Upcoming Events
June 21, 2026
"Wilmington Turned Topsy Turvy: Blockaders, Blockade Runners, and Bedlam."
The Civil War brought about great change in Wilmington as Union naval forces blockaded the increasingly important seaport, smugglers attempted to run past them, and the commotion that upended business and residents. Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of History at UNC Wilmington, will discuss what Wilmingtonians experienced during those four years of upheaval, 1861-1865, what with hundreds of new incoming ships with foreign crews, thousands of Confederate military personnel, and yellow fever. He will also talk about the role that Wilmington women and African Americans played in the great drama.
Get you tickets at https://wilmingtonwatertours.net/
"A splendid time is guaranteed for all!"
July 26, 2026
"Yankees on the Doorstep.”
Union blockading ships prowled the coast searching for Confederate commerce vessels attempting to smuggle supplies into the Cape Fear River, but Wilmington eluded wartime fighting for 3 ½ years. All that changed when Federal forces attacked Fort Fisher guarding New Inlet twenty miles downriver from Wilmington. Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of History at UNC Wilmington, will talk about the battles of Fort Fisher, the two largest Union naval bombardments and combined operations of the Civil War and their military operations to capture the city, control of the Cape Fear River, and Wilmington’s key rail lines. Revealing the great importance of Wilmington to the Confederate war effort, General Robert E. Lee warned: “If Wilmington falls, I cannot maintain my army.” The survival of Confederacy by 1864 depended upon the survival of Wilmington remaining open to trade with the outside world. Dr. Fonvielle will also discuss the role United States Colored Troops played in the Wilmington Campaign.
Get you tickets at https://wilmingtonwatertours.net/
“A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”
August 23, 2026
“Fonvielle’s Favorites.”
Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of History at UNC Wilmington, will reveal some of his top 10 favorite stories and legends of people and places in Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear. Learn about the infamous pirate Captain James Kidd and his buried booty on “Money Island;” the famed tunnels below the Wilmington’s streets; the “Dram Tree;” the fate of Nance Martin who was buried in a cask of rum in historic Oakdale Cemetery; the daring “Great Escape” of William Benjamin Gould and other enslaved people from Wilmington during the yellow fever epidemic of 1862; the Horne brothers who fought against one another in the Wilmington Campaign of 1865; the young German immigrant who died with his faithful dog by his side in a fire in downtown Wilmington in 1880; and more.
Get you tickets at https://wilmingtonwatertours.net/
“A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”
September 20, 2026
“All You Need Is Love” The Beatles and Their Times
Join Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of History at UNC Wilmington for a conversation about The Beatles, the greatest musical and cultural phenomenon of the 20th century. How did four young lads--John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Star—from Liverpool, England become the most revered and loved rock and roll band ever? Dr. Fonvielle will discuss the world in which John, Paul, George, and Ringo grew up, how they discovered each other and their mutual love for music, worked and worked to hone their talents for playing and songwriting, conquered England, then America, and then the world.
Get you tickets at https://wilmingtonwatertours.net/
“A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”
October 25, 2026
Cape Fear History Mysteries
During the spooky season, join Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of History at UNC Wilmington as he reveals some of the Lower Cape Fear’s strange, supernatural tales. Was Samuel Russell Jocelyn Jr. really buried alive in the graveyard at St. James Church after a horseback riding accident in 1810? Was the inexplicable glowing orb known as the Maco Light seen by thousands of people, including Dr. Fonvielle, for at least 100 years really the ghost of Joe Baldwin, a railroad conductor killed in a terrible train wreck, looking for his decapitated head? Is Thalian Hall really haunted by the spirits of actors and actresses who performed there in the past?
Get you tickets at https://wilmingtonwatertours.net/
“A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”