4 Best Sights in The North Carolina Coast, North Carolina

The colonial Georgian-style house General Cornwallis used as his headquarters in 1781 was built in 1770 (making it the oldest home in Wilmington open to the public) on the foundations of a jail where both European and enslaved African prisoners were imprisoned. After a fine, furnished restoration, this colonial gentleman's town house, framed by two stately magnolias, is now a museum that includes several small gardens, including an orchard, a rose garden, and a kitchen garden, along with an 18th-century debtors prison. The names of the enslaved people who toiled here are acknowledged in one display. The ground floor also includes a small art gallery and gift shop almost exclusively stocked by local artisans and authors. Tours are given on the hour, until 3 pm.

Built in 1852 in the Italianate Revival style, this home museum, with 600 Victorian items in its collection and elaborate ironwork framing the grounds, is a reminder of both the opulence of antebellum living and its tortuous underbelly. Guided tours of the home and the quarters that housed 11 enslaved people are available. Tours begin on the hour from 10 am to 2 pm. The Lower Cape Fear Historical Society is also based here.

Take a tour of what was once a major peanut and sweet potato farm in North Carolina, with an 1850 Greek revival manor house and its outbuildings. Watch a blacksmith at work, admire the farm animals, see weaving and basket-making demonstrations, and learn about the difficult lives of the people who were enslaved here. On Wednesday from 8 to 1, mid-April through late September, local farmers, growers, and artisans sell their produce, plants, and crafts. The site adjoins the hiking trails of the 67-acre Abbey Nature Preserve.

This 21,000-square-foot monument to gracious living was built in the 1920s as the private residence of a northern couple attracted by the area's waterfowl hunting (the home was given its current name by the second owner). After having been abandoned, sold, and vandalized, it was renovated and opened for tours in 2002. Inside the ornamental art nouveau structure, a floral motif is evident in Tiffany lamps with flower detailing and mahogany woodwork carved with water lilies. The home is on 39 waterfront acres inside Currituck Heritage Park and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Even if you don't tour the mansion, it's worth a sunset visit to walk the waterfront yard and grounds.