Beach Day at Wilmington, NC
Hello there, reader! Three months have passed by since 2019 began and so much has changed. The move to North Carolina has opened up so many opportunities for joy, happiness and progress. And promptly, I’ve embraced all of those. Driving has become a thing in my life finally and now I get to long drive to nearby places. The beauty of Morrisville, NC, the town I live in currently, is its geographical location, which is mid-way the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Smoky Mountains, 2 and half hours either way.
Finally, a couple of weekends ago, I ventured out on my first long drive to the beach in Wilmington, NC, because, one – I had to drive more to get an ease over it and two – spring is here. And what better way to welcome the smell of pollen than to combine it with the waves of the sea. All along the drive, our car skimmed through the “green snow”, cuddling the arrival of fresh leaves, with tons of pollen swaying in the air, reviving the dead skeletons of mighty trees.
The drive to Wilmington itself was rejuvenating. My last drive to the Great Smokies was the last sunshine for last year and this one was the first of many more lovely ones to come. Wilmington is 130 miles from Raleigh and the 2 hr distance makes it a wonderful one day activity to go the beach.
Railroad Museum
We arrived at Wilmington at around 11.30 in the morning and made our first stop at the Railroad Museum. The museum is located on the banks of the Cape Fear River-walk. The place houses one of the oldest steam engines of America, the Atlantic Coastline, which covered the Eastern states from Virginia all the way down, to Florida, during its service. We further continued the River-walk alongside the calm Cape Fear.
Cotton Exchange
Then we explored the little streets of the town and arrived at the Cotton Exchange, one of the eight historic buildings of the area, from the 19th century. After undergoing a lot of climatic deterioration, the remains of these buildings have now been restored into 20 odd shops – town side cafes, cute boutiques and old book stores.
Savorez
Street hopping almost always ends with food. We paused the day for lunch at a Latin American restaurant – Savorez, which literally means we are savoring. And we did, every bit of it. I ordered the Vegetarian’s Dream taco, which was a corn based taco topped with sweet potato guac, pineapple salsa, tomatoes and chives with a side of Yucca frites. Yucca is a sweet potato like looking root based vegetable and the fries are made from the powdered root mixed in Tapioca flour. I added extra jalapenos, just because!
The taste was just the best. Hands down, it was the best taco I’ve and will ever have. When I was served, I was slightly disappointed with the quantity on the plate, however, after finishing, I thought the whole combination was filling, not to mention, healthy and yummy. It was my first time eating authentic Latin American food and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Carolina Beach
Hunger cravings satisfied, we set out to satisfy the purpose the trip – the beach. Carolina beach is 20 mins away from the town. Thick shells, white sand and tiny rocky islands all over – that’s about the Carolina beach. Isn’t contemplating thoughts with each wave hitting the shore, one of the best things to do on weekends? Sitting at the Southernmost tip of the land and reasoning made me renew my site and continue blogging, despite getting busy with other things.
Wrightsville Beach
Wrightsville beach is another beach on the coastline of Wilmington. We parked our car a little far from the sand area and walked towards it, passing all the beach themed houses. It was great inspiration to see these huge townhouses beautifully decorated with shells, cactus and sea creature paintings in teal background. While planning a trip to the beach in NC, avoid winters and fall, because the town and beaches are prone to hurricanes frequently. I packed my picnic bag and got going and the blue seas never disappoint me.
Certainly, that was a productive weekend before resetting for another routine week. I would love to hear your thoughts on this travel story. Questions and discussions are welcome. Tell me about your weekend in the likes and comments sections and read more of my travel stories here. Happy Travelling!!