Labor Day weekend on Bald Head Island is truly a celebration, and the annual Labor Day Cookout offers a lot more besides a chance to feast on burgers and beachy fare. With corresponding activities and events held all along the island, and plenty of unique attractions to discover along the way, the annual celebration is a prime opportunity to uncover everything this popular North Carolina vacation destination has to offer.
Labor Day weekend on Bald Head Island is truly a celebration, and the annual Labor Day Cookout offers a lot more besides a chance to feast on burgers and beachy fare. With corresponding activities and events held all along the island, and plenty of unique attractions to discover along the way, the annual celebration is a prime opportunity to uncover everything this popular North Carolina vacation destination has to offer.
Come explore Wilmington’s wild side while garnering a little knowledge about fire safety at this annual event that features ample ways to explore, learn, and have fun – especially for the Port City’s youngest residents and visitors. The Fire in the Pines Festival is a full day of activity and entertainment, with crats and games for kids, hayrides, food trucks, live music, animals, and so much more.
Wilmington is known as the “Port City” for a reason, and lifelong local mariners and visitors alike can celebrate this heritage with a stop at the Wilmington Boat Show. Featuring multiple events throughout town over the course of several days, this sprawling event features plenty of ways to discover the past, present, and future of Wilmington’s life along the water.
Please join us for the 2025 Back Door Kitchen Tour on Saturday, October 11th, from 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine! Presented by Residents of Old Wilmington, this annual tour raises money that ROW uses to fund grants for local nonprofit organizations doing much-needed work to improve the quality of life in Wilmington. Our 2025 recipients, granted money raised from the 2024 Back Door Kitchen Tour, include Carousel Center, DREAMS Center for Arts Education, Castle Street Collective, Williston Middle School, Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, Sister Isaac Center, and Brooklyn Arts Music Academy.
The Outer Banks, and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in particular, is known as one of the best bird watching destinations in the world, and the annual Wings Over Water celebrates this distinction like no other local festival. The weeklong event, which is held each October, features a wide range of educational programs, lectures, and opportunities to meet and greet with fellow birders. During this year's festival, attendees will also have the opportunity to go on guided birding trips, attend art and photography workshops, take a tram or kayak tour of National Wildlife Refuge, visit an ancient maritime forest, and much, much more. A complete schedule can be found online at the organization's website, and attendees should note that some programs do cost a small fee to participate.
The Outer Banks Seafood Festival is rapidly becoming one of the highlights of the fall season, with plenty of fresh seafood, storytelling, and activities to keep everyone fully entertained. This all-day event takes place at the waterfront Event Site in Nags Head, and is a family-friendly outing that will make anyone fall in love with this staple of the Outer Banks’ culinary cuisine.
Join the Ocracoke Preservation Society in celebrating Ocracoke heritage with its rich history and continuing tradition of working on the water with this unique festival that made its grand debut in 2023. Held on the grounds of the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum, this festival will celebrate these traditions with booths and exhibits with the watermen themselves, as well as plenty of food and fun to go around.
There’s a lot to enjoy at the annual Classic Cars n’ Rock n’ Roll Cruise-In – a cool car show that’s held in the heart of Downtown Southport, and which features much more than the array of gorgeous and vintage automobiles. Featuring activities and attractions for visitors of all ages, this annual event that is brimming with live music, contests, and other activities is sure to be a crowd pleaser for the car lovers in your crew, and anyone who wants to dive into the community spirit of this coastal town.
Come explore a unique and picturesque corner of the Crystal Coast with this grand event that celebrates all the activities and fun of the fall season. The Town of Cape Carteret Fall Festival features a myriad of food, activities, and entertainment for visitors of all ages, and the free festival is a great opportunity to uncover this scenic town that’s located just a shell’s throw away from the Emerald Isle coastline.
Go behind the scenes of one of the most famous attractions along the Cape Fear River with this in-depth tour of Wilmington’s most treasured landmark, the USS Battleship North Carolina. This special one-afternoon-only tour takes participants deep into the depths of the ship, and is an illuminating look into one of the most famous battleships of the World War II era.
Visitors who missed the annual Wings Over Water festival - or who just want a second opportunity to admire the hundreds and thousands of birds that flock to the Outer Banks – won’t want to miss this special weekend where these feathered visitors are once again in the spotlight. The Wings Over Water Encore event is a weekend-long celebration of the many wintering waterfowl that are found at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and beyond, and is a great way for birders to discover the off-season beauty of the OBX.
Head to one of the Cape Fear region’s most charming and historic destinations just north of the Wilmington city limits for this annual event that adds a little extra sparkle and fun to the holiday season. A Merry Little Christmas Festival is held at the Poplar Grove Plantation, and is a fun-filled celebration that will delight visitors of all ages with a host of holiday activities and events.
Join in the fun of the season and enjoy a days-long festival that highlights the community spirit of Southport by attending the highly anticipated WinterFest festival. This annual celebration features a wealth of activities at landmarks and popular spots throughout the coastal town, and is a great way to enjoy the spirit of the holidays while taking in everything this popular vacation destination has to offer.
The small community of Harkers Island comes to life at this annual event that puts this community’s rich heritage and history in the spotlight. The annual Core Sound Decoy Festival, which is held the first full weekend in December, is a unique celebration that combines exhibits, demonstrations, vendors, food, and much more, to the delight of local visitors and residents alike.
Join in the fun of the season and enjoy a days-long festival that highlights the community spirit of Southport by attending the highly anticipated WinterFest festival. This annual celebration features a wealth of activities at landmarks and popular spots throughout the coastal town, and is a great way to enjoy the spirit of the holidays while taking in everything this popular vacation destination has to offer.
Head to one of the Cape Fear region’s most charming and historic destinations just north of the Wilmington city limits for this annual event that adds a little extra sparkle and fun to the holiday season. A Merry Little Christmas Festival is held at the Poplar Grove Plantation, and is a fun-filled celebration that will delight visitors of all ages with a host of holiday activities and events.
Enjoy an uplifting experience at the exact location where aviation was born at the annual Celebration of the Wright Brothers First Flight at the impossible-to-miss Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. This day-long celebration honors the birthplace of flight, with a commemoration that coincides with the precise time that the first successful launch took place, and a wealth of activities throughout the day that will delight aviation fans of all ages.