"How about Wilmington?" I responded. "It's close, easy to get to, and it looks like the weather will be nice."

Coastline Inn

Once we agreed, the only question was whether to get a dog sitter and stay in the awesome Best Western Coastline Inn, a completely non-smoking hotel directly on the Cape Fear River in Historic Wilmington, or take the poochies and stay at the award-winning Residence Inn Landfall Park closer to Wrightsville Beach.

We chose the latter. Until the end of March, leashed dogs are allowed on the beach, so we decided to give "the girls" a treat by running them along the surf's edge.

One of the reasons I chose the Cape Fear Coast for our little escape was because of the reopening -after a two-year rebuilding- of the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. I wanted to see it and take photos... I had heard that it is spectacular. (Unfortunately, the nice weather created an impediment to the excursion since we *did* bring the dogs and it was too warm to leave them in the car while we explored.)

Studio Room

A quick and easy run down I-40, and two hours later we were checking in to the Residence Inn. I was surprised to find that even though it is in a suburban location (as are most Residence Inns,) it is built in the new "urban prototype," less like a little village and more like a high-rise hotel with interior corridors.

With a small one-time cleaning fee, dogs are welcomed at the Residence Inn Landfall Park. They are not, however, invited to the elaborate complimentary breakfast served in the main lobby of the hotel, nor are they allowed off the leash at any time. Guests with dogs are expected to be respectful of the property and of other guests.

After settling in to our studio (kitchenette, livingroom area, queen bed and bath) my daughter and I set out to explore Historic Wilmington.

It had been years since we had visited Wilmington, so I had forgotten what an incredible little city it is. Located directly on the Cape Fear River, Historic Wilmington is beautiful, charming, easy to navigate, and... historic. It's a "walking city," so once you find that ever-elusive parking spot, you can set out on foot to explore. (The city also provides a free shuttle to take you around the Historic District should you tire of walking.)

The Cotton Exchange

Our time was limited both by being there for one night only and because we couldn't leave the dogs for long, but my daughter and I got in a fair amount of walking, sightseeing and shopping.

There are little shops and boutiques everywhere in Historic Wilmington, the kind of places that I really love; small bookstores that don't look like warehouses, candy shops, garden shops, art galleries. In the center of Historic Wilmington is the old Cotton Exchange, transformed into a little shopping venue with hidden alcoves; along the river front there are other, similar, shopping places and craft markets.

The city has thoughtfully placed large signs whenever you are about to come upon some historic landmark or another. We didn't visit most of them in our short time there, but it was nice to know that they'd be easy to find if we had wanted to.

Cape Fear Sunset

Before we went back to The Residence Inn and our dogs, my daughter and I settled on to a balcony "two-top" at Roy's Riverboat Landing restaurant for something to eat. It was just dusk, the weather was perfect, and these little hanging seating areas looking out over the river were ideal. We chose appetizers and a salad to share, all of which were excellent, as were the prices and the service.

The following morning, after breakfast in the hotel's elegant lobby area, we packed up the dogs and headed for Wrightsville Beach, just a scant mile or so from Landfall Park. We found parking near one of the public access paths, got "the girls" on their leashes, headed down to the shore.

Wrightsville Beach

Again, the weather was beautiful, bright and sunny. There were few people on the expansive beach; some joggers, a couple of others with dogs. It was the perfect mid-March getaway for us. The fresh air and pounding surf were soul-soothing. The dogs enjoyed their romp at the water's edge. Back in the car, we headed for Kure Beach and the new North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

We didn't get there. Not only was it too hot to leave the dogs in the car while we explored (it wasn't open yet, I just wanted to take some photos and to see what it looked like) my daughter pointed out that it was nearing check-out time at the hotel.

Back in the car, heading for The Triangle, we made one more stop in Historic Wilmington. There was a coffee place that had sidewalk seating for patrons with pooches, but we were hungry. Since it was quite cool by then, we found a shady parking spot where we felt safe leaving the dogs for awhile while we had a very late lunch. We went into Elijah's, a touristy looking restaurant on the river, and were able to order from their brunch menu (it ends at 3:00pm, just as we arrived.) The food was terrific, and extremely well-priced. By then it was cool enough and breezy enough that we chose to dine inside rather than outside on the expansive deck over the river.

Completely satisfied with our little one-night getaway and filled with salmon (me) and lobster (my daughter), we headed for home, vowing to go back, without the dogs (for greater mobility,) as soon as we could.

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