Don’t miss the WB Museum’s famous pop-up exhibit, “Loop Through History!” Featuring 25 signs situated around Wrightsville Beach’s most popular fitness area, The Loop. The exhibit started in 2016 around the 2.45-mile stretch to help passersby learn more about the island. The exhibit is showcased eight weekends annually. We invite you to set aside an hour to walk around the Loop to see all the signs.
Exhibit Dates:
- May 20-23
- June 24-27
- July 22-25
- August 19-22
- September 23-26
- October 21-24
- November 25-28
- December 16-19
Donna Starling, a museum board member for Wrightsville Beach, developed the exhibit with one idea in mind: to bring history out to the people. Also, it was a way to think outside the box.
“Everyone is free to learn and take their time and walk it,” Starling exclaims. “Sometimes, it’s intimidating, coming off the beach with sandy feet. You feel like, Oh, I don’t want to go into the museum. But, on the Loop, whether you’re in tennis shoes and shorts, or in a bathing suit and flip-flops, you can enjoy the history of Wrightsville Beach.”
In addition to illustrating different moments on the island, Loop Through History is a fundraiser for the museum. Families and individuals can sponsor a sign for a year.
Wrightsville Beach Elementary School (sign five), opened in 1953, and has a special place in Starling’s heart. Her family’s history goes back on the island. “My father went there, I went there, and my children went to (what was then known as) Wrightsville Beach School,” Starling reveals, “so three generations.”
Starling and her family have seen changes on the island, too, such as Johnnie Mercer’s Fishing Pier (sign eight) going from wood to concrete. When Starling’s father was young, he would skip school and fish off the pier; the principal always knew where to find him. “That story is pretty funny,” Starling remembers.
Starling favors sign eleven, Lumina Pavilion—once known as “The Playground of the South.” Having opened in 1905, the pavilion was the hot spot of southeastern NC. It hosted famous jazz acts like Cab Calloway, and in its latter years famous rock acts like Jerry Lee Lewis. In the ‘60s, it hosted the Miss North Carolina pageant, but also Ronald Reagan, who attended what was the well-known Lumina Weekend.
Aside from Lumina’s famous dance floor, it also had a bowling alley, restaurant, and would screen movies on the side of the building. Locals were able to access it via the trolley (sign eighteen), a system created by Hugh MacRae. Lumina Pavilion was demolished in 1973 to make room for more condominiums. Lack of clear vision for how to use the massive building on the beach led to its demolition.
“If you ever stop at the sign on the loop,” Starling says, “you’ll hear people talking about their grandmother and their grandfather getting engaged in front of Lumina on the beach.”
For more information on the Wrightsville Beach Museum and its many exhibits, please visit in person!
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorships support the Wrightsville Beach Museum in many ways as we continue to preserve the past and network within the community to work on mutually beneficial projects. Become a sponsor of one to the twenty five individual signs around the 2.45 mile Loop highlighting important aspects of our history and development. Each sign has been carefully researched and paired with photographs illustrating what was once here.
You may sponsor in your name, that of your business or to honor someone special. Be creative! Sponsorships are renewed annually and begin January 1 and run for a calendar year. You may purchase Sponsorships online or contact us to speak to someone in the office.
A huge thank you to all those participated in the event and everyone who came out to celebrate the season with us!
Happy Holidays!
]]>Thank you to all of the following businesses for their creativity and participation in our tree decorating competition:
Blockade Runner
Wrightsville Beach School
Motts Channel Seafood
Vito’s Pizza
Outer Banks Hammocks
]]>Saturday, November 27th ~ 6:00PM!
Come on out and kick-off the holiday season coastal-style! This unique parade of boats decorated with thousands of lights is a spectacular sight the whole family will enjoy! With fireworks as the finale!
We are excited to announce that this year, the WB Museum is joining in the festivities and entering a boat! Our theme…shhhh, its an “UNDERWATER SECRET! You DON’T want to miss it!
And don’t forget to vote for your your favorite…US!
During the parade you can VOTE by texting the word “BOAT + NUMBER” to 24587. Example BOAT1, BOAT2, etc
For more information about the NC Holiday Flotilla and all of the weekend events CLICK HERE.
]]>Enjoy three days of exciting watersports combining stand up paddleboarding and surfing that draws some of the best professional stand up surfers to beautiful Wrightsville Beach! This spectator-friendly, world-class competition also has one of the largest stand up paddle surf prize purses on the East Coast.
This year, there will be a raffle benefitting the WB Museum! The drawings will take place throughout the 3 day event, with a big WINNER drawn on Sunday. Raffle items include high end swag from Salt Life, Carolina Pro-Am, and MORE! The big ticket item for Sunday includes a Blockade Runner gift certificate for a 2 night stay, including breakfast and dinner! RAFFLE TICKETS ARE $10.
*All the preliminary drawings for prizes will be returned to the lot of tickets to be included in the final drawing. Winners will be announced by name.
Event location:
South of Crystal Pier
S. Lumina Ave, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
Event times:
SUP Surfing Friday and Saturday: 9:00 AM until 5:00PM
Sunday: 8:20 AM until 4:00PM
CLICK HERE FOR RAFFLE TICKETS
MORE EVENT INFO:
https://paddleguru.com/races/CarolinaProAmPresentedbySaltLifeInfinitySupCo2021
]]>The raffle winner gets:
A Little Piece of Causeway Café
- 1 gray Causeway Café T-Shirt, Size Adult L
- 1 white Causeway Café T-Shirt, Size Adult L
- 1 white Causeway Café T-Shirt, Size Adult M
- 1 khaki, with embroidered stitching, vintage washed Causeway Café Cap
- 1 “Authentic from the Café” red CocaCola Tumbler
- 1 “Authentic from the Café” white coffee mug
- 2 Causeway Café Cookbooks & Memories Booklets
Tickets are $10 per entry. The winning ticket will be drawn on December 11.
Ticket sales benefit Wrightsville Beach Museum of History.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
]]>Jeremy Owens
Sam Robinson
Rik Beitel
Robert Parker
Jimmy Gilleece/Keaton Cline
The Celebration and Inductions will be held on Saturday, October 16, 6PM – 9PM, at Waterman’s Brewery, 1610 Pavilion Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403. Please join us to celebrate these legends! Music will be provided by the Swellians from 6-7 and the ceremony will take place from 7-9 on the outdoor patio, weather permitting.
There will also be a silent auction, benefiting WB Museum, consisting of Coastal Related Goodies!
This award was created to reflect the importance of community spirit and personal contributions to the culture of water sports and professions throughout the history of the Cape Fear Region. We wish to celebrate men and women exemplify the best of the local coastal communities in their character, demeanor, and spirit both in competition and in their respect and/or contributions to the community.
The Waterman Hall of Fame is intended to be a lasting tribute for the achievements of the generations of local residents that have shaped this community and its relationship with the water. The Cape Fear Area Beaches were established because of their beauty and the lure of the ocean and marshes as a place to fish, sail, swim and recreate on and in the water. The values exhibited by the best of those who have made this their home based on that relationship with the water are to be embodied in the Hall of Fame.
The Waterman Hall of Fame awards are selected by the Waterman Hall of Fame Board comprising of members of the Wrightsville Beach Museum Board of Directors and community participants who represent a cross-section of those who have been a part of the local water sports community throughout the decades. There will be an emphasis on diversity of generations and sports within the Hall of Fame.
We will select up to 5 inductees from a combination of the following categories each year:
- Surfing
- Fishing/Boating
- Sailing
- Ocean Rescue / Swimming
- Diving
- Beach Culture
Two new categories this year because of the growing emphasis on water sports in the area.
- Paddle Sports – with the increased participation in paddle sports and the area’s limitless inshore tributaries and consistent ocean swell and surf, this area has become the East Coast’s premier location for paddleboarding and ocean canoe racing (OC). Events like the Carolina Cup and the Carolina Pro-Am, as well as the creation of local Paddling teams such as Wrightsville Beach Outrigger Canoe Club, and the Wrightsville Beach Junior Elite Team have opened up an entirely new type of water activity for this community.
- Ohana/Group Category – there has been a number of families and/or groups that have had a tremendous impact on our beach communities. These can be families that have operated water related businesses over the course of several generations that have had a positive impact on our area; families that have had a tremendous impact or success in watersports; or a formal group of individuals that have helped establish or grow watersports in the Cape Fear Region.
The Inductees should adhere to and/or reflect at least one of the following criteria:
Pioneer – Based on achieved fame as respected watermen/women or pioneers in the time before major championships; candidates must have reached the age of fifty years old or are deceased.
Champions – Must have held National Championship and/or National-Class event titles
Cultural Contributor – Must have helped elevate the beach culture in their local community by enhancing the lives of the individuals and the community though their good works
Local Hero – Resided for at least 10 years in the Cape Fear Region and were noted for their competitive success or were instrumental in the creation or continuation of watersports in the region
Special Recognition – The Special Recognition was created to honor those individuals who have contributed to waterman activities and its culture and can demonstrate roots in the Cape Fear Region.
For more information or questions contact us at [email protected] or 910-239-9219.
Previous Inductees are not eligible for nomination:
2014 Inductees: Sailing – Commodore Richard Bradley; Local Hero – Tony Butler; Surfing Champion – Bill Curry; Fishing/Boating – Captain Eddy Haneman; Woman of the Year – Jo Pickett, Beach Culture – Josh Vach.
2015 Inductees: Beach Culture – Skipper Funderburg, Fishing/Boating – Mike Merritt; Ocean Rescue and Swimming – Dave Baker; Sailing – Dr. Joseph James; Surfing Champion – Ben Bourgeois; Woman of the Year – Cissie Brooks; Surfing Pioneer/Local hero – Will Allison
2016 Inductees: Diving Local Hero – Kevin Walker; Fishing/Boating Pioneer/Local Hero – Robbie Wolfe; Sailing – Martin Willard; Surfing – Local Hero – Mike Barden; Surfing – Champion/Local Hero – Tony Silvagni; Woman of the Year – Local Hero/Beach Culture – Tracy Skrabal
2017 Inductees: Diving – Ryan McInnis; Fishing – Sammy Corbett; Sailing – Murray Seidel; Surfing – Special Recognition – Roy Turner; Local Hero – Nancy Fahey; Beach Culture – Reggie Barnes
2019 Inductees: Cornelius Nixon – Local Hero; Carl Snow – Fishing; George Erkes – Ocean Rescue; Jack Viorel – Special Recognition; Amy Rose – Special Recognition; Jim Skiba – Pioneer
]]>FREE TO THE PUBLIC. Donations are graciously accepted. Open Thursday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
In January 2018 Wrightsville Beach Museum moved the 1924 cottage, one of the last surviving examples of original Wrightsville Beach architecture, to the last Town spot designated for saving a historic home. This expansion of our campus allows us to better preserve and tell the story of Wrightsville Beach and provide us vital space to continue to grow our programming and outreach, connecting our history to our community and visitors. The restoration was completed as we began the March 2020 closing due to COVID 19 pandemic.
Today, The Wrightsville Beach Museum of History is housed in two historic buildings: the Myers cottage (circa 1907) and the Bordeaux cottage (circa 1924). The Myers cottage interior and wrap around porch invites visitors to reminisce about everyday life in early beach cottages and feature changing exhibits and a gift shop. The Bordeaux cottage currently houses the museum’s first chronological journey through the history of Wrightsville Beach – enhanced with early photos, video, and special memorabilia from the museum’s collection. Special attention is given to significant and interesting pieces of our rich beach history, including water sports and early bathing attire.
The Bordeaux Cottage is a special addition to our community and its visitors – and we want to share it with you!