Ft. Fisher, my love! (Durham, Wilmington: appointed, pine, health)

[scorp200]

I decided not to go to FL for labor day w/e, so I took the day off from work and drove to Ft. Fisher. I felt like I was back in FL! Palm trees, pelicans

Now if only it didn't take 3 hrs each way from Durham.

Love the aquarium too.

[Niki]

Yes, the aquarium there is very nice. My favorite between that one and the one on Roanoke Island. I haven't been to the one in Pine Knoll Shores since they renovated it.

Ft. Fisher is a lovely area. I love the trees near the historic site.

[southernlady5464]

I enjoyed the aquarium but was disappointed in Ft. Fisher. I think I was expecting something along the lines of Ft. Sumter in SC and it isn't anything like that. Liz

[Rich from Leland]

Speaking of palm trees, I was surprised to see a fair-sized, healthy Canary Island date palm growing near the entrance to the Fort Fisher aquarium. The winter of 2010-2011 was brutal, but this palm shows little or no damage (I visited the site in March of this year). Perhaps the Fort Fisher area has a microclimate warmer than the rest of Wilmington, as I have not seen any other healthy examples of this species around here. I saw a dead one near Southport, and there is one growing in the Hooters parking lot on Market Street, but it has no trunk to speak of, just a crown. Wilmington is just too cold for this species.