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/

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.