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Downtown Southport is very cute...river with a park. Stores, shops, Wings, Eagles.
I grew up going to Carolina Beach and we went back this year...BORING. Nothing is left. Sad, really.
If you want shops galore...including outlets...you can't beat Myrtle Beach but that is actually in SC, not NC and will take you an extra hour to get there. VERY touristy. You'd need a couple of days to get to all the shops!
Downtown Southport is very cute...river with a park. Stores, shops, Wings, Eagles.
I grew up going to Carolina Beach and we went back this year...BORING. Nothing is left. Sad, really.
If you want shops galore...including outlets...you can't beat Myrtle Beach but that is actually in SC, not NC and will take you an extra hour to get there. VERY touristy. You'd need a couple of days to get to all the shops!
Vicki
Quote:
Originally Posted by coffeebean330
Maybe try Bald Head Island?
Thanks, Vicki - cute is what we're looking for...local crafts, a bit of art, nautical decorative items, etc. Thank you for the suggestion to try downtown Southport.
Coffeebean, we'll definitely look into Bald Head Island.
bald head island has one or two shops, same amount of restaurants, bear
that in mind. it is a most beautiful , exclusive island , that is true.
Carolina beach is a mini myrtle beach, imo.
wrigthsville beach has bars, restaurants and one wings, one clothing shop.
the trick with wilmington/wrigthsville beach is that one must know his/her way around to find
the shops.
if you go to riverfront area of wilmington you just have to park your car and start stroling,
you will find all of what you are looking for. but none located next to the beach.
if you love second hand stores you can't beat the ivy cottage on market street.
i have gone to southport several times but can only spend two hours there before running out
of things to do.
everything is in the eye of the beholder and google is your friend .
and yes , you did request a touristy town and also should realize southern beach towns
are not as they are up north.
variety is the spice of life, carolina beach being pretty spicy.
bald head island has one or two shops, same amount of restaurants, bear
that in mind. it is a most beautiful , exclusive island , that is true.
Carolina beach is a mini myrtle beach, imo.
wrigthsville beach has bars, restaurants and one wings, one clothing shop.
the trick with wilmington/wrigthsville beach is that one must know his/her way around to find
the shops.
if you go to riverfront area of wilmington you just have to park your car and start stroling,
you will find all of what you are looking for. but none located next to the beach.
if you love second hand stores you can't beat the ivy cottage on market street.
i have gone to southport several times but can only spend two hours there before running out
of things to do.
everything is in the eye of the beholder and google is your friend .
and yes , you did request a touristy town and also should realize southern beach towns
are not as they are up north.
variety is the spice of life, carolina beach being pretty spicy.
Yes, and my idea of "touristy", it appears, is very different from that of many other folks.
We were disappointed in Carolina Beach. Will never intentionally go there again. Way to commercial for me.
that's funny. I really, really dislike Carolina Beach, but it definitely fits what you asked for... touristy, with lots of souvenir and t-shirt shops. Touristy here basically means trashy, tacky, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southward bound
Thanks, Vicki - cute is what we're looking for...local crafts, a bit of art, nautical decorative items, etc. Thank you for the suggestion to try downtown Southport.
Coffeebean, we'll definitely look into Bald Head Island.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southward bound
Yes, and my idea of "touristy", it appears, is very different from that of many other folks.
Southport is probably what you want, but it isn't on the beach. BHI may be difficult to reach for a daytrip.
I think Vicki picked up on what I was looking for (that's a valuable skill for a real estate agent to have, btw) She can see a buyer's vision. Awesome. I'd bet she can "see" the farm I'm dreaming of, pond and all
We didn't find any t-shirt shacks. Perhaps we didn't know where to look for them. An occasional t-shirt shack is OK, but the area left me with a bad impression. We were looking for coastal charm in shops -- found one that came closest to that on a side street, on St. Joseph street I think it was, called Checkered Church Gift Shop. That was pleasant with some nice gifts we picked up. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore longer or we might have found a few others like that tucked away in that area.
Sorry about misleading some of you. I've learned better than to use the word "touristy" around here.
We just got back from Southport---a real gem with one of the most beautiful waterfronts you will ever see----free parking, a public park and pier on the water, and a choice of small shops to browse/shop in that will boggle the mind. A real "walking" downtown, lots of places to eat---we love the place. Drive down from CT every year----700 miles one way-----since 1989.
by all means make up your own mind about bald head and southport,
imo, southport is for older retired people, a very sleepy coastal town.
my mind have never been "boggled" by the shops in southport but I learn something new every day.
ran into a middle aged couple at greenfield lake amphie theatre here in wilmington, they so regretted moving to southport because nothing happens there, have to drive to wilmington for everything.
by all means make up your own mind about bald head and southport,
imo, southport is for older retired people, a very sleepy coastal town.
my mind have never been "boggled" by the shops in southport but I learn something new every day.
ran into a middle aged couple at greenfield lake amphie theatre here in wilmington, they so regretted moving to southport because nothing happens there, have to drive to wilmington for everything.
everything is in the eye of the beholder.
True, it's a sleepy coastal town. It's all relative to what kind of life you picture yourself living--and in our case, that WOULD be retirement time., not raising a family or working on a career.
We know what we like to do now, and what we hope to do after retirement.
It doesn't include bars, nightclubs, golf or world tours.
There are plenty of things happening in Southport, but it all depends on your interests---art, music,community theater, lectures,quilting, volunteer opportunities, etc. You have to know yourself and be able to visualize how you'll spend your time..We live in a small (pop 5,000) town now, and it suits us. What doesn't is the amount of time spent indoors due to the cold weather.
As for the shoppes---I happen to like antiques, flea markets, and handcrafted items----and Southport has an excellent amount of these types of shops. Touristy, yes, but I believe that's what the OP was looking for.
And the ocean is a short drive away.
Well, that's my .02!!
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She can see a buyer's vision. Awesome. 
