Review of Riverwalk, Wilmington, North Carolina: A must see attraction only a 2 hour drive from Myrtle Beach, SC

 

Toby at Riverwalk, Wilmington, North Carolina 

The last time my wife and I had visited Wilmington North Carolina, was in April of 2008, while we were visiting our brother and his family in Raleigh.  I realized the drive was only about 2 hours from Raleigh, so on a rainy spring day, we took a drive down to Wilmington.  

Drive was miserable as we encountered heavy rain throughout the 2 hour drive.  We hoped the rain would end, and luckily, our prayers were answered when we arrived in the city, near Market Street in downtown Wilmington.  Rain had magically stopped by the time we parked our car on Market Street, near Front Street.  

That day, we ate at a restaurant on 3rd Street and remember enjoying the meal.  We had our parents with us and all of us ate voraciously, savoring some good seafood including shrimp, fish sandwich, and a juicy steak.

After lunch, we took a stroll on Market Street to take a look at the waterfront.  That day, we got to see couple of blocks.  I remember reading about the significance of Wilmington harbor during the Civil War, and I remember seeing a large canon prominently displayed right at Market Street/Front Street.

We weren’t too impressed with the waterfront area back then, but boy, we sure were, on our second trip to the same area!  On our second trip to Wilmington waterfront, we were staying in Murrells Inlet (South Carolina), near Myrtle Beach.

Just like when we were visiting from Raleigh some 14 years ago, when drive time was about 2 hours, the drive from our 3 months long stay in Murrells Inlet to Wilmington turned out to be the same 2 hours as well.

For our second trip to Wilmington waterfront, we decided not to pack our lunches, as we had discovered a good Chinese restaurant about 2 miles south of the waterfront.  We had eaten there when we had to get our North Carolina registration and vehicle inspection done near Wilmington.

We absolutely loved the food!  We had vegetable Lo Mein, tofu with mixed vegetables, and two spring rolls.  Lo Mein was especially good, as we savored the aroma that only comes from foods prepared in high temperatures, like in a wok!

We were definitely thinking of the same restaurant when we made plans to visit the waterfront area.  But to our dismay, the taste was not the same.  The people seemed to have changed, including the counter person from two months prior, and possibly the chef as well.

The food, second time around, was salty, and it didn’t have the same aroma and taste we’ve come to love on our first visit.  We were bummed…Oh well.  It was a meal…

We arrived at the same Market Street near Front Street we had visited on our first visit there, with our takeout Chinese food.  After parking, we ate inside the car, like we normally do, then set out for some exploration.  ***Note: metered parking is effective just about every day near the waterfront.  Pay in either coins, or via credit card.

We were nostalgic about the same street we had visited 14 years ago.  We still remembered the public restroom sitting right along Front Street, and we still remembered the historic buildings along southern end of the waterfront.  It was pretty close to what we remembered.  It still had the same cobblestone streets, the same waterfront, and many shops/restaurants along Market St/Front St.

Front Street near Market Street, Wilmington Riverwalk

Riverwalk, Wilmington, NC

What surprised us was the long boardwalk to our left and to our right that seemed to go on forever!  We started to walk left, going south.  As soon as we headed south on Riverwalk, my wife saw a gelato place, called Gelarto.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t yet open when we stopped, so we continued our walk.

We are suckers for boardwalks and anything to do with promenades along any waterfront.  We just love the ideal combination of nature and man made structures along them.  Wilmington Riverwalk is no exception.

We saw plenty of shops/restaurants, boat tour companies, bars, and awesome views of the Cape Fear River.  Out in the distance, we saw a huge battleship turned museum, two beautiful bridges, and plenty of seafowl along the Riverwalk.

Battleship North Carolina 

Many people were walking, jogging, or eating lunch at restaurant patios.  We both lamented, that perhaps, we should’ve eaten at one of these restaurants along Riverwalk!  Oh, well…

We stopped to breathe in the waterfront air, with its salty, briny aroma.  We heard plenty of seabirds squawking, laughing, squealing, and crying as they were gliding over the Cape Fear River.  We heard diners sitting and eating at restaurant patios, chomping, and munching their food.  

Even though it was only February, it felt like an early summer day, somewhere at a balmy vacation spot.  We shook our heads, in disbelief at how warm the day had become.  It was hovering right around 68 degrees right around 11:30 a.m.

We surely counted our blessings, then walked to the end of the boardwalk at the southern most tip.  Along the way, we saw some beautiful homes with fantastic river views, at a place called Governor’s Landing.

Toby enjoying his walk along Riverwalk, Wilmington, NC

Beautiful buildings along Riverwalk, Wilmington, NC

Governor’s Landing, Wilmington, NC

From there, we headed the other way, going north.  We ran into several people who commented that Toby was prancing as he walked.  We also got asked if Toby is a fox!  We had brief friendly conversations with each of them before heading north.

As we passed the gelato place, we noticed the store was opened!  We looked at the door sign that said dogs are welcomed, so all of us went inside.  My wife ordered a two scoop cup, and absolutely demolished the gelato in no time.  She loved it!!!

Gelarto, where my wife had a two scoop gelato!

We had passed the same public restroom area near Market and Front, then moved on, through the construction area, until we picked up the north end of the boardwalk.  We passed by a college (Cape Fear Community College) with students working on shipbuilding.  We saw several hulls of ships (and masts) sitting outside, and thought what a great idea for students to be learning a craft!

Heading north on Riverwalk, Wilmington, NC

Blue Star Memorial signpost, Riverwalk, Wilmington 

More shots along Riverwalk, Wilmington, NC

One more shot, view north, Riverwalk, Wilmington, NC

We stopped to take a little breather in front of Embassy Suites.  It was still lunch time, and we saw many office workers walking on Riverwalk for some exercise.  We people watched while we sat on a short stone fence, when we saw a cat meandering along.  It stopped and began to rub my legs, looking for attention.  It was so cute.

After a short break, we continued on, first passing Embassy Suites, then passing the Wilmington Convention Center.  To our left, a marina was visible, and some fascinating houseboats!  The houseboats were square, two story affairs, but looked brand new.  We momentarily pondered who lived there, then moved on.

View of marina, Riverwalk, Wilmington, NC

Beautiful houseboats 

By that time our Toby was complaining about the long walk and the heat, so we put him inside my wife’s backpack.  He immediately fell asleep, like a baby, and we continued onward, eagerly looking to complete our walk to the northern most point.

We passed by the beautiful Riverfront Park, which is a popular venue for outdoor concerts as well as for families.  We kept on walking until I realized the parking meter’s time was expiring at 1:43 p.m., and it was already 1:15 p.m.!  

We knew it would take us at least 15-20 minutes to get back to our car, so we decided then, to head back.  We walked bit more briskly, to avoid the misfortune of getting a parking ticket.

When we hit 1:40 p.m., we still had two blocks to go.  I asked my wife to run to the car, as by then, my feet were killing me.  I wore shoes, and not sneakers or hiking boots like I normally do, and I was paying the price for it…

I got blisters from walking with my shoes (and lifting Toby as well).  Luckily, my wife just made it to our car, with nary a minute to spare!!!

I showed up about a minute later thanks to my blistered feet, but I was relieved.  We put our spoiled prince inside the backseat, then headed for our temporary home in Murrells Inlet, feeling great despite my feet!

In conclusion:

Wilmington Riverwalk is a must visit destination when visiting Myrtle Beach area as a day trip.  It’s only a two hour drive and there are plenty of things to do and see along the waterfront.

We would highly recommend eating some gelato at Gelarto, and also try one of many restaurants along the southern end of Riverwalk.  We didn’t get to eat at one of these restaurants, but we definitely will on our next trip.

Walking the entire length of Riverwalk is a decent challenge, as we found out.  We had walked close to 8000 steps by the time we made it back to our car, and we didn’t complete the entire walk.  We recommend good walking shoes/sneakers and not shoes (like I did) when planning your trip.

Have fun, and thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ocean City, Maryland’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Bushkill Falls and Grey Towers.’

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 natural attractions in Las Vegas’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Zion National Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Vdara Hotel’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Chateau at Coindre Hall’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Oyster Bay’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ocean Casino Resort’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Wildwood Park and Fort Hunter Mansion’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ottawa’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Fiore Suite and classic room at the Borgata’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 places with awesome views near Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Quebec City, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 quintessential places to visit in New York City’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ricketts Glen State Park, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Beaufort, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Vernon, NJ’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Montreal, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 parks to visit in Bogue Banks, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Niagara Falls State Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Claysburg, PA’.

Please check out our YouTube channel ‘Wandering Money Pig’ showcasing our travels and our Pomeranian dog! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kl9f4W9sfNG5h1l-x6nHw