From restaurants to shops, these YouTube influencers have plenty to say about Wilmington
McKenzie Morgan had everything planned for her latest YouTube series: A spring break trip with one North Carolina stop in Charlotte.
Then came a last-minute change and another Tar Heel location added.
"Not that I didn’t love Charlotte, I did; but there was something really enchanting about Wilmington," said Morgan on her blog. "This city felt like stepping into a Nicholas Sparks book. The quaint downtown had a sleepiness about it that swallowed me whole."
Morgan is one of a few YouTubers with big followings who have recently visited the Port City for a day or more. Another chronicles life traveling the country in an RV.
From restaurants to shops and landmarks, they had plenty to say about Wilmington.
'It's super, super North Carolina'
A recent college graduate, Morgan has more than 78,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, which specializes in videos, or "vlogs," travel and fashion.
Morgan noted "a slower pace of life" in Wilmington in comparison to, in her words, more hip and modern Charlotte, but "it's super, super North Carolina." The video was posted in June, but the trip was in mid-May.
Morgan stayed at the Hotel Ballast with a view of the Cape Fear River and spent much of her time between downtown and Wrightsville Beach.
Quanto Basta was the first restaurant stop, and Morgan approved of the food selections while the atmosphere of the Italian eatery on Second Street gave her "Florence vibes."
The next day, Morgan took in a number of shops, including women's boutique Edet and ones at The Cotton Exchange before heading to The Kitchen Sink restaurant on Wilmington's Northside, where she had a "life-changing" brownie.
"I wasn't sure about this place at first," Morgan said in the video. "My brie sandwich was so good, and I gave the brie sandwich a 10. I've been handing out the 10s here in the South."
It wasn't all positive, as Morgan said paid parking is not the greatest, especially at Wrightsville Beach.
Her final night in the Port City was spent at the Cloud Nine rooftop bar and The George on the Riverwalk.
"Although packed full of history, as many southern cities are, there’s not a whole lot you have to do here," said Morgan on her blog. "It’s one of those destinations you go to simply just to experience. Even after a few hours of walking around, you’ll be immersed in the chill vibe."
Changing Lanes
On the YouTube channel Changing Lanes, Chad and Tara (last names omitted) document their travels living full-time in an RV. The channel has more than 260,000 subscribers.
Naturally, they found a place for the RV at the KOA campground on Market Street and walked to the nearby Casa Blanca Coffee Roasters.
It didn't take long for the couple to jump back in the RV and take Market Street to the Cape Fear River and downtown Wilmington.
They opted to tour the Riverwalk while on a wait list for Elijah's, taking a moment to smell the jasmine wrapped around a sign for nearby restaurant The Pilot House.
As for Elijah's, Chad gave it an A- while Tara went with a B, and added the "server was great."
The next morning, they made it to Famous Toastery, a choice made after saying they "love restaurants that are in old houses."
Like Morgan, they also went to The Cotton Exchange. From there, a walk down Front Street to grab some sushi at YoSake.
The couple capped off their time in the area with a motorcycle ride to Fort Fisher, where they got their first taste of heavy traffic. However, it didn't deter them from hitting the Peach Cobbler Factory in Carolina Beach, where Chad enjoyed a flight of cobblers.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: YouTube influencers review Wilmington on recent road trips
