Wilmington: E-Bike History, Haunts & Craft Breweries Tour

5.00

(122 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I nearly wiped out before we even left the parking lot—turns out e-bikes have more kick than I expected. Our guide, Matt, just grinned and told me not to worry, “You’ll get the hang of it by the first brewery.” He wasn’t wrong. Wilmington’s old streets felt different with that bit of breeze and hum under me; you notice things you’d miss in a car. Like the way Spanish moss hangs from some porches near Bellamy Mansion Museum—kind of ghostly if you stare too long.

We stopped outside an old cemetery where Matt started telling us about duels and lost sailors. I could smell wet earth and something floral—jasmine maybe? There was this moment where nobody said anything for a few seconds after his story. It was weirdly heavy but also… I don’t know, kind of grounding? Then someone’s phone dinged and we all laughed. The haunted stuff wasn’t cheesy either—just enough to make you glance over your shoulder once or twice.

The brewery stops were honestly a relief after all that talk about ghosts. Waterline Brewing had this toasted smell drifting out the door (they let us peek behind the scenes). At Flytrap Brewing, I tried something called a “sour” that made my face pucker so hard my partner snorted beer. Kids in our group rode in trailers behind their parents’ bikes—one little guy waved at every dog we passed. We hit Thalian Hall too, which is right across from another stop—I kept mixing up which building was which, but nobody seemed to mind.

By the last brewery, my legs felt loose and I’d finally stopped worrying about crashing into lamp posts. Matt told us how Wilmington’s craft beer scene is kind of its own community now—not just for tourists. The sun was starting to dip when we rolled back in; there was this soft gold light on the riverfront that I still think about sometimes when I’m stuck at my desk back home.