Heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, only a few vacancies remained at the 150-room Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach.

“Typically, this is one of the busiest, maybe the top three weekends of the year, if not the top,” said Karen Pennington, marking director at the Blockade Runner, on Friday. “Everything’s always a little dependent on the weather at the beach, but the one thing we find out about that is if you don’t like the weather now, wait an hour or two and you’ll find different weather. That’s always the case at the beach.”

For example, as soon as the sun came out Friday afternoon after a rainy morning, nearly a dozen visitors staying at the Blockade Runner took to the water on kayaks and paddleboards, she said.

While more tourists typically flock to the Wilmington area and its beaches around the Independence Day holiday, this year’s travel numbers could set records for the area and the state. In a news release this week, AAA projected that nearly 1.8 million Carolinians will travel this weekend, representing the highest Fourth of July travel volume on record. The travel period is defined as Thursday through Monday, according to AAA.

“Spurred by the lowest July 4 gas prices since 2005, more people than ever are planning to travel this Independence Day weekend,” said Dave Parsons, AAA Carolinas president and CEO, in the release.

In addition to gas prices, the timing could also boost the Wilmington area's tourist numbers.

"With July 4th falling on Monday this year, we feel visitors will take advantage of the long holiday weekend and the opportunity to travel with the extra days. With the price of gasoline cheaper than last year, it is to our advantage as we are such a strong drive-in market," said Kim Hufham, president and CEO of the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau. "With all that we have to offer here in Wilmington and our island beaches, we are looking forward to a great Fourth of July holiday."

According to GasPriceWatch.com on Friday, a gallon of gas in Wilmington cost an average of $2.11. The AAA release said the average price in North Carolina is $2.18, 46 cents less than one year ago, and AAA expects most U.S. drivers will pay the lowest Independence Day gas prices since 2005.

Eighty-four percent of holiday travelers will drive to their Independence Day destinations, an increase of 1.2 percent over last year, the AAA release said. Air travel is expected to increase 2.2 percent over last year.

Travel by other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains and buses, will increase 2 percent. Most of those travelers are expected to fill cruise cabins, and AAA’s holiday cruise bookings are 35 percent higher than last Independence Day, according to the release.

The N.C. Fourth of July Festival has already begun in Southport and continues through Monday, and the city of Wilmington’s July 4 celebration with fireworks takes place Monday with a new event area – North Waterfront Park at the foot of Harnett Street. The fireworks, which begin at 9:05 p.m., will be launched from a barge in the Cape Fear River near the park, the primary viewing area, according to a city of Wilmington news release.