Saturday, November 5, 2011

Overnight Trip to Wilmington

Last week while Jason's parents were visiting, we planned a last-minute overnight trip to Wilmington.  We went to a wonderful bed and breakfast near downtown Wilmington called the Verandas.  Jason found it online, and it was the perfect getaway for us.

We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon.  After grabbing some lunch at The Basics, we checked into The Verandas.  It is a lovely 8500 square foot mansion that is over 150 years old.  Our room was perfect, and the bathroom had a large soaker tub that I thoroughly enjoyed.


We explored Wilmington on foot for a while and then headed back to the B&B to get cleaned up for dinner.  Before dinner, we took a horse-drawn carriage tour of the Historic District.


 We ate at a wonderful little fondue joint called The Little Dipper.  We really enjoyed sipping wine, eating some delicious food and having some uninterrupted adult conversation.  Of course, we missed Miles and Vivienne, though.


The next day, we enjoyed a gourmet breakfast in the dining room.  It was fun to chat with the other guests - another couple who were having a night away from their kids.  After breakfast, we lounged around The Verandas and reluctantly checked out.

Next, we went to Airlie Gardens.  It is a beautiful botanical gardens near Wilmington with some incredible trees.  The grand "Airlie Oak" is over 450 years old.  It has been there since 1545.  Incredible.  This tree was enormous.  It was hard to actually capture the entire tree in a photo.  If you look closely in the bottom right-hand corner, you will see a little speck that is actually Jason standing by the tree.


We strolled slowly through the gardens and then made our way to Wrightsville Beach.  We have lived in North Carolina for almost 3 years, and we have never seen the Carolina Coast.  We walked on the beach for about an hour before heading back home.



Next time we go to Wilmington, we will have to plan better and see our friend, Jessica.  A huge thanks to Lila and Keith for watching Miles and Vivienne and giving us some much needed time away together.

2 comments:

  1. That sounds like such a lovely get-away weekend! Fondue, wine, horse drawn carriage, the beach, gardens, and antique mansion -- what is better than that?!

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  2. What - three years and never stepped foot on the Carolina coast?? Okaaayyy, being a native North Carolinian might have slightly biased me to having been to the coast many, many times. Um, and I guess you've been busy moving in, being pregnant, and raising twins :) But I'm glad you got to see it! And what a huge treat - a B&B trip on a weekday, no less. Awesome. You two look so cute and happy on your getaway.

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