Nearby Southport is a sleepy little southern town full of things to do, see and experience!

If you close your eyes and picture the quintessential southern town, you may just be envisioning the streets of downtown Southport.  Although, you’ll need to throw in a dash of character and an ounce of extra charm, ‘cause Southport is all that – and more!

Just four miles from our main entrance, downtown Southport is alive and bustling with the small town feel that just makes you feel, well, at home.  Antiques and collectible shops, great restaurants and fabulous boutiques fill the storefronts.  Even better?  A stroll under the 200-year-old live oak trees and past historic Victorian homes that once housed river pilots and maybe a pirate (or two!) and now act as the backdrop for many a TV show or movie.  Oh, if walls could talk!

Southport is sandwiched between The Cape Fear River, The Intracoastal Waterway, and The Atlantic Ocean – and as you can imagine, the water adds an entirely new dimension to town life.  Walks along the waterfront, lunch at Provisions on the Yacht Basin or a ferry ride to Bald Head Island or Fort Fisher make for exciting day trips.  In fact, in the early 1800s, Southport (then Smithville) was a popular summer resort.  You just can’t beat those steady sea breezes!

Here’s a brief history lesson:  Between 1745 and 1754, Fort Johnston was built at the mouth of the river to protect the upriver settlements (later Wilmington) and provide quarantine service for incoming seamen.  A small community of river pilots, traders and fishermen sprang up around the fort and Smithville was created in 1792.  Residents changed the name in 1887 in hopes of attracting a port, which was, and is still, controlled upstream by the City of Wilmington.

Now, just because Southport has a historic old town vibe doesn’t mean it lacks modern day conveniences.  Grocery stores, banks and professional offices are a plenty.  First-class medical facilities are here, too, including Dosher Memorial Hospital.

Southport is charming, quaint and has a character all its own.  It’s like any small southern town should be.

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