Featured image: Wilmington and Beaches CVB
Cousins Beach in The Summer I Turned Pretty and Capside in Dawson’s Creek have two major things in common: Both are fictional Massachusetts towns played on screen by the photogenic city of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Since the 1980s, Wilmington has been attracting independent and studio productions due to its relative affordability and film-friendly policies, not to mention its picturesque coastline and historic downtown. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, city landmarks like the downtown riverwalk, Harry Forden 6th Street Bridge, and Wrightsville Beach’s Crystal Pier had become household icons, featured in the opening credits of popular teen drama TV series Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill. Accordingly, the city has become a destination for set-jetting travelers eager to experience in real life their favorite scenes as well as the local spots that have won the hearts of celebrities taking a break from set.
Wilmington is back in the spotlight thanks to the new release of season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty and in-production blockbusters like rom-com Merv and teen ensemble comedy Driver’s Ed. Whether you take an official Wilmywood Movie & TV Location Walk or explore on your own, It’s the perfect time to see for yourself what keeps this city in the limelight.
Beaches with Main Character Energy
Like the iconic Crystal Pier at Wrightsville Beach, the Carolina Beach Boardwalk is featured in both Dawson’s Creek and The Summer I Turned Pretty. On the boardwalk, classic amusements like ferris wheel rides and fresh fudge make this a summertime scene-stealer.
Carolina Beach State Park offers 761 acres of natural beauty, rare carnivorous Venus flytraps growing wild in their natural habitat, and access to some of North Carolina’s best fishing spots. Make like the Miller family in We’re the Millers (2013) and camp out, or take a joyride in your skivvies down Dow Road like the daring girls of the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002).
Fort Fisher State Historic Site at Kure Beach was the location of the largest land and sea battle of the Civil War, which makes it a storied destination in its own right. Set-jetters will also enjoy exploring the trail near the Fort Fisher rocks to find where Belly (Lola Tung) and Cam (David Iacono) rode bikes together in The Summer I Turned Pretty, or visiting the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher — home to sharks, otters, and a rare albino alligator named Luna — and picturing the mod beach house, a temporary movie construction, that once stood just beyond the aquarium during the filming of Weekend at Bernie’s (1989).
Restaurants with Star Power
On Dawson’s Creek, Katie Holmes’ character, Joey, worked at Hell’s Kitchen, a real-life Wilmington sports bar of the same name. Creek fans will find memorabilia including photos and celebrity facts adorning the walls and note that since Joey’s last shift, the bar has gone on to be featured in shows including One Tree Hill and The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Across the way on Princess Street — which was recently transformed into a winter wonderland complete with fake snow for Merv, starring Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox as exes and dog parents with shared custody — sits New American restaurant Manna. Known for its underground wine cellar and Bourgie Nights music lounge, Manna is a longtime mainstay for celebrity sightings, including stars like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Manna isn’t the only local restaurant popular with these two actors: While filming We’re the Millers, Aniston frequented Port Land Grille, and Paltrow was a particular fan of the sustainably sourced seafood at Catch while making Iron Man 3 (2013). The lifestyle mogul even requested that Catch owner Keith Rhodes, who competed on Bravo’s Top Chef season nine and has been on the shortlist for a James Beard Award, give her a personal cooking lesson.
Hopeful celebrity gawkers might also try their luck at the two other Wilmington restaurants that have received James Beard attention in recent years: Olivero and Seabird. Olivero executive chefs Sunny Gerhart and Lauren Krall Ivey have captured the hearts and stomachs of diners by blending the cuisines of Spain, Italy, and the American South in the form of moreish share plates and an extensive vermouth list, while chef Dean Neff has bolstered North Carolina’s contemporary reputation as an oyster powerhouse with coastal cuisine and a chic oyster bar at Seabird. These modern gems, it’s safe to say, are bound to attract the next set of celebs looking for an excellent meal while stationed here for work.
A Stay with a Story
Check into the boutique hotel ARRIVE Wilmington by Palisociety, surrounded by remarkable 19th-century homes on tree-lined Second Street in Wilmington’s historic downtown. Recently renovated, the hotel boasts mid-century flair complemented by modern amenities. Charming rooms overlook a courtyard where guests can order clever cocktails at the Gazebo Bar and enjoy firepits and lawn games.
The hotel’s restaurant, Dram Yard, is a cozy spot for small plates, and it was also once a playground for a legendary performer — Topsy, a four-ton circus elephant. Topsy’s tale took place before Wilmington’s cinematic boom, back in 1922, when she escaped from the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus and took a destructive jaunt through downtown. At Eureka Pressing Company and Dye Works, which formerly occupied the building now home to the Dram Yard, Topsy caused significant damage, barging in and spraying a tub’s worth of dye with her trunk over the walls and staff. She knew that Wilmington was for divas and drama queens.
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