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Picture a day in Wrightsville Beach, circa 1900.  The air is salty, the day is hot, and people are relaxing on the beach in wool bathing suits.  Movie screens are projecting silent films on the beach for all to see.  People are sitting on their porches in rocking chairs because there is no air conditioning in the beach houses. 

Into the night, the fun begins.  Adults and youngsters a like head out to Lumina Pavilion, a giant dance floor at the last trolley stop, Station 7, of the trolley in Wrightsville Beach (the only form of transportation at the time).  Big Band entertainers would lead people out onto the dance floor and a night of fun would commence.  With three levels of games and activities, Lumina Pavilion was the place to be during Wrightsville Beach summer nights.

With the fall of Lumina Pavilion in 1973, few people know about the history of this great entertainment spot in Wrightsville Beach’s history. 

That’s where Lumina Daze comes in! 

Lumina Daze is an evening of fun that will benefit the Wrightsville Beach Museum.  In remembrance of Lumina Pavilion, Lumina Daze will bring back shag music, fun and games, silent movies on the beach and more!

Lumina Daze occurs on Sunday, August 30^th from 5:00pm to 10:00pm at the Blockade Runner Hotel in Wrightsville Beach.  Tickets are available at the Wrightsville Beach Museum and more information can be found at www.wbmuseum.com/LuminaDaze.htm.

Meet Harry, one of the workers at Shell Island. Dressed and ready to work, Harry looks like a normal hotel worker, right? Well, look down at his feet! Have you ever seen crazy shoes like that before? Have you ever seen someone who works at a hotel with crazy shoes like that before? If you answered “no” to both those questions, that’s because you can only find cool shoes like these at Shell Island, where they created, “Ask Me About My Shoes”.

 

What exactly is “Ask Me About My Shoes”? Well, Shell Island believes it is important to take guests seriously, but also to realize that guests come to Shell Island to have fun. The crazy shoes represent Shell Island’s very important service policy to:

        1. Do your best in each encounter.
        2. Like the shoes, be unique with your own story.
        3. Have fun, because that’s what being at the beach is all about!
                          

So if you ever decide to stay at Shell Island, make sure to…
                            

                       …ASK ME ABOUT MY SHOES!!!

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Meet the Skeltons!! Coming all the way from England, Vivian, Marshall, and their three children are currently living in Cambridge for two years while Marshall works with PPD. Since the family is from Wilmington, they were familiar with Wrightsville Beach and knew where to stay during their vacation back home. Being able to visit family and relax on the beach at Shell Island is exactly what the Skeltons’ needed in their busy life. Always loving the North End of Wrightsville Beach, Vivian was very excited to relax in an oceanfront room with her family. While taking the time to play at the beach, pools, and in Wrightsville Beach, the Skeltons are truly loving their vacation!

While people travel from all over the country to stay at Shell Island and vacation at the beach, some of our guests travel right from their backyard. At Shell Island, you will find locals and tourists alike staying at the beach and enjoying a great vacation. We like to call our local guests, “Staycationers”.

This week, the Travel Blog met up with a family of Staycationers staying the weekend at Shell Island. We’d like you to meet the Risley’s!

Steve and Kathy, along with their three children Andy, Desha, and Lainey, took a break from their normal routine in Wilmington to stay at Shell Island and “really felt away from home” at the secluded North End of Wrightsville Beach.

The Risley’s loved being conveniently close to home because they were able to get away from their normal routine without the hassle of packing up for a long distance vacation. The kids were even able to go to school while staying at Shell Island!

While the Steve and Kathy had visited once before, the children had never stayed at Shell Island and had no idea they were coming…they just knew they were going on a fun adventure!

During their stay, the Risley’s children had tons of fun playing at the pools, rolling around in the sand at the beach, and playing video games in the hotel room. Having so much fun away from home, Andy even asked his mother, “When is the flight back to Wilmington?”

And here’s the best part of a “Staycation” at Shell Island: Locals in and around Wrightsville Beach are able to receive a room rate of 119/night, Sundays through Thursdays by just showing some local ID at check-in!!

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Meet Chris Wallis! Chris, an owner at Shell Island from Ohio, with his family, has decided to “take it easy” and relax at Shell Island. With plans to soak up the sun, relax, and enjoy their week at Shell, the Wallis’s are sure to have themselves an enjoyable vacation.

Why howdy! Welcome back to the blog. This week’s adventure? A trip to Wrightsville Beach Park…a great recreation center in Wrightsville Beach. With tons of fun and free things to do, it’s an exciting place to stop while staying at Shell Island.

One of the park’s main attractions is the John Nesbitt Loop—a 5k track that takes you throughout Wrightsville Beach. It begins right in front of the Wrightsville Beach History Museum and runs over the bridges and through the town. You’ll see tons of people walking their dogs, power walking or jogging on this loop!

The park also has a great playground area for families! You can take your kids to the park and they can ride on the swing sets, slide down the slides, and enjoy the jungle gym.

Let’s not forget to mention the great tennis courts at the park, which is where you can find Allie and me swingin’ some rackets, so look out!

With year round yoga, flag football, basketball, softball, volleyball, a picnic area and many other fun outdoor activities imaginable, the Wrightsville Beach Park is a great place to spend some time while enjoying your vacation at the beach!
     

The Wrightsville Beach Park is located at 1 Bob Sawyer Drive, PO BOX 626 Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480. Located right across from Redix, it’s hard to miss the Wrightsville Beach Park!

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This week we met Jim Darnell and Norma Bode, guests traveling all the way from Columbus, Indiana to relax on the beach at Shell Island! Jim and Norma plan to do “not much” while vacationing. With plans to read, relax on the beach, shop at Mayfaire Shopping Center, and just have fun, Jim and Norma are excited to enjoy their getaway. Their son lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and told them about Shell Island, which they stayed at four years ago. We are glad to have met Jim and Norma!

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If you are looking for something really fun to do on your vacation to Shell Island, you really need to try one of Captain Joe’s Tours! Captain Joe has many different tours that include Sunset/Sunrise, Harbor Cruises, Fishing Charters, and Ecotours. You can tell Joe is very passionate about his job and wants to show locals and tourists alike the importance of touring Wrightsville Beach through the eyes of a tourist as well as an environmentalist. A great experience for families, couples, and anyone looking for a fun and enjoyable time–Captain Joe’s tours are where its at. Most tours range from 20-25$ and you can find more information at www.capefearnaturalist.com. Make sure to look for Shell Island on the tour–Captain Joe takes you right there!

Hello all! This week the Travel Blog met up with Audubon Bird Society. What is Audubon? you may ask. Well, the Audubon Bird Society is a national group that focuses on conservation and the protection of birds. Audubon was founded by John James Audubon, an 18th century painter that was for over fifty years, the nation’s predominant wildlife painter.

There are different chapters throughout the United States, and one happens to be located in Wrightsville beach, right by the Shell Island area. The Audubon Bird Society focuses much of their interest in balancing human and wildlife habitat, and has been very successful in Wrightsville Beach!

We met with Adriane, a member of the bird society, at the Bird Sanctuary to the right of Shell Island. Adriane is a field biologist from UNCW that monitors birds and their nestings.

Guests staying at Shell Island really need to check out their tour, which is EVERY Friday at 9:00am right outside of Shell Island! Adriane told us the tour takes you throughout the inlet of the beach, the bird sanctuary, and also the turtle nestings. The tour lasts two hours and helps point out the important wildlife around the area.

Not only is the tour every Friday by Shell Island, but its also free! It’s a great opportunity for families, vacationers, and relaxers alike to enjoy a new experience at the beach.

For more information about the Audubon Bird Society, head over the ncaudubon.org