Airlie Gardens

Airlie Gardens is one of those places that makes your heart ache upon entering simply because you know you will have to leave again. No words or pictures can adequately express the beauty of this treasure. It was by far our favorite part of visiting Wilmington! Everywhere you turn, you are greeted with thousands of flowers, southern oak trees, ponds, sculptures, and so much more. The garden even allows picnics on their gorgeous stretches of green grass. Airlie is known for it's 100,000 azaleas so if you want to see it during peak season (early spring), make your way over there right away! If you can't, no need to worry! The displays change seasonally, so it is beautiful all year round. In fact, their website will tell you what is currently blooming!
We will let the pictures do the rest of the talking for us. We literally gasped every time we turned a corner.
Address:  300 Airlie Rd, Wilmington, NC 28403

 

  

 

 

Downtown Wilmington

Simply put, downtown Wilmington is amazing. If you haven't been, you need to plan a trip as soon as possible because you have been missing out on one of the greatest towns in NC. Huge southern trees, gorgeous flowers, giant Victorian homes, adorable tiny cottages, and an amazing view of the river make this town breathtaking. No wonder so many shows have been filmed in this cute place (ahem...One Tree Hill or Dawson's Creek, anyone?). 

 

 

When you get hungry, Riverboat Landing is the perfect place to go. There are a lot of great restaurants in town but none of them offer the experience that this one does. If you are in pairs, you are in luck! There's seating for two people in cute little balconies on the side of the building. Right by the river, you have a perfect view of the incoming boats, people (for those of you that enjoy people-watching as much as we do), and beautiful sunsets over the water. Be warned--they only accept balcony reservations for up until 6:00pm. If you have more than two people, the inside is beautiful too and resembles a historic, rustic home. They serve both lunch and dinner. Although we ate there for dinner, we have heard great things about their lunch menu as well. 
Address:  2 Market St, Wilmington, NC 28401

 

  

 We started out with an appetizer called Arancini. According to the menu, they are "parmesan herb risotto fritters filled with molten mozzarella, served with pomodoro sauce." Sounds delicious, right? Well, they definitely were! We loved these. 

 For our meal, we shared the sirloin with grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes and the spinach ravioli. The steak was seasoned SO deliciously, though it did lack in tenderness. The asparagus and mashed potatoes were great! Overall, yummy choice! The spinach ravioli was great, using the same sauce as the Arancini which we enjoyed. The menu states that the noodles were filled with cheese, but didn't specify that it was ricotta. Many people aren't fond of that kind of cheese (like Meg) so we thought we would put that warning out there! The dish itself had a great flavor. As an added bonus, they bring out free warm bread and butter! The combination of the yummy food and amazing location makes for an unforgettable experience. 

Wilmington's Azalea Festival

Every year, Wilmington hosts a five day long festival as a way to kick off spring. This year, we were fortunate to be a part of the celebration! The Azalea Festival is a great way to enjoy this beautiful, historic beach town. It offers a wide variety of events including tours of US Coast Guard ships, seeing the beautiful Azalea Belles (parasols and all), live music from local musicians, street fairs, and--of course--flowers! Because the festival is spread out over a few days, we suggest doing your research to ensure that you will be able to see everything you planned on. We missed out on some of the more exciting options, like the parade and crowning of the 2015 Azalea Queen.  Fortunately, no matter what day you attend, there are plenty of festivities! The bad news is that the festival is over so you'll have to wait a whole year! Go ahead an put it on your calendar for 2016! http://www.ncazaleafestival.org/. 
Check out some of our favorite moments and stay tuned for more posts about downtown Wilmington, a town you definitely need to add to your list of places to visit this summer! 

LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT!
As we were roaming the festival, we heard a band playing their music and we LOVED what we heard. They have an Americana/Folk sound to their music with just the right amount of rock/blues mixed in. Sean Olds and the Church of the Eternal came together in 2013 and is based between the Outer Banks and Wilmington.

 To listen or learn more click here. You'll be glad you did. Personal favorite songs are  Cold Southern Wind and Straight From Hurt.


As we were talking with the band, the sweetest volunteer at the festival overheard and told us about her own music and we agreed to feature her as well! Penny Pierce wrote a song called "Forever Home" which sheds light on the need for homeless pets to have their own happy ending. She even has a music video in which her own dog, Chuckles, is the main star. Chuckles was given a forever home by Penny, but not all animals are that fortunate. Penny has been contacted by major companies that are interested in using her work, so you shouldn't be surprised if you hear her song on a commercial or movie in the near future. She has a beautiful, soothing tone to her voice that we love. Show this kind woman and her great cause some support by viewing her video here !