U.S.S North Carolina Battleship

Driving into Wilmington this is one of the first things that you will see. This huge towering battleship. The second I saw it I knew I had to see it. I didn't do a lot of research for this trip and seeing the battleship was a nice surprise. The U.S.S North Carolina was commissioned on April 9, 1941 and was the first of 10 battleships to join the American fleet in World War II. She is 728 feet long. HUGE! I felt like an ant standing on the deck of this ship. I love visiting pieces of American history and this was my first time visiting a battleship. As a visitor you have almost complete freedom of the ship to roam through. There are some parts, such as, the watch towers that have restricted access or doors that have been welded shut. Unfortunately, the gift shop closes before the ship does and we didn't know this.

Feeling like an ant

 

The grandfather of the Kitchenaid mixer

Eating and sleeping quarters (for some)

This is a great attraction for anyone (families, solo travelers, history buffs). It would also be a great location for a wedding. We were able to see a wedding in progress while we were there. If you plan on seeing most of the ship allow yourself a couple of hours. I believe we spent over two hours and had to leave, because they were closing.During the summer months they are open from 8:00am-8:00-pm (check for their holiday hours!) During the winter months they are open 8:00am-5:00pm.
      
                      Admission Prices:
Children 5 and under: free
Children 6-11: $ 6.00
Military (including spouses and children): $10.00
Seniors (65 and up): $10.00
ages 12 and up: $12.00

For more information you can visit http://www.battleshipnc.com/

Airlie Gardens

Airlie Gardens are a historic non-profit garden located in Wilmington, North Carolina. They have historic buildings, cemeteries, walking trails, wildlife, formal gardens, a 468 year old Oak Tree and butterfly gardens.

I love nature and being surrounded by it. After leaving historic downtown Wilmington, my grandmother suggested that this should be our next destination. And so we took off, got lost on the way, but made it to the gates of Airlie Gardens. We paid for our admission and headed in. I was surprised by how vast the gardens really were. We walked through most of it and it was absolutely beautiful.

 This is a relaxing destination for anyone in the Wilmington area. I try to incorporate some sort of nature and or hiking into my trips. I love how different destinations are from one another and being in nature helps to relax me. I was amazed at all the perfect photography opportunities there were for me. This would be a perfect place for a photographer interested in landscape photography.

 

           This was my first time seeing purple tulips! Which happen to be my favorite flowers!

We visited the bottle chapel that is onsite. It is a structure that was built with cement and bottles (wine, beer, syrup bottles, ect). This was a very peaceful and soothing part of the gardens. I love how they created designs, such as, the butterfly out of the bottles.

We were lucky enough to see some wildlife while we were touring the gardens. This was my first time seeing swans in their natural habitat. What beautiful creatures! The male swam around the nest the female was on, but never ventured far from her.

I would undoubtedly recommend anyone in the area to stop and tour these gardens. The scenery is absolutely stunning. It is recommended that it will take an hour to an hour and a half to tour the complete area. Adult and children tickets are available online or at the gardens. Airlie Gardens offer discounted tickets to military personnel that can only be purchased at the gardens. They are open Monday- Sunday 9am-5pm (last tickets will be sold at 4:30pm). Airlie Gardens host lots of events throughout the year. Perhaps you will have the added bonus of a concert while in the area!

The following link will take you to their website: http://airliegardens.org/

Do you like to incorporate nature into your trips? If so what type of nature?

Wilmington, North Carolina

America is such a beautiful country with so much to see! The other weekend I took a road trip with my brother and his fiancée. We drove through Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina. Our final destination was Wilmington, North Carolina to visit family. We woke up early Saturday morning and hit Wilmington in order to make the most of our only day in the city. We walked through historic downtown Wilmington and River Street looking at all the shops.

 We randomly decided to stop for brunch/early lunch at Dixie Grill. We chose this place because there were so many people standing outside it. That must mean they have good food . . . right? It was a little bit of a wait, but well worth it. The food was absolutely delicious!! We didn't have to wait long on the food once we were seated and the service was great.

And the syrup bottles were old coke bottles!

We visited the outside of Bellamy Mansion. There was too long of a wait for the tour and we had other things we wanted to see. It was a beautiful historic home.

We spent the rest of the morning driving around Wilmington looking at all the historic homes. Almost every home is in the historic area is a home with some sort of history to the country or to the city of Wilmington. The historic placards on the home provide you with the history of the home. Some of the homes are open for the public to tour and some are not. Wilmington has a trolley that you can take or horse carriages if you would like for someone to tell you the history of the city. They start on River street, along with the ghost tours. In our next post will be Wilmington: Airlie Gardens and USS North Carolina Battleship.

Take Nothing but Pictures, Leave Nothing but Footprints

I have recently decided it's high time I start discovering all my state has to offer. I'm excited to start Take Nothing but Pictures, Leave Nothing but Footprints "campaign".  I foresee visits to state parks, theme parks, and state beaches in my future. While I'm unable to travel full time, I'm hoping to travel locally in between my international trips. I chose to refer to my Florida travels as, Take Nothing but Pictures, Leave Nothing but Footprints, because I think it sends an important message. It's important to me that we take care of our surroundings and nature in general. Ecotourism is on the rise and there are so many beautiful places in the world to travel to. However, they wont survive over time if we don't take care of them. I'm always amazed when I hike and experience nature and traveling.

By traveling around my state I'm hoping to bring a locals perspective to anyone visiting Florida, recommendations and tried and true tips. Keep a look out for upcoming posts for Tampa and Orlando! Anywhere you would like me to visit in Florida? Leave a comment below.