Amusements

• Funny Farm Mobile Petting Zoo & Pony Parties
  10121 Highway 210 • Wilmington, NC 28457
  910-675-0829
  Provides mobile petting zoos and ponies for birthday parties and any other special event. They also offer parties at their farm, and have a full range of farm animals. They offer affordable packages and price ranges, also offering animal rental for live nativities.  more...  map

• Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park
  5320 Oleander Drive • Wilmington, NC 28403
  910-791-0666
  Fun for the whole family can be found at this fun park that includes Grand Prix go-karts, laser tag areas, the largest indoor playground in Wilmington, an 18 hole miniature golf course, a climbing wall, and a waterpark that includes a lazy river, a million gallon wavepool, waterslides, and a children's pool. more...  map

• Ponderosa Farm Mobile Pony & Pettin' Zoo
  609 North 23rd Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-762-FARM
  Ponderosa Farm provides a mobile farm and pony rides for all of North Carolina. Other services include trail rdies, beach rides, day camp, lessons, training, sales, & boarding. The animals are very kid friendly. more...  map

Historic Homes & Buildings

• Bellamy Mansion Museum & Gardens (circa 1859)
  503 Market Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-251-3700
  The most spectacular example of Antebellum architecture, this mansion is one of North Carolina's premier historic treasures. Beautiful Victorian gardens are also on the property and tours are available. The mansion contains changing exhibitions on history and design arts. more...  map

• Burgwin-Wright Museum House and Gardens (circa 1770)
  224 Market Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-762-0570
  The oldest museum house in Southeastern North Carolina, this beautifully restored Georgian style house is filled with 18th and early 19th century furnishings. A formal garden, a terraced garden, and an orchard surround the house. Open hearth demonstrations of Colonial cooking are presented in the kitchen one Saturday each month. more...  map

• Latimer House (circa 1852)
  126 South Third Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-762-0492
  A home of three generations of Latimers until 1963 when it was furnished into a historical museum, this beautiful Italianate style house houses The Lower Cape Fear Historical Society and features 14 rooms containing over 600 historical objects including furniture, jewelry, and tools. Beautiful gardens, enclosed in original stucco and lace brick walls, surround the house and are filled with flora authentic to the period. more...  map

• Poplar Grove Plantation
  10200 US Highway 17 North • Wilmington, NC 28411
  910-686-9518
  Featuring outbuildings and crafts typical of an 1800's working community, this beautiful peanut plantation features a Greek Revival style plantation house that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as a farmer's cabin, blacksmith's shop, and craft shops where you can learn about basket making and weaving. more...  map

Historic Sites & Monuments

• Battleship North Carolina
  1 Battleship Drive • Wilmington, NC 28402
  Eagles Island
  910-251-5797
  One of the most visited sites in North Carolina, this ship is a very visible and powerful example of a capital ship. It received 15 battle stars in World War II. Self guided tours of the beautifully restored bridge are available. more...  map

Museums & Galleries

• Cameron Art Museum
  3201 South Seventeenth Street • Wilmington, NC 28412
  910-395-5999
  Cameron Art Museum houses a collection of fine arts, crafts and design by noted regional, national and international artists such as Romare Bearden, Mary Cassatt, Elliot Dangerfield, Minnie Evans, Ando Hiroshige, Ben Owen, Billie Ruth Sudduth and Donald Sultan among others.  more...  map

• Cape Fear Museum
  814 Market Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-341-4350
  The oldest history museum in North Carolina, this 42,000 square foot museum is filled with interpretive exhibits that depict the history, natural history, and culture of the Lower Cape Fear area. Educational programs are also available. more...  map

• Racine Center for the Arts
  203 Racine Drive • Wilmington, NC 28403
  910-452-2073
  "Wilmington's premier marketplace for arts and crafts," this unique center features an artisan marketplace, a gallery filled with beautiful paintings, and a sculpture garden. Art classes and workshops for all ages in a wide array of media are available. more...  map

• St. John's Museum of Art
  114 Orange Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-763-0281
  One of the major collections in the world of romantic color prints by renowned 19th century American artists, Mary Cassatt, is on display at this museum that also offers educational programs for adults and children including lectures, films, tours, art classes, and workshops. A gift shop is on site that features arts and crafts from over 80 contemporary North Carolina artists and craftspeople.  map

• Wilmington Railroad Museum
  501 Nutt Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-763-2634
  This museum recaptures the essence of the steam locomotive railroad days and features Wilmington and Weldon railroad artifacts dating from 1840, as well as a model exhibits of the Atlantic Coastline's North Carolina-South Carolina regional routes of the 1940s and 1950s. more...  map

Parks, Gardens & Zoos

• Airlie Gardens
  300 Airlie Road • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-452-6393
  Filled with azaleas, statuary, and camellias, this magnificent 67 acre quintessential Southern garden includes the historic Airlie Oak and ten acres of freshwater lakes. more...  map

• New Hanover County Arboretum
  6206 Oleander Drive • Wilmington, NC 28403
  910-452-6393
  The only arboretum in Southeastern North Carolina, this arboretum offers visitors a chance to study native plants and their environment, observe a variety of landscape themes that are particularly suitable to the coastal area, and take part in a wide variety of educational programs. more...  map

• Orton Plantation Gardens
  9149 Orton Road Southeast • Wilmington, NC 28479
  910-371-6851
  Enjoy a leisurely stroll through 20 acres of gardens on the grounds of a colonial rice plantation, dating from the early 1700's. Centuries-old live oaks frame the vistas of azaleas, dogwoods, camellias, magnolias, oleanders, crepe myrtles, and seasonal annuals & perennials are featured.  map

• Tote-Em-In-Zoo
  5811 Carolina Beach Road • Wilmington, NC 28403
  910-791-0472
  Situated on five acres that includes a wide variety of trees and flowers that create a forest-like atmosphere, this zoo features walkways that allow closeup observation of over 100 exotic birds, mammals, and reptiles. Two museums that contain exotic mounted specimens and artifacts from around the world are also on site, as well as a spacious gift shop. more...  map

Tours & Cruises

• Cape Fear Riverboats
  101 South Water Street, Unit 1 • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-343-1611, 800-676-0162
  Cruise the scenic Cafe Fear River aboard the beautiful Henrietta III, a favorite for special occasions such as family reunions, weddings, birthdays, and receptions. Tours are also available for sightseeing, dinner, and fall nature cruises. Tours depart from the foot of Dock Street at South Water Street and public cruises are available April through December; private charter cruises are available year round. more...  map

• Cape Fear Segway Tours
  106 North Water Street, #108 • Wilmington, NC 28401
  910-251-2572
  Cape Fear Segway provides guided tours of historic Wilmington. Reservations are advised.  map

• Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington
  1 Market Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  Riverfront at Market & Water Street
  910-602-6055
  The first and only locally owned authentic ghost walk in Wilmington, this 90 minute journey takes you into the depths of Old Wilmington and includes locally renowned actors and ghost hunters. There are 20 active sites featured and the tour varies nightly. more...  map

• North Carolina Studios Tours
  1223 North Twenty-Third Street • Wilmington, NC 28405
  910-343-3433
  Take a one hour guided walking tour of a real working studio that is located on 32 picturesque acres and has been home to over 300 productions. The tour includes a visit to the Dawson Creek sets and tours are available on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. more...  map

• Wilmington Historic District
  Water & Marker Streets
  910-341-4030
  One of the largest districts in North Carolina, this historic district offers visitors year round tours by horse drawn trolleys or carriages, riverboats, trolley cars, or on foot. Tours are available that include haunted sites, historic homes, gardens, churches, and much more.

• Wilmington Mystery Tour
  27 North Front Street • Wilmington, NC 28401
  Located in Historic Downtown
  910-352-8442
  An artifact is hidden somewhere in downtown Wilmington. Those on the tour have until 10 p.m. to locate that artifact using clues, pictures, puzzles, audio, words, symbols and numbers. Symbols found in basement cellars, rooftops, booby traps, bricked in rooms, seedy underground meeting places, and the underbelly of historic downtown Wilmington. They meet at the Gourmet Market at 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday every week. more...  map

• Wilmington Trolley Company
  Corner of Dock & Water Streets
  910-763-4483
  This eight mile sightseeing trolley tour allows visitors to experience the charm of Old Wilmington and includes beautiful mansions, haunted homes, birthplaces of famous natives, and African-American historical sites. more...  map