American History Tours – Wilmington, North Carolina

On the whole, the historic little berg of Wilmington, North Carolina isn’t that different from our last choice for American History Tours: Alexandria, Virginia. You’ve got your colonial beginnings, your port-fueled prosperity, your major role in the American Civil War, your late 1800’s civil unrest and finally your modern adoption as a half-trendy, half-historic tourist attraction.

That doesn’t, however, make Wilmington, North Carolina any less fascinating. Founded officially in 1739 by the English, Wilmington was at first populated primarily by migration from South Carolina and Barbados, which brought American slavery along with it.

Modern industry, especially the lumber industry, marched forward quickly in the Cape Fear region, and by the mid-19^th century, Wilmington was a major shipping artery to the Atlantic Ocean and an invaluable supply route for the Confederacy to be. Through the city port, the confederate South shipped out tobacco and cotton in order to secure clothing, weapons and food to sustain them during the war effort. The South’s most fortified city for three years, the Union finally took Wilmington in 1865, not long after the fall of nearby Fort Fischer.

Even though the war was over, things didn’t stay calm in Wilmington. Towards the end of the century came the bloodshed of the “Massacre of 1898″. Originally declared a riot and later re-branded as America’s one and only Coup D’Etat, the massacre involved a well-orchestrated band of white supremacists seizing power from the elected Wilmington government and installing a power of their own. More than 100 individuals, almost all of them black, died in what is today considered one the nation’s most deplorable events.

The next century brought more strife, of course, with two World Wars robbing the town of its men even as the local industry boomed, but something entirely different also came to Wilmington: Hollywood. Since the dawn of cinema, over 180 movies and countless TV shows have been filmed in Wilmington, earning it the nickname “Hollywood of the East”.

Today, Wilmington has settled into the perfect groove. Due to the relative lack of actual wartime damage in the city’s history, there is a well-preserved historic district rich with examples of antebellum architecture. Meanwhile, the city has gained new life as a trendy tourist destination brimming with upscale boutiques, shop and restaurants.

Besides exploring the historic district for yourself, the best way to experience the profound American history of Wilmington, North Carolina is to take a tour. There are traditional history tours of downtown, a riverboat cruise, a Hollywood location tour and also the two ghost tours that we’ve mentioned before.

For a stay in town, we always like the one-two combo of the Hilton Wilmington Hotel and its sister property the Riverview Suites in Wilmington (Water Street). Just depends on the kind of stay you want.

View all of our American History Tours here.

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