What's Up At Wrightsville Beach

Life at Wrightsville Beach during the early eighties was, in some ways, much the same as it is today, and in other ways, much different. The island has not changed so much as it has evolved.

Geographically, there was one major change. The inlet between Wrightsville Beach and Shell Island to the north shoaled over, more or less connecting the two bodies of land, and what Mother Nature started, developers finished by filling in the inlet and making Shell Island part of Wrightsville Beach. This connection, coupled with the extension of sewer service, allowed for the development of Shell Island Resort at the northern tip of the island.

Development Expands

Overall, the island was fairly developed in the early eighties, but not nearly to the density of today. Lovely old beach “cottages,” some of them quite large, were spread out all over the island along with many more modest cottages. In some cases, families had built beach cottages to live in while waiting for their larger, more elaborate homes to be built in Wilmington. Quite a few of the island’s lovely old homes are still standing. However, the prices for land and homes back then were a small fraction of property values 25 years later.

Then as now, the water and the beach were the main attraction. As many as 30 boats raced in the Wrightsville Beach Ocean Racing Association events. Today, perhaps only a quarter or so of that number race, mostly because of the enormous cost of the boats. In the fall, a triathlon was held beginning in Wrightsville Beach with a swim across Banks Channel, followed by bicycling to Carolina Beach and then Wilmington, and ending with a run back to Wrightsville Beach. It’s exhausting just to write about it.

An interesting way to explore is to take a trip on the Wrightsville Water Taxi, a catamaran that leaves from the Blockade Runner in Wrightsville Beach. Passengers can ride to and from Masonboro Island, or can set up sunset or moonlight cruises.

Holiday Flotilla

Probably the most famous of the island’s many annual events is the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla at Wrightsville Beach. This spectacular two-day event of holiday theme activities, highlighted by a nighttime flotilla of boats decorated with lights, had its humble beginning in 1983.