What’s New
Looking for ideas on the latest things to see and do in Wilmington and our island beaches on your next visit? Find the most recent news, updates, openings and additions here! Stay in the loop by signing up for our eNewsletter, and be the first to know about new and coming attractions, restaurants, tours and more.
Food & Drink
Banter
Now open in historic downtown Wilmington, Banter offers an intimate setting to sip affordable craft cocktails, mocktails, prosecco on tap and local wine and beer offerings. The bar’s menu rotates seasonally, and live music is offered in the outdoor garden.
Beat Street
A new foodie concept is now open in the Cargo District. Beat Street is a fast-casual restaurant featuring unique taco concepts, empanadas, tostados, Karaage and more.
The Underfront Company
The Underfront Company is now open in downtown Wilmington. Housed in a century-old historic building, the lounge features made-from-scratch cocktails with homemade bitters, syrup, tinctures and more. The cocktail lounge also features charcuterie boards served with home style smoked meats, delicate cheeses and other artisanal fare. Visit on the weekends to enjoy live music, themed nights and other exciting events.
Momentum Distillery
The family-owned boutique micro-distillery, Momentum Distillery, opened in the Cotton Exchange. Creating spirits in-house, each vodka, gin and cordial are distilled, filtered, proofed and then bottled directly at the distillery. Check out their custom North Carolina-shaped bottle available for purchase. Coming later this year, Momentum Distillery will be adding a tasting room to sample spirits in-house.
Bowstring Burgers & Brewyard
Bowstring Burgers & Brewyard, a North Carolina-based brewpub known for its live music, events, craft beers and delicious food, is now open in Wilmington’s Soda Pop District. Housed in the old Electric Bottling Co. building, the brewery features a full kitchen specializing in gourmet style burgers, local beer options, outdoor patio space and a full bar featuring high-end bourbons and tequilas.
Fox's Hole in the Wall
Fox's Hole in the Wall is now open in downtown Wilmington. With a cozy and welcoming atmosphere boasting exposed brick, the restaurant features savory pub-style food including their signature Boston Beef sandwich, which features one pound of slow roasted beef topped with homemade sweet and tangy barbecue sauce on a kaiser roll. The restaurant also serves local craft beers, cocktails and wine.
Olivero
Chef Sunny Gerhart, a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for “Best Chef Southeast,” has recently opened a new restaurant concept in downtown Wilmington. Olivero features Spanish and Italian influences on Gerhart’s traditional New Orleans cuisine including house made pastas, wood-fired eats, locally sourced seafood, meat and vegetables.
TEQUILA COMIDA AND CANTINA
This fall, Tequila Comida and Cantina will be opening their second location in downtown Wilmington near Port City Marina. The new two-story restaurant will feature a lounge area, a tequila library with top-shelf tequila and mezcals and an outdoor patio seating area overlooking the Cape Fear River.
PONYSAURUS BREWING CO.
Opening their second taproom in North Carolina, Ponysaurus Brewing Co. is bringing an extensive repertoire of craft beers and pizza to historic downtown Wilmington. Scheduled to debut fall 2023, the taproom and restaurant will also feature an outdoor garden area for enjoying drinks and food.
Bonita Latin Fusion & Cocktails
Bonita Latin Fusion and Cocktails is slated to open on the north end of Wilmington’s Riverwalk early 2024. Try unique flavors and cuisine styles from Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Colombia. The restaurant will also feature an inside-outside patio and bar facing the Cape Fear River.
Tours
WILMINGTON TRUE HISTORY TOURS
A new family-owned tour guide business is now open in Wilmington. Led by local historians, Wilmington True History Tours offers various guided tours highlighting Wilmington's legends, history and heritage. Discover Wilmington's story from the Pirates who sailed the Cape Fear River to the Civil War and beyond.
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA Guided Tours
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is now offering guided tours beginning at 9 a.m. Monday-Saturday. Tour options include the Showboat Tour, the City at Sea Tour, the Above the Deck Tour and the Big Bang Tour. Each tour highlights different areas of the ship from the sick bay, barber shop, and living quarters to the gun house and more. Advance registration recommended and can be made here. Walk-up tours are subject to tour guide availability.
Latimer House Museum Nighttime Tour
Join the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society at the Latimer House Museum for their new tour program, Night Life and Gas Technology in a Victorian Household. The guided tour will focus on the influence of gas technology and how it affected families at home until 1886. Tours begin at 8:30 p.m. on the first and third Saturday of each month.
Outdoor Excursions
Wilmington Outdoor Adventures' New Eco-Tour
Embark on a new seasonal kayak eco-tour led by a wildlife biologist with Wilmington Outdoor Adventures. The Shark Tooth Hunting Eco Tour offers a chance to explore an uninhibited island and search for coveted shark teeth, artifacts, whale bones and other fossils.
Wilmington Bike & Brew Tours
Explore Wilmington on an easy-to-ride pedal-assist e-bike with Wilmington Bike & Brew Tours. Wilmington Bike and Brew features several guided tours that showcase Wilmington’s history and haunts, local craft brews and famous film sites from the television hit series show, “One Tree Hill.”
NC Year of the Trail
In recognition of NC’s Year of the Trail in 2023, hike, bike or paddle at one of our low impact nature trails, greenways, coastal forests, rivers and more. Bring the family to Carolina Beach State Park, a 761-acre park home to the indigenous Venus flytrap and nine scenic trails. Or, explore miles of walkable coastline, a soundside trail surrounded by wildlife marshes and more at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Nearby, wander along a hidden trail and catch a glimpse of the rare coquina rock formation, an outcrop formed 12,000 to 80,000 years ago by crushed seashells and corals and only visible during low tide.
Attractions
Airlie Gardens
Airlie Gardens' newest art exhibition, Turtley Awesome, features ten larger-than-life turtle fiberglass sculptures. Painted by local artists and volunteers, the turtles are on display throughout the gardens through December.
Lodging
The Cove Riverwalk Villas
The Cove Riverwalk Villas, a new houseboat community moored at Port City Marina, is expected to complete dock construction in 2023. Currently, there are a total of 25 houseboats, 16 of which operate as vacation rentals with more on the way.
Hotel LELA Wilmington, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
A new Tapestry Collection by Hilton is coming to Wilmington. Featuring an outdoor saline pool, fitness room, restaurant, boutique and golf simulator, the Hotel LELA Wilmington is expected to open 2024. Conveniently located five minutes from Wilmington International Airport, the hotel will start accepting reservations March 15 and beyond.
ARRIVE Wilmington
The newly renovated ARRIVE Wilmington is now open. Hotel renovations included a design refresh and new decor in the guest rooms, common spaces and the hotel's lobby. The property will continue expansions this year as a third building will begin construction late 2023. Located on Second Street, this new space will include 55 additional rooms in a four-story boutique hotel with retail space on ground level.
