Going to myrtle beach in sept. want to visit battleship NC and lighthouses in Wilmington area how is the ride between MB and Wilmington or should I stay in the Wilmington area on the map it looks like a hour and half ride if any one has done this let me no any help would be appreciated thanks.

It is a very easy ride up route 17. Yes about an hour and a half travel time. Going in September should reduce traffic in the Wilmington area. I have toured the battleship twice. So much to see it is hard to take it all in in one day.Have fun

Length of trip of course depends on which CG you are staying in. Only about an hour from North MB, and about 2 hours from South MB. The drive is easy, and it is 4 lane all the way. The Battleship is awesome, and Wilmington is a great historic city. Be sure to visit the waterfront across the river from the ship. Also be sure to drive down 421 to Carolina beach, get some donuts at Britt's Donut shop. then ride on down to Fort Fisher, and catch the ferry over to Southport. From there you can catch the Bald Head Island ferry, to see "Old Baldy" the lighthouse on Bald Head. After that, You can run around over to Oak Island, and see the lighthouse there. In truth. those are the only lighthouses in the area, Except for the small one near the Southport ferry dock. BTW Southport is a great little town, with lots to see. Can sit at the Ship's Chandler restaurant and watch the big ships come in, and out of the Cape Fear. And once your ready to go back to MB. Just run 211 "The Green Swamp" back out to 17, and it's not very far back to MB. Also. If you like history. Near Southport, There is Orton Plantation, A beautiful place to live history. The gardens are beautiful, and there is the crooked bridge, So built because the slaves were superstitious, and believed the water spirits would chase them across the pond. But the water spirits went so fast. They couldn't make the turn, fell off the bridge and drown.That area of the NC Coast is chock full of history, and in many cases, the way of life has not changed much over the years. The folks still make their living off the ocean. The river pilots still go out to guide the ships in, and you can buy fresh seafood every day.

Best if you can shorten your RV trip to Myrtle Beach and spend a couple of days at the KOA in Wilmington. We made the trip from Ocean Lakes to Wilmington and there just wasn't enough time to see all we wanted to see.

+++ however many times on BB55. I & many other NC kids chipped in our lunch money dimes in grade school to buy her berthing space when the Navy donated her to the state. Besides the gun turrets and bridge, sure to go below decks to the open engine room and see what made her go... 600 psi steam thru a set of turbines & reduction gears. Jim, "Keyboard actuator failure. Order and replace."

Handbasket wrote:+++ however many times on BB55. I & many other NC kids chipped in our lunch money dimes in grade school to buy her berthing space when the Navy donated her to the state. Besides the gun turrets and bridge, sure to go below decks to the open engine room and see what made her go... 600 psi steam thru a set of turbines & reduction gears. Jim, "Keyboard actuator failure. Order and replace."Handbasket. She wasn't donated to NC. You, and I and thousands of other kids paid $333,000.00 for her with those quarters collected. I'm so glad we did. She was headed for the scrape yards. Would be a true shame.Do you remember the "early" days of tours. There was not nearly as many compartments open to the public as there is now. I'd like to go back, to see what new has been done. Don't knowif they still do. But there was a nightly show of the battles she was in, with the big guns lighting up, and antiaircraft guns simulated. A good show.We were fortunate to have been there on the BiCentenial. They actually fired the 5 inch guns on the opposite side of the ship, in a 21 gun salute. Wanna talk about loud. Even from the opposite side. The blasts echoed thu Wilmington, and back across the river. They lit up the forest, and fields like daylight. It was awesome.

myrtle beach to wilmington nc | Good Sam Community

wbwood
Explorer
Aug 08, 2013
And don't forget Britt's Donuts...sorry for bringing it up again...but man is it worth it....
Major_Dad
Explorer
Aug 07, 2013
Terryallan wrote:
ocean bound wrote:
Thanks everybody looks like we will stay a couple days in Wilmington area didn't know there was so much to see thanks again.

Don't forget the donuts, and do visit Fort Fisher. "Last Strong hold of the Confederacy"

And there is a train museum on the water front, and a great museum in town

Don't forget the aquarium at Fort Fisher while you are there; it is really uniqueFort Fisher Aquarium. There is so much to do in the area now. I lived in Kure Beach my K-6 years (Carolina Beach Elementary School)and have considered eventually returning there for my retirement, but real estate prices are off the charts! I guess I'll have to be content visiting with the travel trailer...

After all these years I still remember the smell of those doughnuts mixed with the salt air!
Terryallan
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2013
weathershak wrote:
Terryallan wrote:
wbwood wrote:
Mmmmmmm donuts.

Best in the WORLD, bar none. Been going to Britt's since I was...well Born. Have been known to drive down just for them.
.

Cmon guys, I'm suppost to be on a diet! :(:B

Then don't go to Carolina Beach. Britt's is irresistible. Dunkin, and Krispy Kream ain't never made a donut.
weathershak
Explorer
Aug 07, 2013
Terryallan wrote:
wbwood wrote:
Mmmmmmm donuts.

Best in the WORLD, bar none. Been going to Britt's since I was...well Born. Have been known to drive down just for them.
.

Cmon guys, I'm suppost to be on a diet! :(:B
Terryallan
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2013
wbwood wrote:
Mmmmmmm donuts.

Best in the WORLD, bar none. Been going to Britt's since I was...well Born. Have been known to drive down just for them.
.
wbwood
Explorer
Aug 07, 2013
Mmmmmmm donuts.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2013
ocean bound wrote:
Thanks everybody looks like we will stay a couple days in Wilmington area didn't know there was so much to see thanks again.

Don't forget the donuts, and do visit Fort Fisher. "Last Strong hold of the Confederacy"

And there is a train museum on the water front, and a great museum in town
ocean_bound
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2013
Thanks everybody looks like we will stay a couple days in Wilmington area didn't know there was so much to see thanks again.
wbwood
Explorer
Aug 07, 2013
yrusoslo wrote:
If you are staying on the south end of MB. When you leave, take RT.544 west to RT. 31 north, go to end, take RT. 9 west, to first light. Make right, this is HWY. 57. Stay on this road, you will enter NC. Go to end this will bring you into RT.17 in NC. Make left take all the way to Wilmington. You will by pass all the hassel in MB. I know I live here.

That's if 544 is not already backed up to ocean lakes heading out already as it was on us the day we left.
tatest
Explorer II
Aug 06, 2013
Did it as a day trip at least a hundred times when we lived in MB and had to go to Wilmington or Florence on weekends to shop, back when there was nothing at the beach but a Sears catalog outlet. It was about 1 to 1 1/2 hours then, on US-17, from the air base to the bridge into Wilmington.

That's not counting all the daily trips to Whiteville, Wilmington and beyond, running cases in the three southeastern NC counties.

Did weekend day trips to Columbia, Charleston, Charlotte too, none were out of reach for a round trip.

With all the development along the Grand Strand in the 50 years since then, the roads getting out of town are probably a bit slower, but you don't need to move your RV to Wilmington in order to visit Wilmington.

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