Airlie Gardens, Wilmington, Off U.S. 74
(910) 798-7700
www.airliegardens.org
Airlie Gardens is comprised of 67 acres of quintessential Southern gardens with 10 acres of freshwater lakes.

Arboretum at New Hanover County Cooperative Extension, Wilmington
(910) 452-6393
http://www.gardeningnhc.org/
The Arboretum is a special seven acres in the heart of New Hanover County where homeowners can see the variety of plants that grow in the coastal area as well as emerging trends in plant material.

Bald Head Island Lighthouse/Smith Island Museum
(910) 457-7481
The current Bald Head Lighthouse, nicknamed "Old Baldy," was build in 1818 about a mile from the ocean. It was this lighthouse that the Confederate forces disabled in January, 1865, prior to losing control of the Cape Fear River in the battle at Fort Fisher.

Brunswick Town & Fort Anderson
State Historic Site, Winnabow.
(910) 371-6613
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/
A major pre-Revolutionary port on North Carolina's Cape Fear River, Brunswick was razed by British troops in 1776 and never rebuilt. During the Civil War, Fort Anderson was constructed atop the old village site. Colonial foundations dot the present-day tour trail, which crosses the earthworks of the Confederate fort.

Carolina Beach State Park, U.S. 421.
(910) 458-8206
www.ils.unc.edu/
With a marina providing access to some of North Carolina's best fishing spots, a secluded camping area beneath towering trees, and miles of hiking trails that traverse a variety of distinct habitats—not to mention the presence of the Venus flytrap, one of the world's most unique carnivorous plants—it's no wonder Carolina Beach State Park is a popular coastal attraction.

CSS Ram Neuse State Historic Site and Richard Caswell Memorial, near Kinston
(252) 522-2091
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/
Glimpses into two of our nation's most pivotal wars can be found in one historic site within the city of Kinston. Here you can explore the celebrated life of Richard Caswell, the first governor of the independent state of North Carolina. You will also see up close the remnants of the ironclad gunboat CSS Neuse, a product of the Confederate Navy's ill-fated attempt to regain control of the lower Neuse River and retake the city of New Bern during the Civil War.

Fort Fisher Historic Site and Museum
(910) 458-5538
www.fortfisher.nchistoricsites.org
Approximately ten percent of Fort Fisher still stands along with a restored palisade fence. All tours of the grounds begin in the visitor center. This recently renovated facility contains an audiovisual program that presents the history of the fort.

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
(910) 458-5798
www.ils.unc.edu/
Enjoy a leisurely day at the ocean shore. Comb the beach for sea stars, keyhole urchins and whelk shells. Or, simply lie back on the sand and enjoy the aerial acrobatics of seagulls, terns and brown pelicans as they soar above the waves. You may want to venture into the mud flats and marshes to watch sandpipers and other shorebirds as they search for food. Learn about endangered species. Loggerhead sea turtles, piping plovers and other rare species nest along this sandy shore.

Johnnie Mercer Pier, Wrightsville Beach
(910) 256-2743
After being destroyed in 1996 by Hurricanes Bertha and Fran the pier was rebuit and is the first all-concrete, steel-reinforced fishing pier in North Carolina.

Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehab Center, Topsail Beach.
(910) 328-3377/(910) 328-1000
www.seaturtlehospital.org
A sea turtle sanctuary, this facility is committed to the care and release of sick and injured sea turtles. Open to the public.

Mason Inlet, Wrightsville Beach
(910) 798-8376.
www.ncaudubon.org
A protected bird sanctuary.

Moores Creek National Battlefield,
Currie, US 421 north of Wilmington
(910) 283-5591
http://www.nps.gov/mocr/
The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, coupled with the Battle of Sullivans Island near Charleston, S.C. a few months later, ultimately led the 13 colonies to declare independence on July 4, 1776.


North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
(910) 458-8257
http://www.ncaquariums.com/newsite/ff/ffindex.htm
A new gallery of exhibits at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher focuses for the first time on exotic species – life not normally found in the state’s waters.

Orton Plantation Gardens, Winnabow, south of Wilmington on N.C. 133
(910) 371-6851
www.ortongardens.com
Orton Plantation is situated about halfway between Wilmington and Southport, north Carolina, on the west bank of the Cape Fear River. The area was settled in the early 1700s. The land known as Orton was first owned by Colonel Maurice Moore, but he sold it to his brother Roger. It was Roger Moore who developed it into perhaps the most famous of the lower Cape Fear plantations.

Poplar Grove Historic Plantation,
U.S. 17 at Scons Hill
(910) 686-9518
www.poplargrove.com
Poplar Grove Plantation preserves the homestead of a successful farming family, and the outbuildings and crafts typical of an 1800s era working community.

Waynesborough Historical Village, Goldsboro
(919) 731-1653
http://www.waynesboroughhistoricalvillage.com/
19th-century village, includes family home, medical office, one-room school, law office and Quaker Meeting House.