Beaufort, NC or Wilmington, NC?
 

We will be traveling in North Carolina in May and are considering spending a night or two in either Wilmington, NC or Beaufort, NC. We enjoy a town with an interesting historic district and gardens. Which one would you choose and why?
Thanks for your help.

I forgot to mention that we will be driving to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville after Beaufort or Wilmington. How do the Airlie gardens at Wilmington compare with those at the Biltmore?

I like Wilmington but Beaufort is a big favorite also. Inlet Inn has great water front views. I think Biltmore is one of the great places to visit in America. Enjoy your trip.

Inlet Inn @ 601 Front Street, Beaufort, NC 252 - 728 - 3600.
http://www.inlet-inn.com/
Beaufort Grocery @ 117 Queen St., Beaufort, NC 252 - 728 - 3899.
http://www.beaufortgrocery.com/
Blue Moon Bistro @ 119 Queen Street, Beaufort, NC 252 - 728 - 5800.
http://www.bluemoonbistro.biz/
Clawson's 1905 Restaurant @ 425 Front Street, Beaufort, NC 252 - 728 - 2133. LD.
http://clawsonsrestaurant.com/
Cru Wine Bar @ 120 Turner St., Beaufort, NC 252 - 728 - 3066.
http://cru-wine-bar.com/index.html
Front St. Grill @ 300 Front St., Beaufort, NC 252 728 - 3118.
http://www.frontstreetgrillatstillwater.com/

The shortest route is the northern route on I 90/I 80 but I would take a southern route through VA, TN and AR on I 81 and I 40 to OK, NM and AZ to avoid snow and ice. There's some great places to stop and rest along that route. Enjoy your trip.

I think you'd be happy with either, but if gardens are your main interest, go to Wilmington, which is nowhere near I90 or 80 or AZ.

Airlie Gardens will be great that time of year. Be sure to visit the bottle house. It's different from Biltmaore in that the plants that flourish on the coast are sometimes different from those in the mountains. Biltmore has huge greenhouses with interesting plants. The Festival of Flowers runs until May 20:
http://www.biltmore.com/visit/calendar/spring.asp