Trying to keep Wilmington’s Slice of Life Pizzeria & Pub locations staffed feels like a scene in a movie for owner Ray Worrell.  Specifically, it reminds him of the scene in Avengers: Infinity War, where half of the world’s population disappears. Worrell described a process of interviewing and hiring applicants who never show up for their first day ...

2022 was the best year on record for Wilmington International Airport with 1,086,245 total passengers.   Airport director Jeff Bourk attributed the strong performance to legacy carriers utilizing larger aircraft as well as the addition of low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines, which brought four new nonstop routes to ILM in 2022.   “We’re very pleased w ...

Wilmington is once again in the running to be named the nation’s top riverwalk.   Best Riverwalk is one of the contests currently underway in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, which highlight top attractions based on votes from readers. The Riverwalk snagged first place in 2014, but in 2021 and 2022 it landed in second and third places res ...

The Wilmington International Airport generated an estimated $2.5 billion in economic output in 2021, according to a recent N.C. Department of Transportation report.  The State of Aviation report, released on Jan. 6, crunches 2021 figures – the latest complete data available. In terms of economic output, ILM ranked fourth among the state’s other commerci ...

Wilmington International Airport added another nonstop route to its lineup for 2023 with a seasonal service to Boston, one of 14 nonstop destinations in the airport’s tally.   Delta Air Lines is now selling tickets for seasonal nonstop service from Wilmington to Boston Logan International Airport, which will run on weekends from May to September. It is th ...

The longtime family-owned Blockade Runner Beach Resort is being sold, officials announced Monday.  Castle Peak Holdings, a hospitality investment and development company, is acquiring the 151-room Wrightsville Beach hotel at 275 Waynick Blvd. from Mary Baggett and her brother Bill Baggett, according to a news release.  The terms of the deal were not disclos ...

Construction is underway at Fort Fisher State Historic Site, where a multi-phase plan aims to erect a modern visitor center while recreating a pivotal part of the site’s past.    First up is completion of the new visitor center to replace the one constructed in Fort Fisher’s early days as a state historic site. Built in 1965, the facility is equippe ...

Due to strong performance at Wilmington International Airport, low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines announced an extension of its seasonal service to Fort Lauderdale, Florida as well as the return of seasonal service to Baltimore.   Avelo entered the Wilmington market in June with promotional fares as low as $39 for three nonstop routes to Baltimore, New Haven, Connectic ...

The Thanksgiving holiday makes for a historically busy travel week out of Wilmington International Airport.  In fact, it’s the busiest travel period of the year, according to ILM spokesperson Erin McNally.  “Generally, the busiest travel days are the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving as well as the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving, ...

An historic tall ship that doubles as a floating museum is docked along the Riverwalk in downtown Wilmington this weekend.   The 95-foot-long ship currently stationed at London Wharf is a replica of the Nao Trinidad, one of five ships that departed Spain in 1519 under the direction of famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan. At a time when some still thought the earth wa ...