Beaufort, NC or Wilmington, NC?
 

Hi,

I'm located in Chapel Hill and my sister's family (with my 4 and 8 year old nephews) are coming to visit for me Labor Day w/e. We were all planning to spend 2 days is Chapel Hill but then take a day trip to Wilmington or Beaufort, NC for either Sunday/Sunday. They've been here before so would like to see someplace new, and so we thought of going to either of these two places. Which one would you recommend?

Thanks so much!

I'd go to Wilmington and let them visit the Battleship North Carolina. They are the perfect age for that. And the beach is fun there. Or you can visit the historic district in downtown along the river.

Gretchen has good points about Wilmington, but I would choose Beaufort. Beaufort is small and very walkable. It has great restaurants and some interesting excursions. They have a lovely Maitime Museum and a day trip to Carrot Island is fun. If you want to be on the beach try the Windjammer on Atlantic Beach. If you prefer to be in Beaufort proper, the Inlet Inn is a longtime favorite iof mine.
http://inlet-inn.com
http://www.windjammerinn.com
Have fun!

Neither place has the Grand Canyon or a Leaning Tower but we fell in love with Beaufort, NC to the extent hat we gave up on a 2 week itinerary and holed up there for a week.

Beaufort has just a lovely small town coastal feel, Wilmington feels much larger.

I would just have lunch at one of the waterfront restaurants and watch the boats/dolphins go by.

I love Beaufort NC too. But for a day trip Wilmington is faster. It's interstate all the way.

I live close to Beaufort and have been to Wilmington often. For kids that age, I would do Beaufort. They have museums, boat building and Fort Macon is only 15-20 mins away. They would like that. Wilmington has a lot to offer, but it is a college town with all the congestion and driving that goes with it. It depends on the atmosphere you are looking for. Beaufort is very laid back. You can take a boat ride and see wild horses and there is dolphin watching.

Thanks so much, y'all! :)
I have both places on my list to go to when next my family visits. This time they just continued to like Chapel Hill so much that we didn't go out of town.