Happy Friday sweet friends! Today I am so excited to introduce you to one of my newest blog friends - the beautiful Alexa from Southern Living, Our Way. Alexa and I have swapped blogs today but the topic is the same - our love for my little town of Wilmington. So enjoy Alexa and then head over to see
my post later!
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Hi, Gratefully Inspired readers! I'm Alexa, the Southern girl behind the blog
Southern Living, Our Way. I'm so excited to be swapping blogs with Denise today, sharing my memories about the beautiful little beach town she calls home ~ Wilmington, NC!
Wilmington, or Wilmy as I will forever affectionately call it, holds massive real estate in my heart. You see, my husband and I met in that city and spent the first three years of our relationship frequenting the bars, relaxing on the beach, and sharing romantic dinners at spots only we locals knew about. Yes, even though I'm now living four hours away in land-locked Charlotte, I often still consider myself a Wilmington local!
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| I even found the real Coppertone baby while living there! |
Glenn and I met the second night of my freshman year of college at UNC Wilmington, at a bar downtown filled with just-back-from-summer-break college kids. He'd only been in the city one semester, I'd only been there for one week. I was a Southern girl, born and raised, and he was from
*tell me it ain't so* New Jersey. Only that magical seaside air could bring such opposites together and ensure they fall madly in love.
Perhaps Wilmington's biggest draw for the youngins is that it's a true college town ~ and an amazing one at that. UNC Wilmington's motto is
We live where you vacation. And it's so true. Class isn't until 2:00 p.m.? Wanna head to the beach for a few hours first?
Then we day-drink and skip class... tsk tsk.
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| See, even our dog knew how lucky she was to call Wilmy home! |
But for those of us who were forced to eventually grow up {collective waaaah}, Wilmington offers so much more, a little of which I'd like to share with you today! First up, no matter how old you get, you must battle the college crowd at the "beach bars" on Thursday night ~ my husband will tout $3 Jager bombs to you; I prefer the simple awesomeness of drinking just steps from the beach!
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| Oh throwback college pictures, you make me want to crawl into a hole. |
If you're classier than we were in college {and I won't even argue that you probably are}, I can't urge you enough to head to Downtown Wilmington for a classy-yet-fun night out. The best best
best restaurant down that way is Circa 1922, a tapas restaurant and bar where you can listen to soft jazz music while gorging on 15 plates of food ~ it's tapas, so that's only like one regular plate, right?! After dinner, head over to a bar called Level 5, where, shocker!, you work out your calves walking up five flights of stairs to go get your drank on on a rooftop! The rooftop bar gives an amazing view of the Cape Fear River, but it's not like post-drinks you'll remember any of that business ;)
A few Dub-town must-dos:
* Breakfast at Causeway Café - Wrightsville Beach
* Eat way too many Britt's Donuts - Carolina Beach
* Ameri-Mex at Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn
* Take a walk around UNCW's campus, because there's beauty everywhere you look
* Explore downtown - there's tons of great funky shops if you just search hard enough
* Drinks/night out at Banks Channel Pub & Grille - Wrightsville Beach
Perhaps the best thing about Wilmington is how evident it is that everyone who lives there truly
loves being a resident. Whether you're just there for four years while you simultaneously make bad decisions and earn your degree, or you've retired at the beach after being land-locked for entirely too long, Wilmington will welcome you with open arms and an invitation to join in the fun!
Wilmywood, you'll forever have my heart and I'm so blessed to have called you my home. And thank you,
Gratefully Inspired readers, for letting me take over Denise's blog today! I hope you'll come visit me over at
Southern Living, Our Way!
3 comments :
Hello fellow Carolina blogger :) Coming over from Alexa's blog! My husband & I were in Wilmington briefly in May. We ate at a brewery downtown & had the BEST nachos ever!! ha It was such a beautiful place! We would love to go back & spend more time there!
Hi! Same here! Carolina blogger ... found you from Alexa's blog {she's so good at finding good blogs!} ... heading out, but so ready to read more of your blog later!
New follower! Come check mine out if you get a chance?
{I technically live in SC, but right on the line, and was born and raised in NC, so I claim them both}
I am always a sucker for breakfast at Salt Works! mmmmm
Here's a post I did on a visit to Wilmington this summer if you or your readers are interested.
http://shuginboots.blogspot.com/2012/08/wilmington.html
Have a great day! :)
Ooh, your town sounds lovely!
I'm assuming you have pretty warm summers?
When I eventually go on my road trip across the states I will make sure Wilmington is on the list!! (don't hold your breath).
Esther x
www.esther-aw.tumblr.com
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