Local vacation rental management firm Carolina Retreats has become part of Florida-based VTrips Holdings, according to Mike Harrington, former Carolina Retreats owner.  Harrington said Carolina Retreats, which has a portfolio of more than 400 properties on Oak Island, Pleasure Island, Topsail Island and Wrightsville Beach, will continue on as is but is now part of ...

Visitor spending in the Cape Fear region was up last year, according to state data released Wednesday.  Tourist spending in the tri-county region jumped a dramatic 41% between 2020 and 2021, slightly behind the state average of nearly 45%.  A study commissioned by the state’s tourism arm, Visit North Carolina, part of the Economic Development Partners ...

Wilmington is well known for its film sets, restaurants and area beaches, but there is a movement to make it better known for its music scene. Each week there are a variety of opportunities to see what the city has to offer for your listening pleasure.    Singer and songwriters CB Johnson and Emily Burdette have made a space for artists to showcase their origin ...

After a total renovation that took about 18 months, the Holiday Inn Resort at Wrightsville Beach has completed its transition to a new look and a new name: Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort. The reimagining and redesign were done by the new owner, OTO Development, which is part of The Johnson Group, based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. OTO acquired the ...

While Charleston and many Florida cities are well-known for being popular ports of call for cruise lines, few people realize that Wilmington hosts a few ships a year coming into port along the Cape Fear River.   For more than 20 years, Wilmington has been a stop on the American Cruise Lines small ship cruises through rivers on the East Coast. The East Coast Inland P ...

The Cucalorus Festival has covered a lot of ground over the past 28 years, and with executive director Dan Brawley at the helm, it continues to add new features, including spaces for visitors to get on board the creative train, so to speak.   Brawley has been leading the charge for Cucalorus since 1999, and in that time, he has helped the festival grow by creating a ...

The pandemic is in the past – at least, that’s the mantra of the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We’re looking beyond the pandemic,” said Kim Hufham, New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority president and CEO. “We don’t even want to mention that word really.” The dips the pandemic ini ...

Visitors and locals can learn more about Black history and culture, as well as support local Black-owned businesses, in interesting and delicious ways.   A good place to start is with a healthy treat from Kalethy Living, a 2-year-old business run by Brian Royses and his wife, Sandi. While not everyone can be healthy all the time, the Royes want to help their custome ...

The area’s hotel industry rebounded last year despite a dip in travel during the early part of the pandemic. With the room occupancy tax (ROT) numbers recently revealed, the county had record gains in 2021.   In December alone, data show a nearly 40% increase over ROT collections in December 2020 (which totaled $572,112). The calendar year numbers reflect an e ...

Attention, small business owners: another round of pandemic relief grants is in the pipeline. Although the debut of Phase 2 of North Carolina's Business Recovery Grant Program (BRC) is on hold, Jerry Coleman, director of Cape Fear Community College’s Small Business Center, says applicants should be ready to pounce when the portal opens. Announced just days ago ...