NC Azalea Festival - Wilmington, NC

Azalea Festival & Airlie Gardens

Wilmington is a great place to visit at any time, but especially during the North Carolina Azalea Festival. We will arrive in Wilmington in time to enjoy much of the parade that runs from 9:30am to 11:30am. The parade is a fun-filled extravaganza that winds along 3rd street. You will see floats, celebrities, marching bands and maybe even some helium balloons! It is a spectacle of sight and sound not to be missed. If a parade isn't your thing, you can spend your time shopping at the Street Festival where arts & crafts vendors, concert stages, food vendors, and more await you in historic downtown Wilmington. If your palate is more refined, you can pull up a seat in one of Wilmington's downtown restaurants. The river district alone has more than 40 locally owned restaurants and pubs for you to choose from. We will leave the festival area at 1:30 PM to make our way to Airlie Gardens, home of the Airlie Oak - a southern live Oak draped with Spanish moss that is estimated to be more than 400 years old! Airlie continues to amaze visitors with its breathtaking combination of formal gardens, wildlife, historic structures, walking trails, sculptures, views of Bradley Creek, 10 acres of freshwater lakes, and more than 100,000 azaleas. Departing for home after visiting the gardens. Arriving back approximately 9:00 PM.