If there are children in your party, take in the Cape Fear Museum, at Eighth and Market streets. The museum's exhibits are informative and entertaining. Check out the Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery, named for one of Wilmington's most famous natives, as well as any of the changing children's exhibits. As you wind your way through Wilmington, you'll begin to realize that this is, indeed, a city of contrasts. There are cookie-cutter subdivisions, factories and strip malls, just like you'd find in any city with growing pains.
Traffic is a fact of life that causes the locals' blood to boil.
Enjoy driving down sleepy little Airlie Road, which curves around and shocks you with its magnificent view of the Intracoastal Waterway. The Wrightsville Beach Museum of History is a popular tour stop, as is lunch on the pier at Oceanic Restaurant, or dinner overlooking the ocean at the new Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort. The location offers a peaceful and delicious ending to your quick trip and you'll have the aroma of strawberries to keep you company all the way home. 1223 N. 23rd St., Wilmington, NC 28405. 15, open to 8 p.m. daily.