Wilmington, NC

I'm a Florida girl and every chance I can get to the ocean I'm there and loving it. We recently made a trip to Wilmington, NC and loved it. What a nice city! For sure it's on our must-return list. Just like Sherman's army, we travel on our tummies. So of course, the most memorable things for us are places we ate. The food was generally very good, but the best food we found was the Fish House Grill on Airley Rd., near Wrightsville Beach (also the best beach we found).

I'm a shrimp connoisseur, as you might expect a Florida girl to be, and these shrimp rivaled any I've ever eaten, even those on Amelia Island, Florida which has been my benchmark for many years for incredible shrimp. And then we ate at another good place on the way back from Kure Beach--Jack Mackerel's. The shrimp were only a tad less wonderful than those at the Fish House, but the view wasn't nearly as memorable. So, bottom line, if you have only one meal out here have it at the Fish house Grill on Airely Rd! And eat on the back deck by the water. Take a great lungful of that lovely salt air for me!

A good thing to do while there is to tour the USS North Carolina. This WWII battleship is on display in a branch of the Cape Fear River. You can explore most areas of the ship, and it's all very well marked and interesting. But, stay out of the water. There are alligators in it! No kidding, real alligators.

If you're headed anywhere near Wilmington, NC it is definitely worth a stop. Nice people, memorable sights, and excellent food. And the beaches? Simply sublime!(o: