I Run Like A Girl

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Joe and I had a few days off from work, so we took advantage of the long weekend and headed to Wilmington, NC, a beach town 2 hours from our home. There are a lot of beach town options in NC, but we were looking for someplace convenient, so we chose the closest option. It was the perfect mix of activity and relaxation, and after months of being homebound during my first trimester, it was SO nice to see new scenery and explore a new part of NC. 🙂

Day 1: Downtown Wilmington + North Carolina Battleship

We left our home early in the morning, taking the I-40 all the way down to Wilmington. Something neat – we drove all the way to the end of I-40! We took the 40 pretty much the whole way when we moved from San Francisco, so it’s amazing to say that we’ve driven the entire length of the highway – all 2600 miles!

We arrived in Wilmington around 10am, and we started with a walk in the downtown area. Downtown Wilmington is a quaint historic area lined with art galleries, restaurants, and shops. It was nice to stretch out leges and soak in the charm.

We walked along the Riverwalk which was a long boardwalk with views of the river. It was a hot sunny day, and I’m grateful for Joe’s patience as I had to take breaks every 15 minutes. Ever since getting pregnant, I have lower stamina and get winded more easily. Nevertheless, I’m so grateful I started feeling better from the nausea that week and was able to enjoy this trip.

We enjoyed a seafood lunch. We ate seafood every day on this trip as there were plenty of options in this port city.

In the afternoon, we headed to the North Carolina battleship, a World World II battleship that was preserved and full of history. It was a HUGE ship, and we took our time climbing all the levels and seeing all the artifacts. We may have done some Titanic impressions… 😉 overall, it was a pretty cool stop.

Some ice cream afterwards. 🙂

We checked into our Airbnb and took a break, and then we headed back out for a pizza dinner at Mellow Mushroom, an iconic pizza chain NC that I’ve been wanting to try out. Look at that stretchy cheese. 🙂

Day 2: Wrightsville Beach day

We had breakfast in our Airbnb the following day. Our Airbnb was in a beautiful location right along the river – I loved all the space and being surrounded by natural scenery.

We planned to have a beach day, and Joe encouraged us to get out the door ASAP. I’m so glad he did because the Memorial Day crowds were INSANE! We arrived at the beach at 8:30am, and we already had to park 1 mile from the main entrance. I’m so glad we got there early to scope out a prime spot and beat the crowds.

I’m usually a beach minimalist and just bring a towel, but we lugged our beach chairs this time which was SUCh a great choice! Sitting on these chairs was a game changer – I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the towel.

Wrightsville Beach was super nice. I didn’t have high expectations beforehand, but the beach exceeded them. I personally love east coast beaches compared to the west coast as the water is warmer, the sand is finer, and it’s overall more manageable to have a beach day in my opinion. 🙂

The weather was absolutely perfect in the low 70s. There was a constant breeze, and we were able to enjoy the beach for a couple of hours without overheating. We read, listened to music, and watched the waves…Joe and I both agreed this was one of our favorite beach days yet!

We left the beach around lunchtime which was the prefect half beach day for us. As we left, we saw cars line up to enter the beach for miles! Again, I’m so glad we came early and beat the crowds – I definitely recommend that on a busy holiday weekend.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in our Airbnb. The host’s cat was so friendly and adorable. Cats know cat people. 🙂

We had a delicious seafood dinner at a local spot.

After dinner, we went to a riverside park to walk around and take my first baby bump photos. If you missed my baby announcement post, check it out HERE!

Day 3: Airlie Gardens + massage + birthday dinner

Our days progressively got lazier and lazier. On the last full day of our trip, we had an easy morning at the Airbnb. We got out later for a chill walk in Airlie Gardens, a 67-acre public garden with a variety of landscapes and walking paths. As garden enthusiasts, Joe and I agreed this one was below average in terms of the plants and maintenance, but it was nice to have a quiet, flat place to walk around.

In the afternoon, I had something special booked for us…a couple’s massage! I found a highly rated place that did prenatal massages. It was a unique experience as I laid on my side for most of it. They gave me this body pillow to help support me. I found it very relaxing although they couldn’t hit everything given the position. It was a nice treat as we both felt so much better afterwards.

It was Joe’s birthday weekend, so we had a nice seafood dinner to celebrate. This dinner was my favorite of them all! I did the classic maneuver of going to the bathroom and ordering a brownie ice cream as a surprise – the waitress even put a candle in it! A perfect way to celebrate another birthday together. 🙂

What a fabulous trip that exceeded expectations. After months of staying home, it was so refreshing to get out of our environment and do something new together. One of the best parts of moving somewhere new is exploring all the new places around it, I’m excited to continue traveling to these easy spots in North Carolina. 🙂