The Kure Keys Motel

Wilmington, NC, is a modern city in every way--yet it retains much of the charm of the Old-South city it was and is. There are many attractions here, from the shops and restaurants along the restored waterfront to the brilliance and thunder of the sound and light shows conducted about the battleship USS North Carolina, a floating memorial to World War II. Take a pleasant horse-drawn carriage ride through Old Town by night, or sign up for a cruise aboard the sternwheeler riverboat Henrietta II.

Pleasure Island is located twenty minutes south of Wilmington along US 421. A fixed-span bridge over Snow's Cut separates the island from the mainland. After you cross the bridge, to your right is Fort Fisher Stae Recreation Area; straight ahead is the town of Carolina Beach itself. A classic beach town, Carolina Beach features a boardwalk, numerous restaurants, and, in the center of town, the harbor. If deep-sea fishing is your interest, you can charter a boat here. Or, if your desire runs more to a short moonlight cruise, you can find that here, too. For more information on the Pleasure Island and Cape Fear areas, feel free to visit The Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Two miles on south is the town of Kure Beach itself, where the Kure Keys Motel is located. Smaller, quieter, and less crowded than Carolina Beach, Kure Beach still features a world-class fishing pier and several fine restaurants, all within easy walking distance of the motel. You will feel safe and secure in this small town, which also provides lighted public tennis courts and a great park and playground for the kids. The flat terrain makes bike riding a breeze.

Kure Beach is the UN-Myrtlized Beach! If the congestion, traffic, crowds, and commercialized insanity of a Myrtle-type Beach does not appeal to you, you'll appreciate Kure Beach and the Kure Keys Motel. Here you share the beach and the ocean with fewer people, less noise, less traffic and crime. It's a safe and relaxing alternative!

Further on south is Fort Fisher. The fall of this Confederate fort, built during the Civil War to prevent Union warships from reaching Wilmington along the Cape Fear River, was a disaster for the South. The Museum at the site tells the whole story.

Beyond the museum is the aquarium, where you can view the local sea life up close. The aquarium is not to be missed.

Just beyond the aquarium and the marine research center that houses it is the open expanse of the Fort Fisher beach. Here you can wander on foot--or by vehicle if you have 4WD--several miles through unspoiled dunes, wetlands, and beaches. The fishing here is wonderful, the shallow bays on the river side are perfect for clamming--it's a place you'll want to visit again and again.

Beyond the Fort Fisher beach is the entrance to the Southport-Fort Fisher ferry, which runs daily, and Bald Head Island, where the "Old Baldy" lighthouse stands. Bald Head is accessible only by private ferry.