Home Care In Wilmington, NC

If you drive down the coast of Southeastern North Carolina, you'll come across one beach after another. There's around a dozen different beaches that are an hour or less drive from Wilmington, all of them popular destinations for tourists and locals alike.

But which beaches are the least crowded? For beachgoers that are looking for some quiet and seclusion, two local beaches have been noted to stand out above the rest.

Both are in Brunswick County. For different reasons, these two locations tend to be less crowded than other options, letting the natural beauty of the beaches define the experience.

The online publication Midlife Healthy Living highlighted Holden Beach and Bald Head Island in its list of "16 U.S. Beach Towns Known for Their Seclusion and Natural Beauty."

Many of the beach towns on the list, such as Bald Head Island, require a ferry trip to visit. Others, like Holden Beach, have simply maintained more of a small-town atmosphere.

Here's a look at what makes these two beaches so special.

Less crowds

For some Wilmington-area residents, winter is the best time to visit the beach. Summer crowds of tourists are long gone, making it easy to find the perfect spot on the sand to set up.

But there are some beaches that pride themselves on having fewer crowds even during the summer.

Take Holden Beach, for example. The town's website proclaims: "Holden Beach is proud of what we do not have."

Holden Beach, which is situated on a barrier island accessible by bridge, is small and primarily residential, lacking too much in the way of commercial areas. This is by design. The website notes that Holden Beach attracts visitors who want to experience a quiet and family-oriented atmosphere.

Instead of shopping, Holden Beach boasts activities that get visitors and locals out into nature, such as boating, fishing, hiking or hunting for shells on the beach.

Hard to access

Bald Head Island, on the other hand, takes seclusion to another level. The island is accessible only by ferry, and cars are not allowed.

Although Bald Head Island has some of the most unique, beautiful and untainted natural areas in all of southeastern North Carolina, the difficulty of accessing the island keeps many tourists away, especially anyone going for a daytrip.

The ferry will run passengers over $20 for a round trip, and it only departs from Deep Point Marina in Southport, which is close to an hour from the hub of Wilmington.

But the trip is very well worth it for nature lovers. Bald Head Island offers miles of beaches, marshes and maritime forests to explore.

Future growth

No one can deny that Southeastern North Carolina is becoming a bigger place to live in and travel to. Up and down the coast, beach towns in the Wilmington area are seeing more development and population growth.

This will undoubtably impact even places like Bald Head Island and Holden Beach. But at the same time, both of these beaches are proud to be more subdued than their neighboring destinations, and many of their residents hope to keep it that way.

Charlie Kingree is the trending topics and Pender County reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at [email protected].

The species has been found in its present form in the fossil record dating back as far as 30 million years ago. A large adult is capable of exerting a bite force of 2,100 pounds. They can go for months without eating and can hold their breath for up to 24 hours.

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a remarkable animal.

Eleven states have alligators, but North Carolina alligators are rather unique since that is as far north as they live naturally.

What do alligators do in the winter?

So, what do alligators do in the wintertime? Where do they go?

When the weather turns chilly, alligators seem to disappear from local waters. They’re still there, though, just not as noticeable as they are in the warmer months.

“It’s more like you’re walking by them and not even realizing they’re there,” said Samantha Washburn, a boat captain for Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach.

When the temperature drops below 60, the ectothermic (coldblooded) alligators go into brumation, a state of sluggishness and inactivity similar to hibernation in mammals. They stay in the water to regulate their body temperature, digging dens in the banks of waterways, with an entrance usually below the waterline, said Alicia Wassmer, a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission alligator biologist. When freezing temperatures arrive, she said, alligators will maintain a hole in the ice to come up and breathe.

“This is one of the only places where it’s going to happen in the world,” said Washburn.

Because alligators cannot metabolize food when they are in brumation, they are not stimulated to eat, said Wassmer, who has heard estimates of alligators going a year or longer without eating. Generally, she said, North Carolina alligators don’t feed between mid-October and mid-April.

Male alligators can grow to 13 feet in length and weigh up to 500 pounds while females can reach nine feet and 200 pounds. However, because of their adaptation to the colder North Carolina climate, alligators in the state have a slower growth rate than those in more southern areas.

What is the survival rate for alligators?

Although an alligator is an apex predator in adulthood, it begins life at the other end of the food chain. Only about 20% of alligators survive their first two years, said Wassmer.

As a species, alligators are highly successful, though.

“The fact that they haven’t changed (over millions of years) is more relative to if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Wassmer said. “Their biology works so well for what they do and where they live.”

Washburn said: “They’re genetically extremely old. They’re genetically older than cancer.”

Alligators have been around for so long, and yet there is more to learn about them.

Wassmer said, “We’re just scratching the surface on what we know about these things.”

Bob Liepa is the city of Wilmington and public safety reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at [email protected].

It’s hard for me to believe, but 1986 in Wilmington was 40 years ago.

I was a sophomore and junior at Hoggard High School back in ‘86, which was the last year students could smoke cigarettes on campus (as long as they were outside the building, of course).

Hoggard didn’t have a football stadium back then, but there was a student parking lot in the woods along Shipyard Boulevard, where a retention pond sits today.

Those of us who couldn’t secure a space in that lot parked across the street at Long Leaf Mall and crossed Shipyard to get to school. We were even allowed to leave campus for lunch, although the Long Leaf Mall Hardee’s was pretty much the only place we had time to go without being late to class after lunch.

I remember going to see movies, including “Pretty in Pink,” at the Long Leaf Mall cinema (where Medac is now) in ‘86, and to the old New Hanover County Fair when it was on Carolina Beach Road across from Echo Farms.

Teens hanging out at Independence Mall on the weekends was a big thing, and the Space Station arcade at the mall’s west entrance between Belk and JCPenney was ground zero for teen meetups.

I wasn’t old enough to get in, but the Mad Monk on Market Street, just west of the College Road overpass, was a hotspot for live music.

Summer of ‘86 certainly meant time spent at Wrightsville Beach, where Johnnie Mercers Fishing Pier was still wooden and one could park for a few quarters if you couldn’t find a free space.

The old Galleria shopping center opened near Wrightsville in ‘86, the bustling Leland of today was unrecognizable and the Jubilee Park amusement facility at Carolina Beach was a big draw for tourists.

Closer to downtown, the no-pads, full-tackle Turkey Bowl game near Williston Junior High drew crowds, the visitors center at the foot of Market Street made its first appearance and the World’s Largest Living Christmas Tree was Wilmington's longest-serving holiday attraction.

Soap opera star Kim Zimmer was that year’s Azalea Festival queen, with blues legend B.B. King the main concert draw at Trask Coliseum. Joe McQueen was four years into what would be a 22-year run as New Hanover County Sheriff.

And 1986 was a huge year for Wilmington’s film industry, with David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet,” Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Raw Deal” and Stephen King’s “Maximum Overdrive” hitting theaters nationwide and both Oscar nominees (“Crimes of the Heart”) and big-name creature features (“King Kong Lives”) shooting in and around the Port City.

Wilmington, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington has no shortage of fun New Year’s activities to participate in.

The Children’s Museum of Wilmington is preparing their 18th Annual New Year’s Noon on Wednesday, December 31st, from 9am to 12pm. New Year’s Noon is a family-friendly New Year’s celebration, featuring creative festivities all morning long, including activities such as creating a collaborative art project based around 2025 and enjoying a juice toast and confetti toss at noon.

This year’s event will also feature new and returning activities such as crafting a streamer stick, decorating a crown, and making paper fortune tellers that will give a glimpse into 2026.

In Burgaw the 8th Annual New Year’s Eve Blueberry Drop event will be held on Wednesday, December 31st, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in downtown Burgaw.

The blueberry drop event will occur on Fremont Street adjacent to the Pender County Courthouse.

There will be a firework display that will last 10-15 minutes and will start shortly after the blueberry drop at 7:00 pm and will be displayed in the area of Burgaw Middle School. All roads within that area will be closed for the duration of the show.

In Kure Beach the Island of Lights New Year’s Celebration makes its return.

The family-friendly event will be held at Ocean Front Park and along Atlantic Avenue starting at 9 pm on Wednesday, December 31st, and will feature a DJ and dancing, with refreshments and party favors available for purchase.

There will also be a raffle for the original artwork for the Island of Lights official Christmas card and ornament. At the end of the night, a giant lighted beach ball being dropped at midnight will be followed by a fireworks demonstration.

We all love the Christmas classics. But if you're in the market for a fun holiday story you've never seen before, allow me to steer the interplanetary craft of your attention in the direction of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," a loving stage parody of the unheard-of B-movie from 1964.

Under the inventive direction of Devin DiMattia for Big Dawg Productions the show is both silly and sincere, not laugh-out-loud funny, exactly, but a clever, well-staged and entertaining trifle. It runs through Dec. 21 in Thalian Hall's studio theater.

The absurd story has an irascible Santa (James Bowling, spot-on) and two meddling kids (Beau Mumford and Beth Corvino, both adults) kidnapped by Martians looking to bring some Christmas spirit to the dour children of their planet.

Atwood MacMullin Pendragon is a delightfully unhinged presence as an evil Martian named Voldar, who's trying to violently subvert the intentions of comparatively benevolent Martian leader Kimar (Kent West, rock-solid).

The action speeds rapidly to the inevitable happy ending against the backdrop of good-looking projections and quirkily engaging production design, as well as some nice sound design (including a classic Wilhelm scream) by DiMattia and Sullivan Hamilton.

Along the way, we get references to everything from Wilmington's "Junction of Monkeys" to other B-movie schlock classics like "Plan 9 from Outer Space."

Worth checking out. Now let's see what else is going down this weekend.

Weekend weather outlook

Should be a mild and sunny weekend in Wilmington. Slight chance of rain Friday with highs in the mid-60s, sunny and cooler Saturday with highs in the mid 50s. Highs back to the 60s on Sunday, with lows dipping into the 30s.

Go | See | Do

It's the last weekend before Christmas, so you've only got a few more chances to take in some holiday events. We've got concerts and seasonal performances, a couple of art exhibitions showcasing the power of light, some comedy, a mix of touring and local bands, benefit shows and more.

The Dish with Port City Foodies

A well-known coffee-and-doughnuts chain is opening two new locations in Brunswick County. Plus, a growing breakfast chain sets up shop in Hampstead, and a coastal restaurant concept comes to the former Hops Supply spot on Oleander Drive.

Getting to know Wilmington's sloth

In Wilmington in 1991, a skateboarder discovered what turned out to be fossils from the skeletons of two giant ground sloths. The fossils were later estimated to be some 1.5 million years old. Story below.

News you can use

We've got a review of the musical "Ebenezer!", which ends its run this weekend. Plus, a Triangle community is trying to siphon off the waters of the Cape Fear River before they reach Wilmington, and the search for a grocery store downtown continues.

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