Straddling the Cape Fear river, Wilmington, North Carolina is your next nature vacation destination!
Home to rare plant species, beautiful lakes and parks, quaint Victorian homes, and delicious vegan fare, there is something for everyone in your party to fall in love with.
Historic Downtown
Make your way to your accommodations in Wilmington’s historic downtown at Dreamers, a fully vegan bed and breakfast. The renovated jet black Victorian home boasts five uniquely themed rooms, each with its own name and essential oil blend. Dreamers offers a complimentary vegan breakfast each morning, including pastries, granola, and non-dairy milk for your coffee. You can also order a more deluxe, hot chef’s meal for breakfast or dinner to be enjoyed on-site. Elect to enjoy the offerings inside the dreamy indoor dining area or dine al fresco on their cozy wraparound porch beneath towering oaks. Refresh yourself with a warm shower complemented with your room’s 100% vegan hand soap (featuring charcoal, tea tree, and aloe) and organic castile soap (for body, face, and hair) before venturing into the city.
Courtesy of Dreamers
Cape Fear Riverwalk
Stroll down Wilmington’s historic streets in the direction of the Cape Fear Riverwalk. Along the way, consider sharing vegan fondue at downtown’s Little Dipper restaurant. Offering five plant-based cheese fondue options, this Wilmington gem will leave you struggling to choose between their spicy Baja Cheddar fondue (with habanero and hot sauce) or their Switzerland Original (blended with warm spices—including nutmeg and garlic—and Kirsch).
Continue onward for a sweet treat at Gelarto, a vegan-friendly gelato scoop shop. Select from a variety of rotating rice milk-based vegan scoops, including (but not limited to) Vegan Sea Salt Caramel, Vegan Oreo, Caribbean Lime, Blood Orange, Mint Choc Chip, and classic Vegan Vanilla.
With ice cream in hand, browse up and down the streets by the water, taking time out to read the plaques mounted on historic buildings (the colors of the plaques indicate the age of the structures) and historical markers—both of which reveal the complicated, and often dark, history of Wilmington.
Courtesy of Little Dipper
Audubon and Greenfield
Pop out of the downtown hustle and bustle to enjoy a refreshing house-brewed kombucha at Panacea Brewing Company. This fully vegan hippie-themed brick-and-mortar serves dozens of unique kombuchas (including alcoholic variations) and beers, as well as items from a large vegan food menu. Nibble on Spinach & Artichoke dip served with toasted pita triangles or enjoy Fermented Fries with Beetroot Ketchup—pair either with a glass of Peach Basil booch.
After relaxing with a hard kombucha, venture out to the lush Greenfield Lake Park for a scenic paddle-boating excursion. Navigate between century-old cypress trees, and if you’re lucky, spot one of the American alligators indigenous to the lake! A two-seated paddleboat will run just $10 an hour, making this a very economical activity in the city.
Reflect on your thrilling experience over ‘50s-style plant-based fare at Sealevel City Vegan Diner. Order their famed Kimchi Reuben Sandwich or loaded gluten-free Chili Cheese Fries. Traveling with little ones? Sealevel City Vegan Diner also has a dedicated vegan kids’ menu, featuring a Big Kid Tray with your tot’s choice of falafel or plantains, hummus and veggies, and fries with “honey mustard” dipping sauce.
Courtesy of Sealevel City Vegan Diner
Arlie
Peruse the majestic 67-acre Airlie Gardens in Midtown before finishing your night at the upscale plant-based sustainable restaurant The Green House. Following a seasonal, farm-to-table concept, The Green House sources thousands of its menu ingredients from its on-site greenhouse, which houses a small-scale organic and non-GMO hydroponics farm. Begin your meal with Red Pepper Donuts with red pepper-coriander jam, sherry-mustard glaze, and marcona almond. Travel to Spain with their Chickpea Merguez, featuring Sea Island red peas, Carolina Gold middlins, green beans, local mushrooms, and green olive salsa. End your day with the house-favorite dessert—Milk & Cookies—and a full stomach!
Courtesy of The Green House
