HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR YOUR BUSINESS? KEN DENNISON: “We combined a lifelong passion for Halloween, its excitement and the friendship surrounding it with our great memories of family outings to mini-golf courses.” HOW DID YOU FIND THE LOCATION? KEN DENNISON: “We tried to find a central location serving the growing populations of our ...

Rebecca Scott has worked in the coastal hotel industry for 10 years, and in that time, she’s seen the lines of the traditional tourist season blur. Gone are the days when visitors stuck to traveling only between Memorial Day and Labor Day. “Wilmington has grown so much, and there are simply more reasons to visit throughout the year now. Events, youth spor ...

Visitors to the Cape Fear Museum of History & Science will notice a huge difference the moment they enter the museum's new facility at 230 Grace St. “We’re basically doubling our exhibit space ... and we are tripling our education space," said Kate Baillon, museum director, during a media tour Thursday of the new location. The new museum is s ...

The Carolina Beach Boardwalk area is gearing up for a season of change. This fall, town officials plan to close on the $12 million purchase of nine parcels of land in the boardwalk area, while the first phase of a new hotel is set to break ground on the boardwalk’s north end. Meanwhile, a social district proposal and conversations around a new zoning district near ...

Kure Beach is a small town, under 1 square mile in area with less than 3,000 residents. Unlike a lot of other communities in the Wilmington area, its population isn’t expected to grow a lot more in the years to come. The Pleasure Island municipality has less than 170 buildable vacant lots left, said Kure Beach Mayor Allen Oliver. “We can’t grow. We& ...

Following the success of its inaugural District Day event earlier this year, the Downtown Business Alliance (DBA) is bringing the event back in July, according to a news release. The second District Day will take place from noon to 7 p.m. July 11 and invites residents and visitors to explore seven downtown Wilmington districts – Brooklyn Arts, Cargo, Castle Street ...

New Hanover County welcomed just under 5 million visitors last year, tourism officials said at a travel rally Wednesday. Kim Hufham, president and CEO of the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, shared the number during an update on the state of local tourism at the CVB’s 2026 Travel Rally Day Breakfast & Celebration. Held at the Cameron Ar ...

When Rube McMullan purchased land along the Shallotte River in Ocean Isle Beach, he had a clear vision to create a business that would coexist with the natural environment. Incorporating the beauty of the wooded surroundings and swamp waters, McMullan opened The Swamp Park, a nature-oriented eco park, in June 2015. Located at 5550 Watts Road SW, the park features the lo ...

On a sunny Friday afternoon last month, guests staying at The Cove Riverwalk Villas in downtown Wilmington loaded luggage onto golf carts. Cove employees drove them from a nearby parking garage to The Cove's docks off Nutt Street. Downtown Wilmington's shortage of hotel rooms has led some visitors and convention participants to choose a unique option — ren ...

Wilmington’s first social district is set to become a weekly event, following approval from city officials this week. In September, the Wilmington City Council green-lighted a social district in the Brooklyn Arts District on the first and third Saturdays of each month from noon to 5 p.m. Earlier this month, area business owners formally asked the city to allow the ...