Towns pitching in for CB Inlet

Like many inlets along the N.C. coast, Carolina Beach Inlet is filling in with sand and is in need of some serious dredging.

Unfortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers has no money to dredge, so the towns of S.E. N.C. are being asked to pony up, according to reports.

Carolina Beach on Tuesday agreed to pay as much as $55,000 for the $450,000 project. Other communities in New Hanover County will consider money for the dredging at meetings in the coming week. The state has already said it will pay half the cost of the project.

Report: Snakes, Venus fly traps and pirates - oh, my!

A nice piece from the Miami Herald about the Cafe Fear Coast.

We thought we’d done every “trail” imaginable, from wine trails to art trails to birding trails. But...a Venus flytrap trail? Sure enough, Wilmington has 12 sites devoted to this carnivorous plant, since this city is the only place in the world, they say, where you can see the Venus flytrap in its native (boggy) environment. That attraction alone was enough to draw us to Wilmington, a city that’s never been on the top of our “must-see before you die” list.

Our young traveling companions were skeptical. “Plants?” Raevin, 7, asked. “Seriously? We’re going to look at a bunch of plants?” She gave us a look that said “Totally lame!” We promised her we’d make a trip to the beach after we visited the flytrap trail at Carolina Beach State Park.

Once Raevin saw the bug-eating plants, with their teeth-y leaves, she was captivated, busily snapping photos. When we decided to check out some other walking trails at the park, there were no complaints from Miss Raevin.

It turns out that Wilmington had other surprises. Far from a snooze, we found Wilmington to be wildly kid-friendly.

Among the highlights were, naturally, the beaches.

The Cape Fear Coast has 31 miles of beach, and they’re a big draw. Everyone raves about Wrightsville Beach, but we found it full of co-eds in teensy bikinis. (What Mom needs that? We were here to have fun, not to feel self-conscious about the muffin-tops sprouting under our tankinis!) So we spent most of our beach-time at Carolina and Kure beaches — especially the fishing pier at Kure Beach, one of the oldest on the East Coast. We didn’t fish ourselves, but it was fun to see what other fisher-folk were pulling out of the water. Carolina Beach has a retro-looking boardwalk (circa 1896) with carnival rides (in season), Trolley Stop Hot Dogs, a local landmark, and Britt’s, one of the top donut shops in the U.S. What’s not to like?

Azalea Festival: An institution

Wow, 64 years is a long time for one event to have kept on, keepin' on. But the N.C. Azalea Festival has been bringing it for that long.

This year's version will take place April 6-10 in Wilmington.

A springtime tradition since 1948, the 64th Annual North Carolina Azalea Festival(April 6-10, 2011) celebrates the rich history, arts, and culture of Wilmington & North Carolina’s Cape Fear Coast(Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach). During April when our region’s landscape is dominated by thousands of brilliant pink, white, and purple azaleas, we pay homage to these dazzling flowers during the annual N.C. Azalea Festival, a five-day celebration that ushers in spring with Southern hospitality and fanfare. This is why Wilmington, N.C. was recognized as an “Azalea City” by The Azalea Society of America in December 2009.

Highlights of the N.C. Azalea Festival include Azalea belles dressed in period hoop skirts, a parade, juried arts and craft shows, a traveling circus, concerts, fireworks, and a street fair with exhibits, vendors, live entertainment, and kids’ activities. Signature events include the Cape Fear Garden Club’s Azalea Garden Tour (April 8-10), one of the South’s longest-running and most popular garden tours.

Click here for even more information.

No more 'Cape Fear Coast?'

There's a move afoot from Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach to move away from the branding of "Cape Fear Coast." But it has received some push back.

Tourists want to plan a vacation using easily accessible information, and those who loyally choose to vacation on Pleasure Island want things to stay familiar, said Judy Randall, owner of Randall Travel Marketing, told the Star-News.

She suggested the town spend less time focusing on re-branding the area – despite the ongoing mission by the county's three beach towns to phase out the "Cape Fear Coast" logo to better identify each town.

Town boards in Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach each adopted a joint resolution this month that addresses desired changes to the way the Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau markets and promotes each town.

The resolution, which came out of a meeting Nov. 18 of the three towns' mayors and other representatives, states the towns' leaders believe the CVB's marketing and public relations efforts "may not effectively represent the respective beach communities in their best possible light and could hamper their full potential for their growth and development in tourism."

The resolution recommends phasing out the term "Cape Fear Coast" as the official brand name for the three beaches and placing each beach name along with Wilmington in official logos and marketing materials.

But Randall, who works out of Charlotte, said research showed most people vacationing in the area refer to the area collectively as "Wilmington."

Someone sitting on the beach, she said, won't necessarily say they are in Kure Beach or Carolina Beach but will say they're in the Wilmington area if asked.

Councilman Dan Wilcox argued that the issue to bring the names of the beach towns to the forefront of advertising campaigns was not about creating a slogan but about recognizing the beaches' identities.

"When we talk about branding we're talking about our name as the beach and being advertised as Carolina Beach, not a subsidiary of Wilmington," Wilcox said.

The joint resolution is awaiting signatures of all three beach towns' mayors and will be submitted to the CVB and other agencies for consideration.

Raleigh-to-Wilmington train eyed

Now THIS could be very cool.

From uber-reporter and hell of a guy Chris Baysden:

N.C. DOT's Rail Division "has applied for almost $7 million in federal planning funds that would allow for the expansion of intercity passenger rail service in the state – including between Raleigh and Wilmington. ...

"The funds, from the Federal Rail Administration, would be used to conduct environmental studies, engineering and design work for future intercity passenger services, NCDOT said in a written statement. These studies would assess ridership, revenue, construction and operating costs on two routes: between Raleigh and Wilmington and between Salisbury and Asheville. ...

"North Carolina already won a large chunk of federal money for rail improvements this year. In January, North Carolina announced grants of $545 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for further development of sections of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor located in the state."

Granted, it would be tough to hit the train in Raleigh, get off in Wilmington and then find our way to CB, but it's at least a start.

Economy slows travelers

Because of the economy, fewer people are visiting the Cape Fear region, according to the Star-News.

More than 15,000 fewer commercial passengers have flown into or out of Wilmington International Airport this year. Through May, 311,852 passengers flew ILM, down 4.6 percent from 326,947 a year ago. Gary Broughton, ILM operations director, said discretionary travel is down because of the economy. But, he added, June’s numbers are looking up.

“I’m hoping now that schools are out the vacation travel might start picking it up pretty well,” he said. ...

From February through May, 49,026 vehicles took the Southport-Fort Fisher ferry across the Cape Fear River, down 13 percent from 56,234 in 2008. The ferry was shut down in January for maintenance.

The biggest hit to ferry travel is coming from out-of-state travelers. From February through May, 2,793 out-of-state vehicles crossed the Cape Fear River on the ferry, a decrease of 48 percent from 5,320 vehicles during that time last year, according to N.C. Ferry Division statistics.

All the [hint] more reason [hint hint] to look for an affordable [hint hint hint] vacation option in Carolina Beach!

Something close by to do: Catch the Hammerheads in action

Full disclosure: I've never been to a Wilmington Hammerheads match, but the fact that the soccer team has been around since 1996 (longer than many Major League Soccer teams) is a testament to the enjoyment of the games.

The Hammerheads play in the United Soccer League (USL)'s second division, and are Wilmington's first professional sports team. They play at Legion Stadium on Carolina Beach Road, just miles from Pleasure Island.

Here's some info on "Sledge," the Hammerheads' mascot:

While traveling the depths of the Atlantic, Sledge became separated from his family and ended up drifting off the shore at Fort Fisher. He was spotted by staff at the North Carolina Aquarium, looking tired and lost, and was brought to a tank there until he recovered his strength.

During his stay at Fort Fisher, Sledge got along well with the other sharks but was happiest when children would come up to his tank to watch him swim around. Many of these children would wear their Hammerheads strip when visiting Sledge. Over time, the staff at the aquarium started to notice how happy Sledge would get when he saw these children. They decided to contact the Hammerheads about making him part of the team.

Now that Sledge is with the Hammerheads, he is even happier than he was when he lived in the ocean. He loves soccer and never imagined that cheering on the team would be so exciting. Sledge is looking forward to his second season with the Hammerheads and spending time with all of his soccer friends!

To purchase Hammerheads tickets, go here.

Pleasure Island: A NY Times 'Summer Destination' spot

The New York Times recently featured Pleasure Island in its "One Summer, 14 Weekends" piece.

"The Cape Fear River rambles past the historic and picturesque city of Wilmington, N.C., widening and creating slivery barrier islands with the river on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other," says the paper. "Pleasure Island, about 12 miles south of Wilmington, has the towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach as well as pleasurable beaches for catching a tan.

"But you can tackle the area by hiking in Carolina Beach State Park (910-458-8206), home to the carnivorous Venus’ flytraps. Or you can rent a surfboard or body board at SandBarz Surf and Skate Shop on the Boardwalk in Carolina Beach. ..."