A Day at the Azalea Festival

The Azalea Festival is the biggest festival in downtown Wilmington, held around the first of April each year (although a little later this year).   There are about 200 vendors, a parade and all sorts of entertainment for young and older.   We capped off our day of touring the Festival vendors by taking a horse drawn carriage around downtown Wilmington to see some of the wonderful old architecture and azalea gardens.  It was a near perfect day and here is me with my friend Debi (to the left) with Mike (the horse).  All the horses they use for the rides are rescue horses.

The John Harper House.  All these  old houses were basically derelict 25 years ago (much like Charleston where there has been so much urban renewal).  Now there are just one or two that need refurbishing.  Even the new houses look like the old houses and blend right in.

There were lots of beautiful azaleas and dogwoods blooming.

More azaleas.  The azaleas down here have much bigger flowers than the ones I am  used to further north.  

A beatiful dogwood in bloom.  Unlike Charleston, you can see all the houses in downtown Wilmington as they don't have the large walled in courtyards.  They do have earthquake bolts though (like Charleston) as there was a fear of earthquakes although there really has been none here (except for very small).

A view on River street with the Cape Fear River in the background.  This was taken from the balcony of the Riverfront Cafe where we ate lunch.

My friend Debi is studying the menu for lunch!