
Target Xhilaration Swim Top and Swim Bottom in Blue Stone Floral
Abercrombie One Shoulder One Piece Swimsuit in Olive Green and Light Lime (currently on sale and lots of color choices!)
The beach fun didn't stop during the day. I put on my best Zara dress and made time to take some family beach photos. Shoutout to my sister, Alyssa, for snapping some photos of me and the boys. It's rare for me to be in front of my 6D Mark II, so I took full advantage of having her there. Didn't she do an outstanding job? *Insert clapping hands emoji for a round of applause! We captured some selfies too, of course!
There's a reason I chose to tie the knot in downtown Wilmington a few years ago: it's perfect! It's full of historic charm, unique retail shops, a plethora of dining and dessert options, and now the Aflac Duck (see below), who by the way, has over 65,000 followers on Twitter. Anyway, I love taking a stroll down Wilmington's cobblestone streets or the Riverwalk. It's always had a way of putting my mind at ease. I also may be a little biased as it's home to various One Tree Hill and Dawson's Creek (two of my all-time favorite shows) filming locations.
Recommended attractions
Shopping
The shopping scene in Wilmington could not be any better. Because it's an artsy community, most shops are full of handmade items from locals. I spent way too much in the most organized Forever21 I've ever been inside of, located in Independence Mall (separate blog post coming soon), and the boys snagged some pocket Buddhas at one of our favorite shops, Planet.
Top 5 must-visit Wilmington retail locations
We had such a great time in Wilmington this summer and are already looking forward to our next visit. Sometimes it's nice to just sleep, eat, beach, repeat. It was the most relaxing vacation I've had in a long time, and sometimes that's exactly what you need!
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