With more room coming to Wilmington International Airport (ILM), officials there wanted to find out what passengers might want to see, buy or eat as part of the growing airport's ongoing and upcoming terminal expansion. According to a news release Friday, ILM recently developed and shared a passenger survey, "with a goal of receiving customer feedback regarding ...

Correction: This version of the story corrects the recipient of the Historic Wilmington Foundation grant to the Coastal Land Trust. An earlier version stated that the grant was given to the Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation. Navassa officials are optimistic about the impact a historic preservation project will have on the town’s economic development. Since ...

The Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is fully functional once again, nearly a year after sustaining damages from Hurricane Florence.   The final phase of repairs wrapped this month, following a two-week temporary closure. Flo first shuttered the museum for more than a month after making landfall Sept. 14, 2018, near Wrightsville Beach.   The finishing ...

A new hotel concept is fully opening in October in downtown Wilmington. The Hive, a boutique hotel at 505 North Second St., has opened six suites in June and will open its remaining eight rooms during the first week of October, after repairs are done from Hurricane Florence damage. A boutique hotel is a smaller, 10- to 100-unit accommodation that usually features mod ...

For the first time in decades, Battleship North Carolina has a new area open to visitors.   The ship’s cold storage compartments, the first new spaces added to the tour route in decades, can now be explored on daily tours. The World War II vessel could store 200,000 pounds of fresh food and fed 2,000 men while it was in service and at sea.   Loc ...

With Brooke Bloomquist’s background in marketing and special events and her father’s naval career and business prowess, their masterminding of Blue Shark Vodka seemed almost inevitable.   Five years ago, it started with drinks by the pool while Bloomquist was living in Hawaii, and it evolved into the first spirits distillery in New Hanover County. Blue S ...

Visitor spending in the Cape Fear region soared to its highest heights in 28 years during 2018, despite Hurricane Florence shutting the area down for several days in September, according to an announcement Thursday from Gov. Roy Cooper. Brunswick County's year-over-year visitor spending total rose by the highest percentage in the tri-county region, 6.48% compared to ...

While alternative lodging offered through Airbnb is gaining in popularity – and availability – travel officials say it’s not necessarily hurting hotels. But it is benefiting travelers in more ways than one.   data indicates that Airbnb and the vacation rental host community appear to be complementing – rather than competing with – the N ...

Bellamy Mansion Museum officials announced that executive director Gareth Evans was appointed to the N.C. Museum of History Associates Inc. Board of Directors.   “Having long enjoyed visiting the North Carolina Museum of History, I’m honored to have been asked to serve on the Board,” said Evans, in a news release.   Evans will serve on the B ...

The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher is among the top 10 aquariums in the country, according to a USA Today poll. Voters ranked the state’s aquariums No. 7 nationwide in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Award for best aquariums.   “This distinction means we are accomplishing what we set out to do, from making a personal connection with our guests to p ...