A Trip to Wilmington
As Andy and I prepared for our vacation, people kept asking us: why Wilmington?
I first visited Wilmington about five years ago while on a day trip to the beach from Raleigh and I fell in love. The small town feel down by the river walk with a beautiful beach only 15 minutes to the East; the best of both worlds. So why not Wilmington?
Our favorite spot in Wilmington? The river walk. Tons of tasty restaurants, unique shops, and even the occasional One Tree Hill memorabilia store. One spot that kept popping up in our search for local spots to hit was The Cotton Exchange. What previously was the local spot to trade cotton and other goods had become a host for smaller shops and restaurants to sell anything from elaborate stationary to local art, with the original structure still standing strong to remind you of the history behind it all.
Somewhere along the way, this trip turned into a food tour of the South. Highly recommended by a friend was Wake n' Bake donuts. It was on our way back from the beach and was therefore an obvious choice for our afternoon snack. I've been to my fair share of donut shops in Tampa and none of them compare to this place. The bear claws sitting on the counter that were bigger than my head were evidence of this. I picked a samoa donut while Andy opted for Mexican Fire, a peanut butter and Sriracha glazed donut. So. Freaking. Good.
No trip for us is complete without seeking out the best local ice cream shop. This was an obvious choice for me since this shop was a stop for me on my last trip to Wilmington: Kilwins Chocolates. I swear the place pipes out the smell of their homemade waffle cones up and down the river walk to lure the crowd to their shop. The line was (unsurprisingly) out the door but moved quick; the staff was definitely familiar with how to handle the mob. I chose banana fudge pie and s'mores for my waffle cone, while Andy opted for chocolate peanut butter and cappuccino. Needless to say, no drop of ice cream went uneaten.
