Wrightsville Beach Getaway

Back in February, my husband and I decided to take a weekend trip for our anniversary. It was our first kid-free trip in a long time. We didn’t want to go too far so we decided to drive to Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington, NC. It was our first time visiting and it was so much fun! Even though it was the last weekend in February it ended up being the perfect weekend to go. The weather was uncharacteristically in the 70s and sunny with blue skies. I get cold very easily so it was still too cold to swim outside or layout at the beach. However, it was perfect for walking along the beach and enjoying the hot tub.

Being February and still colder, we didn’t make a reservation ahead of time. We assumed the hotels would be nearly empty for that time of year. We stopped by the Shell Island Resort first. I was drawn there because each room is an ocean view and a suite with a kitchen. However, they were sold out for one of the nights we were staying. So we drove down the road a little to the Holiday Inn Resort and found a room there. They were sold out for the ocean view rooms. We had a room on the 6th floor with mostly a Harbor view but we could still see the ocean from our room too. It was so nice getting to walk on our balcony and enjoy both views.

The Holiday Inn Resort was huge and had so many amenities! They had an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tubs, free parking, an on-site restaurant, an on-site bar, and it’s located right on the beach. They also have a fitness center, childcare room, gift shop, and playground. The restaurant has the same menu every day (with one set time for breakfast) but we were so surprised at how good it all was! Breakfast was amazing as was dinner. We ate there for most of our meals because we didn’t want to leave the resort and the food was so good. They didn’t have the poolside bars open at the time we were there, but you could take drinks from the bar outside or up to your room.

On our first day in Wrightsville Beach, we drove along the main roadway to see everything it had to offer. It is a beautiful area! There are some small restaurants and shops along the road and many hotels/resorts. We tried to eat at one of the restaurants our last night there but it was over an hour wait even for take-out so we ended up not waiting. We were honestly surprised at how few restaurants and shops there were. It’s mostly houses and hotels along the beach. There is no boardwalk either. There is one little stretch you can walk where the pier is but it’s along the parking lot, not the beach.

After driving, we got checked in and settled into our resort. We ate at the resort restaurant. I had pizza, which was amazing, and drinks. We hung around the hotel and took it easy the first night. The second day we ate breakfast at the resort (which was again so amazing) then we took a walk along the beach down to the pier. It was a bit of a walk but fun and enjoyable too. We hung out around the pier for a while. The Johnnie Mercer Pier is the pier that Dawson’s Creek shot their opening credit sequence at, so I had a blast enjoying the area.

After the pier, we walked along the main roadway back to the resort just to get another look at the area on foot. We ate lunch at the resort restaurant and then spent the afternoon in the hot tub with drinks. It was a much-needed relaxing day. We spent the night exploring the resort grounds and then went out to Wilmington to get dinner.

We, unfortunately, both got food poising at dinner and were sick throughout the night. So our last night wasn’t the smoothest. The next morning we ate breakfast at the resort, checked out, and drove down to the pier. We walked along the pier during the daytime before heading back home. The pier is cool but you do have to pay to walk out on it. I believe it was a couple of dollars each to do so.

All in all, our weekend getaway was so fun and a much-needed kid-free trip. Wrightsville Beach is a beautiful area and the ocean-front resorts are gorgeous! If you ever get a chance to visit, you should. We’re hoping to take the kids down for another weekend together as a family. The whole area seems very good family-friendly. There is so much to see and do if you stay at one of the resorts. There’s nothing better than some good family fun in the sun!