USA Travel Guide

Last year we ran a poll of favorite Spring Break destinations – mountains, golf resorts, big cities, that kind of thing – and the overwhelming winner was beaches. Like turkey on Thanksgiving, I guess there are times when the oldies really are the goldies.

Then again, there are some places you can keep a tradition alive and still do something new. Tell your friends you’re going to North Carolina for Spring Break, and what’s more, you’re still going to the beach, and you might attract a few raised eyebrows. Not to worry, though, you know you made the right decision.

Spring Break Beaches near Wilmington, North Carolina
The call it Cape Fear, but there’s nothing scary about miles of soft sandy beach, old soul attitude and authentic, of-the-land atmosphere. Put more simply, the beaches of North Carolina feel real in way that a lot of resort destinations don’t. Let’s look at our favorites:

• Carolina Beach – Often frenetic during the late Spring Break season, Carolina Beach brings a cosmopolitan energy to Cape Fear that you won’t find anywhere else. Surfers and scuba divers love Carolina Beach, as does anyone who looks for as much personality as things to do.
• Kure Beach – nearby Kure Beach couldn’t be more different from its neighbor. Come to Kure Beach for a calmer, quieter atmosphere ideal for afternoons of relaxation. The main attraction, the Kure Beach Fishing Pier, is a popular choice for anglers any time.
• Wrightsville Beach – And then there’s Wrightsville, our favorite. The quality of the beach itself (the sand and the surf) is unmatched in the area, and the whole coast has a village atmosphere that manages to charm without being stuffy. Sailing is a popular activity near Wrightsville Beach.

You can learn more about beaches in North Carolina and order a free brochure and area guide at http://www.gocapefearcoast.com/

All three of these beaches are within 18 miles of one of our favorite East coast cities, Wilmington, North Carolina. For exciting days of the beach and fulfilling nights back in town, we recommend a stay in Wilmington.

Have a blast on Spring Break 2010 among the beaches of North Carolina.

Some cities are subjected to film festivals. The classic South Park episode in which the Sundance comes to the small Colorado town and guts it of all its authenticity is not wholly off base. On the other hand, some cities fit the film festival bill beautifully. The Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina couldn’t be more right. 2,300 hundred miles from Hollywood, Wilmington has film fever.

More specifically, this cozy Cape Fear town has filming fever. Call it “Hollywood East”, call it “Wilmywood”, believe it or not, Wilmington, NC is the second most popular film and TV production location on the east coast. In number of productions, both annual and total, Wilmington trails only New York City.

Explore Wilmington’s history on screens big and small with a Hollywood Location Walk of Old Wilmington. The name is pretty straightforward. This engaging 90-minute walking tour leads you past filming locations from dozens of popular movies and TV shows, several of which are instantly recognizable.

There are more than I can readily mention, but highlights include: Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, The Hudsucker Proxy, Matlock, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I & II), Blue Velvet, Weekend at Bernie’s, A Walk to Remember, The Crow, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and so many more.

The Hollywood Location Walk is more than a roaming photo op. Your tour guide, a bit of a character himself, packs the tour end-to-end with funny and fascinating stories about the many stars that have made Wilmington their home away from home, however briefly. Learn what the stars did on their days off, and maybe even learn a couple tricks for yourself.

It’s fun, laidback, and for fans of three-star quality film and TV, it’s even interesting. The Hollywood Location Walk of Old Wilmington is hosted five times a week – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (twice), and Sunday – and tickets only cost you $12 per person. Tours are held rain or shine. Learn more here and order your tickets here.

We rarely stray from our favorite hotels in Wilmington, NC. A one-two punch of sister properties that can go either cozy-classic or extended-upscale, depending on what you like. We recommend:

• Hilton Wilmington Riverside
• Riverview Suites at Water Street Center

Have a fun time exploring the history of Hollywood East: Wilmington, NC.

Behind the quaint demeanor and historic ambiance of Wilmington, North Carolina lies the pulsing energy of big city lights and artistic aspiration. They call it Hollywood East, and believe it or not, it’s the most popular filming location on the east coast after New York City.

Hundreds of movies and TV shows have filmed in Wilmington, everything from Dawson’s Creek to Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland to The Crow. They’ve got film fever, and they celebrate it every year with the Cucalorus Film Festival. If don’t have your 2009 passes, it’s time to buy.

Heading into its 15^th year, the Cucalorus Film Festival is proud to still be doing things a little different. The festival is non-competitive. That means no judging panel, no awards ceremony, no controversial indie darlings and no hard-nosed judges playing fave-sies. In other words, no overblown industry jib jab. Just laidback surroundings, energetic people and a genuine love of film.

Despite its more casual attitude, this is still a respected international film festival with a history of big “gets” and news making moments. Cucalorus features more than 130 film presentations including features, documentaries and short films. The steady cascade of film showings is joined by a bevy of special events, dance parties, stuff for the kids and industry panels and workshops.

In short, it’s a full platter, and deciding just what you want to do might take some hard choices.

Films to catch include Big Fan, featuring an impressive dramatic turn by comedian Patton Oswalt, Dogtooth, a surreal Greek film about an isolated family, and Precious, the harrowing drama that took Sundance 2009 by storm (although also releasing nationwide on November 6, so another showing is just as easily advised).

Film showings take place at several venues throughout Wilmington’s historic Old Town, all located fairly close together so as to avoid driving and parking hassles.

The Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina will take place from November 11-15, 2009. Tickets and passes are on sale now. Basic screening passes (one ticket to all showings) run $75 and go up with special features from there. Learn more.

For hotels in Wilmington, there’s no reason not to stay close. The Hilton Wilmington Riverside is an official festival hotel located in walking distance to several of the showing venues. We’re also big fans of its sister property, the Riverview Suites at Water Street Center.

Have fun!

It Came from Wikipedia!!!
A “Cucalorus” is an object place in front of a light source during filming to create an authentic patterned effect, such as light trickling through leaves. Because it’s such a fancy pants word, a cucalorus is often called a “cookie” on set.

I’m not sure anything could compete with Hampton, Virginia’s way awesome Blackbeard Pirate Festival, where the whole downtown is overrun by hard-bit buccaneers looking for a fight and maybe the chance to tell a tale or two. What I am sure of is that any festival involving pirates, on any scale, stands to get mentioned on this blog.

Start making your plans for the fast approaching Wilmington Riverfest, a raucous Cape Fear celebration dedicated to fun, family and fortifying the strength of the Cape Fear region as a whole. Oh, and show up at the right time and you just might see a pirate.

The 31^st Annual Wilmington Riverfest takes over Wilmington, North Carolina’s historic downtown October 3 and 4 for a weekend of food, arts and crafts, friendly competitions, health runs, races, dance offs, car shows, live music, fundraising and good old-fashioned piracy. Over the two days you’ll enjoy a non-stop roster of events hosted free for the public. You really can’t beat that price.

You can have a great time either day or both, but if I may suggest, stick around Saturday evening for the “Invasion of the Pirates”. A 2005 addition aimed at putting a little more “river” in Riverfest, this sweet evening kick-off stars a host of costumed performers arrive by river in a replica Spanish galleon. In the past they’ve even hosted swashbuckling demonstrations, but no word yet on whether such displays will return this year. On Sunday, visitors are invited onto the galleon for cool sightseeing and prime photo opportunities.

What else? You mean pirates aren’t enough? Ok, also on the bill is the annual Shag Dance competition, which pays out cash prizes. There’s also a duo of car shows, classics and antiques, hosted downtown at Market St. A massive Kids Zone offers classic fair entertainment like bouncy castles and small rides, free of charge. And if you need to relax, just head to the main stage at Riverfront Park and catch a live music act (performers still TBD).

It’s free to enter. Most events have registration fees to participate but are free to watch, so the only thing you’ll have to pay for is food and vendor items as you like. Don’t fret though, all proceeds go to the benefits of the local area and the Riverfest Endowment Fund, which awards scholarships based on achievements and the desire to help the Cape Fear area.

Wilmington Riverfest will be held in downtown Wilmington on October 3 and 4. Learn more.

The official Riverfest hotels, the Hilton Wilmington Riverside and the Riverview Suites at Water Street Center, still have rooms open and they are definitely where you want to stay. The location is choice – literally take a step outside the front door and you’re at Riverfest. No driving, no parking, no hassle. The Hilton even hosts an event or two.

Have fun at Wilmington Riverfest!

If you can’t be in Chicago tomorrow for the start of the Chicago Blues Festival, fear not. There’s another great lineup coming to the east coast in late July for the 14th Annual Cape Fear Blues Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina. Now I just need to find a top-quality west coast shindig and we’ll have the summertime blues trifecta.

The Cape Fear Blues Festival is the masthead event hosted every year by the Cape Fear Blues Society (CFBS), a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and promotion of blues music and performers in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina. While the CFBS is keeping that sound alive all year long with the semiweekly Cape Fear Blues Jam at The Rusty Nail in downtown Wilmington, blues fans both local and national can’t help but look forward to summer’s three-day festival.

Just perusing the schedule, the Cape Fear Blues Festival can seem a mish-mash of here-and-there events, which it is, so be sure to plan ahead in order to spend your time wisely. Additionally, beware that some of the concerts are free, notably the Sunday all-day blues jam at 16 Taps, while others have a cover charge or may even require advance ticket purchase.

If you want to get in on the most exciting event of the festival, sign up soon for the Cape Fear Blues Cruise. Opening the festival with style, the Blues Cruise is an always-sold out show cruise aboard Wilmington’s famous Henrietta III riverboat. Boasting three bands, three bars and three decks worth of dancing and dining, this isn’t the cheapest event of the festival, but it’s one you can be sure you’ll never forget. Cruise performers this year include Elliott & the Untouchables, El Jaye Johnson, Tommy B. and the Stingers and Spider Mike Bochey.

During the festival, you can also catch performances by The Contagious Blues Band, The Chickenhead Blues Band, Elliott New, Ten Dollar Thrill, The Dynamic Therm-O-Tones, Gypsy Fire and more. Additional events include a free blues workshop and a guitar giveaway (Fender Highway One Strat – very nice).

The 14^th Annual Cape Fear Blues Festival will be held from July 24-26, 2009 at several locations around Wilmington, NC. Paid events require separate admission. Tickets for certain events, along with more information on everything above, are available at the Web site.

If you’ve been reading USA Travel Guide long, you know this isn’t our first trip to Wilmington, and we’ve got the hotels that we like. We’re big fans of the Hilton Wilmington Riverside as well as its sister property, the Riverview Suites. The former offers standard hotel accommodations at a fine rate, and the latter offers upscale suites (full kitchen and all) for not much more. Just depends on the kind of stay you want.

Have fun at the Cape Fear Blues Festival in July.

I’m like the hunchback of the office. While everyone else is doing real work, I’m indulging myself in stories about ghosts, gambling and Wrestlemania. They want to do a piece about Easter; I want to do a piece about peanut butter sandwiches. They want to do a piece about flowers; I want to link to Twisted Sister videos, and so forth. It’s truly a never-ending struggle for blog supremacy.

Well, you can’t win them all, as they say, so join us now as we take you to a festival … for dogs.*

Wilmington, North Carolina is a surprisingly happening place for festival goers, hosting street fairs, jazz festivals, blues festivals, a big Oktoberfest, a free Shakespeare festival and last week’s North Carolina Azalea Festival, just to name a few. There’s something going on pretty much all year long, but one newer, more unusual event that we hope won’t sneak under your radar is Paw Jam 2009.

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By this point, most of the student body has either gone back to class already or is deeply-depressed watching the last few days of their Spring Break slip away from them.  They’re like a small child who lets go of his balloon. Still, there are plenty more with Spring Break yet to come.

Judging by our poll, Spring Break beach vacations are the hands down favorite, so I thought we’d return to our series with something a little different. Consider, won’t you, the beaches of North Carolina.

Name recognition they have not, but buzz they do have, especially in the late Spring Break season when the weather tends to be warmer. The beaches along North Carolina’s Atlantic coast, especially in the Cape Fear region that we like so much, offer miles to explore and are perfect for those who think beaches are for more than music videos. You might be surprised to find vibrant beachfront communities to rival many more famous destinations.

Cape Fear has three major beaches, each of which can do a Spring Break vacation justice:

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From fist-pumping college hockey to culture-fueled flower festivals – you can’t say USA Travel Guide isn’t up for anything!

With a name like 62^nd Annual North Carolina Azalea Festival, you might think you’ve got this popular Wilmington shindig all figured out, but I promise you this is more than a tiptoe through the tulips (or azaleas). In fact, the lush natural beauty of North Carolina and Cape Fear is simply the setting for a dynamic entertainment festival packed beginning to end with live music, good food, cultural attractions, fun history, inspired artwork and much, much more.

Every April, the North Carolina Azalea Festival arrives with fanfare and family fun, and this year promises to be no different. On the docket: coronation of the 62^nd Azalea Queen, a professional horse show, the annual Azalea Festival parade, a juried art show featuring the works of over 100 artists, historic home tours, a pageant, a street fair, and performances by American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler and last year’s winner, David Cook. Oh, and lots and lots of flowers, of course.

The North Carolina Azalea Festival will be held throughout the Great Wilmington area from April 1-5, 2009. While the festival is technically free, many of the attractions require individual admission. Prices can be found on the ticket order form. Learn more here.

Our choice in Wilmington, NC hotels couldn’t be easier: the Hilton Wilmington Riverside. Not only is it a regular here at USA Travel Guide, it’s one of the primary sponsors of the Azalea Festival. We’re also fond of its sister property, the Riverview Suites at Water Street Center. Learn more about the Wilmington Suites here.

Photo of White Azalea by Thegreenj available under GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2.

Okay, I know I said I was done, and at the time, I meant it. But the truth is, I had wanted to feature a Wilmington, North Carolina property since I’d conceived of the piece and just couldn’t find one I liked with a good package.

Why Wilmington? Because there’s just something about these historic east coast cities that strike me as perfect for the whole “Valentine’s Day Getaway” idea. The authentic settings blending history with modern taste, the wealth of sightseeing opportunities, the upscale dining and sensibility – it all says romance to me.

Thankfully, one of our favorite Wilmington, NC hotels, the Riverview Suites at Water Street Center, got on the ball finally with a Valentine’s Day package. Check it out:

Romance Package: Valentine’s Day 

• Bedroom Suites with Riverfront Views
• Bottle of Champagne in Room
• Learn more here.

No, no chocolates, but you won’t need them. You’ll find plenty of romance throughout the city. We recommend taking a carriage ride through the historic downtown district and then following it up with a pleasant walk for two along the Cape Fear riverfront. If you’re looking for even more, the Henrietta III riverboat is offering special Valentine’s Day cruises.

I’m seriously done this time. Tune in tomorrow for something manly.

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.