We first looked at the places to go when in Wilmington, and then we saw some of the things to do. Looking at those two articles, one thing comes out clearly: Wilmington is a place of diverse history, rich in detail, and spectacularly beautiful as a tourist destination. We have not seen another place with as much to write about. If you want to know whether a place really deserves its accolades, don't ask the facility managers — go meet the people who have been there in search of a memorable experience, or simply a different one, away from home. So if you are reading this and have toured Wilmington, your feedback is welcome.
But what makes an attraction attractive? How does it come to earn that name and become the talk of the tourists? We need to examine the issue more critically, with Wilmington as our case study.
Test 1 — The Unique Experience
A tourist attraction becomes attractive for a number of reasons — and those reasons vary, because we are differently wired. But look at any frequented tourist site and you can draw an important lesson about what attracts tourists and makes an attraction worth your time and energy.
Most of the time, tourists are looking for a unique experience: something very different from home. This is the true essence of tourism — you want to feel a kind of rebirth by being somewhere completely unlike what you are accustomed to. Looking at our own experience of Wilmington, did it meet this purpose? We have not seen another place where an ocean meets a river in a scene as spectacular as where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic. What about an elegant dinner aboard a yacht, as the pilot narrates the significant attractions, historical trends and sites as you draw closer and closer to each one — all of it happening in a beach environment? Breathtaking, isn't it? We can only conclude that Wilmington truly offers a unique experience.
Test 2 — Hospitable Locals
Hospitable locals are a reason for tourists to call a place attractive. Suppose you were somewhere where everybody snubbed you, called you names, made you an object of ridicule, was insincere, and wanted to snatch everything from you — how would you handle it, other than hopping on the next available flight home?
We looked at Wilmington International Airport, and one of the things that makes this airport unique is its hospitable team of volunteers, TSA personnel and customer-care staff.
Do you think the people of Wilmington International are hospitable? Share your experience.
"Hospitable locals are a reason for tourists to call a place attractive."
Test 3 — The Food
Is there an eclectic range of cuisines to sample? Did you know that 80% of people will mention food after a visit to a place, whether they were there for business or leisure? Food forms an integral part of why people fall in love with a place. We tried to tackle the various cuisines found here, and what we found was genuinely amazing. We travel to be amazed at how different cultures have grown creative in composing their menus — and we want to be categorical here: in Wilmington they have mastered a unique way of preparing seafood, and as long as they keep doing so, we will keep going back.
"They have mastered a unique way of preparing seafood."
Test 4 — Enough Things to Do
How soon could you exhaust the list of things to do while in Wilmington? Our answer: you might simply decide to live there forever, because the attractions are so plentiful. How long, for example, would it take to exhaust the 67-acre Airlie Gardens and all the activities found there? The things to do and the attractions are numerous, and that meets the standard of attractiveness by every measure. Tourists want variety, and variety is what they get in Wilmington. We are not about to be convinced otherwise: this place is attractive.
Test 5 — The Architecture
Is it true that architecture draws people? We have no doubt that it does — that is why places with historic architectural sites are protected and registered as tourist attractions. These are probably the finest man-made attractions of all, among the most interesting and inspiring: we get to appreciate the innovations of the past, which leave present generations wondering how people could be architectural geniuses to such an extent. And there are plenty of historic architectural buildings here in Wilmington, as highlighted in the previous notebooks.
- Unique experience: an ocean swallowing a river, dinner narrated from a yacht deck. Pass.
- Hospitable locals: from the airport volunteers onward. Pass.
- Food: a mastered art of seafood. Pass.
- Things to do: enough to make you move here. Pass.
- Architecture: antebellum treasures, protected and proud. Pass.
Whatever the angle from which you look, the attractions here are — well — attractive! But we would like to hear what you think.
Using your own measures, or the ones highlighted here: do Wilmington's tourist features pass the attractiveness test? Tell us.