Skip to content
North Carolina events › Destinations › Wilmington Historic District
Short answer: Downtown Wilmington, per Wilmington Downtown, Inc., has a 1.75-mile Riverwalk, museums and one of the largest historic districts in New Hanover County. Battleship North Carolina is open 8 am to 5 pm daily (adults 12 and up $14); the Bellamy Mansion Museum sells tickets daily 10 am to 4 pm (adults $16).
- 1.75 miRiverwalk lengthper Wilmington Downtown, Inc.
- $14Battleship NC, adultages 12 and up
- $16Bellamy Mansion, self-guided adultplus tax
- FreeBattleship parkingper the Battleship
How we checked: Wilmington Downtown, Inc. (WDI), Battleship North Carolina, the Bellamy Mansion Museum, Thalian Hall and Cape Fear Museum (each linked in Sources). The City of Wilmington’s own site refused our requests, so nothing here is attributed to it. All read on November 3, 2026. Hours, prices, rules, closures and road status change, so check the named agency or business before you rely on them. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. General guidance on this page is labelled as general guidance. This is not safety, medical or legal advice; where a safety or legal rule appears, the quoted words are the official source’s own.
What It Is
Wilmington Downtown, Inc. is a public-private partnership formed in 1977 as a joint effort between the City of Wilmington and the private sector, and today it focuses on business recruitment, developer services and public outreach. Its pages describe downtown as the economic and social hub of the region, with a 1.75-mile Riverwalk, hotels, convention space, museums, cultural facilities and one of the largest historic districts in the county. WDI sorts downtown into neighborhoods that include the Central Business District, the North Waterfront District, the South Front District and the Castle Street Arts District.
This profile is for visitors. It covers the named places WDI lists and the pages those places publish themselves. For history of the Battleship, see our Battleship ghost-story legends page, which is lore and not part of the facts below.
Getting There and Parking
WDI lists these downtown parking facilities: the Market Street Parking Deck (115 Market St.), the Wilmington Convention Center Parking Deck (515 Nutt St.), the RiverPlace Deck (14 Grace St.), the 2nd Street Lot (20 S. 2nd St.), the Hannah Block Lot (118 S. 2nd St.) and the Market Street Parking Lot (119 Market St., listed open 24 hours). Its map page promotes the Park Wilmington pay-by-phone app and a list of “No Meter Enforced Days.” Rates and the days list: Not confirmed For transit, WDI lists Wave Transit and the Port City Trolley at 910-343-0106; routes and fares: Not confirmed
The Battleship has its own free parking and room for buses and RVs, with no overnight parking, per the ship. Its GPS address is 1 Battleship Rd., Wilmington, NC 28401. The Bellamy Mansion has a free lot on the Market Street side. From the Bellamy Mansion to the Battleship is about 7 minutes and 2.8 miles by road (road time computed from OpenStreetMap routing, not live traffic); the Burgwin-Wright House and Thalian Hall are each about 1 minute and 0.2 mile away on the way.
What Is There
Named Places, Per Their Own Sites
- Battleship North CarolinaOpen 8 am to 5 pm daily, including holidays; opens at noon on Christmas Day. Adults (12 and over) $14, seniors (65 and over) $10, ages 6 to 11 $6, ages 5 and under free; active, retired, spouses and dependents with military ID $10. Open daily, rain or shine; most of the self-guided tour is inside. Plan at least two hours. Our Battleship page | Battleship North Carolina
- Bellamy Mansion Museum503 Market Street. Tickets and tours 10 am to 4 pm daily; the self-guided tour must begin by 4 pm. Self-guided adults (13+) $16, students (4 to 13) $8, ages 0 to 3 free, tax not included; guided premium tour $22 when available, with tours at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm (call to check). Leashed service dogs only. A smartphone is needed for the audio tour. Stewardship property of Preservation North Carolina. Bellamy Mansion Museum
- Burgwin-Wright House And Gardens224 Market St. WDI lists Monday to Saturday 10 am to 4 pm, closed Sunday. Admission and tour times: Not confirmed Burgwin-Wright House
- Cape Fear Museum Of History And Science814 Market St. WDI lists Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 1 to 5 pm, closed Monday. The museum says its new building has more than 400 artifacts, a 60-seat planetarium and a space for young children. Admission and planetarium show prices: Not confirmed Cape Fear Museum
- Thalian Hall310 Chestnut St. Its home page lists box office hours twice, as Monday to Friday 2 to 5 pm and as noon to 5 pm; call 910-632-2285. It lists tours of the theatre. Our Thalian Hall page | Thalian Hall
- Cape Fear Riverboats101 S. Water St.; WDI lists 8 am to 6:30 pm daily. Cruise schedule and fares: Not confirmed
- Horse-Drawn Carriage ToursWDI lists non-reservation 30-minute narrated tours, November to March, Monday to Thursday 11 am to 5 pm and Friday and Saturday 11 am to 10 pm, starting on Market Street between Water and Front Streets, weather permitting.
Events
WDI lists Celebrate Downtown on November 6 at the Live Oak Bank Pavilion, Out to Sea NC Fest on November 8, a Really Cool Stuff Holiday Market on November 28 and the Hannah Block Historic USO 85th anniversary on December 5. The Battleship lists a free U.S. Fleet Forces Band concert on Saturday, November 7 at 6 pm (tickets required). WDI also lists a Riverfront Farmers Market on Dock Street every Saturday, but its calendar entry is dated June 27, so whether it runs in November: Not confirmed Our listings: Wilmington Events, Wilmington Holiday Parade and all North Carolina events.
Eating
See Eat Near The Wilmington Riverwalk. Plans: Wilmington And Cape Fear Weekend. Our Wilmington guide covers the wider city.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Anything from the City of Wilmington or the National Park Service: the City’s site refused our requests, and we read no National Park Service page for these places. Not confirmed
- Parking rates and the No Meter Enforced Days list. Not confirmed
- Wave Transit and Port City Trolley routes and fares. Not confirmed
- Burgwin-Wright House and Cape Fear Museum admission prices. Not confirmed
- Whether the Riverfront Farmers Market runs in November. Not confirmed
- Thalian Hall box office hours: the page gives two versions. Not confirmed
- Riverwalk access hours and closures. Not confirmed
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Is The Wilmington Riverwalk?
Wilmington Downtown, Inc. says the Riverwalk is 1.75 miles long.
Is There Free Parking At The Battleship?
Yes. The Battleship says it offers free parking, with no overnight parking.
Is The Bellamy Mansion Open Daily?
Tickets and tours are sold daily 10 am to 4 pm, per the museum.
Sources
- Wilmington Downtown, Inc., home, read November 3, 2026
- Wilmington Downtown, Inc., About, read November 3, 2026
- Wilmington Downtown, Inc., Parking & Transportation, read November 3, 2026
- Wilmington Downtown, Inc., Attractions & Entertainment, read November 3, 2026 (hours for Burgwin-Wright and Cape Fear Museum)
- Wilmington Downtown, Inc., Downtown Tours, read November 3, 2026
- Wilmington Downtown, Inc., Map, read November 3, 2026
- Battleship North Carolina, Visit, read November 3, 2026
- Bellamy Mansion Museum, Visit, read November 3, 2026
- Burgwin-Wright House, read November 3, 2026 (home page only)
- Cape Fear Museum, read November 3, 2026 (home page only)
- Thalian Hall, read November 3, 2026
- OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) through our itinerary script, read November 3, 2026 (road times, no live traffic)
Read on November 3, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Keep Planning
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “Wilmington Historic District Visitor Profile: Riverwalk and Museums”, itsnorthcarolina.com/destinations/wilmington-historic-district/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.