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5 nights/6 days near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina: Top attractions including Wrightsville Beach, New Hanover County Arboretum, and Fort Fisher State Historic Site

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  Fort Fisher State Historic Site, Kure Beach, NC Since my wife and myself’s early retirement in August 2020, we have made the state of North Carolina our home.  North Carolina, known as the Tarheel State , is one of those very lucky states where the economy has been growing in leaps and bounds. When we first visited the state in 2008 to see our family, the suburban area near Raleigh seemed to be almost rural with some newer developments, but otherwise plenty of what we would see in places like rural West Virginia or rural Mississippi.  Many houses we saw on our way to our brother’s house looked to be in serious need of repair, and the area leading to his place, looked just like any other neighborhood that has seen better days.   Finding a decent place to eat was a challenge back then, but so was looking for a nice attraction nearby.  In short, we weren’t impressed.  Fast forward to year 2020, and boy did things change, big time.   The neighborhoods l...
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Review of Hilton Ocean City Oceanfront Suites (Maryland): Our pros and cons…

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  Ocean City, Maryland has been one of our favorite places on the east coast of the United States for several excellent reasons.  It has the usual suspects including the fantastic ocean that is open to the public (not always the case in places like the Jersey Shore where you need to purchase a beach pass to go to the beach), plenty of things to do, plenty of places to eat, and that beautiful, very long wooden boardwalk! Although my wife and I hadn’t visited this city until we had moved to Pennsylvania in 2006, we are so glad this place exists relatively close to the suburbs of Philadelphia.  At a driving distance of roughly 170 miles, it’s not a very long distance, but it certainly can be a long drive depending on when you’re visiting the city. During its peak season (summers), traffic heading into the city can be daunting.  If you happen to take DE-1 South, passing all those cute beach towns like Lewes, Rehoboth Beach , and Dewey Beach , with its many traffic lig...
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