July 2023

Heart pine floors, cypress encased windows, and that view. Rich, warm woods frame an on-the-water backdrop for a beautiful entry into this home overlooking Futch Creek in Scott’s Hill. “He was the mastermind behind all of it,” says homeowner Tammy Lanier-Tinney, pointing to her husband, John.  “I actually sketched the house out on a piece…

Sunny, beautiful, full of backyard barbecues, block parties and family gatherings, flags flying and bunting hanging — it’s just a wonderful American patriotic month. Understandably, we have plenty of water stories, including that of Laurel Senick, a local surfer who went on to do videos and now a book. We have an update on what’s…

Living on the coast means access to fresh seafood year-round. Whether from a restaurant, seafood market, or harvested straight from the sound, oysters can be prepared and enjoyed in a variety of ways. Eastern oysters are the only species native to North Carolina. Their flavor is affected by the environment where they are harvested. “What…

Photos Courtesy of Frying Pan Tower Rising 135 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, Frying Pan Tower has guarded the coast of North Carolina since 1964. It was initially built as a lantern house to guide vessels seeking to navigate the shallow and treacherous waters around Frying Pan Shoals. The tower was automated in 1979 and…

Being out on the water has always been a huge part of Jane Lawton Baldridge’s life, and it has inspired nearly everything she does. She has been on boats since she was a baby, raced sailboats since age 9, has delivered boats, worked in boatyards, and is a licensed captain. She is also an entrepreneur,…

Laurel Senick has been a fixture on the Wrightsville Beach surf scene for more than two decades. The award-winning filmmaker was introduced to surfing when a woman entered her workplace offering to sell a wetsuit so she could raise gas money for a surf competition in Florida. “I had never thought about surfing, but at…

A nonprofit based in Carolina Beach has created an innovative way to honor veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Memorial Reef is an approximately 162-acre underwater site consisting of large concrete memorial markers where the cremated remains of former service members are placed. The artificial reef, known as AR-372, is located about 5…

For more than 30 years, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington provided meals for hungry people in New Hanover and surrounding counties from its warehouse facility at 1314 Marstellar St. The building opened in 1990, and over the years distributed millions of pounds of food to shelters, soup kitchens and…

One of Lloyd Singleton’s primary goals when he became director of the NC Cooperative Extension center at the New Hanover County Arboretum in September 2018 was to improve the sustainability practices at the facility. “New Hanover County had never been much for sustainability, and we wanted to be a leader to take some of those…

This is a letter sent to the homeowners of the Home of  Distinction featured in the May 2023 issue of Wrightsville Beach Magazine. Dear Paula, You surely will not remember me but I walked by your house shortly after you moved in. I stopped to chat as your husband carried in the white iron twin…