Dock and dine
What could be more coastal than dining outdoors? Arriving there by boat, of course. One of the novelties of living in this area is that travel by water is often more convenient – and a whole lot more fun – than by car. There are no traffic jams, stoplights or parking meters on the waterways. And, most restaurants make it a snap to dock and dine.
“We now only have a handful of year-round slip renters, so that frees up almost 30 spaces for dock-and-diners,” said James Bain of Dockside Restaurant & Marina, located just south of the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge on the Intracoastal Waterway. “We have experienced dockhands to cater to their needs.”
Just across the ICW from Dockside is Bluewater Restaurant, which also has dockhands to help dining boaters during the peak season, when demand is high for the restaurant’s seven boat spaces in front of its open-air deck.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a yacht, you don’t even have to disembark to enjoy Bluewater’s food and beverages. The wait staff is happy to accommodate large boats onboard the vessel if someone calls ahead, said manager Tim James.
The George on the Riverwalk along the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington has 80 feet of dock space and encourages boaters to stay beyond just their meal.
“It’s first-come, first-served, but you can dock and come for lunch and spend the day in Wilmington,” said Manager Julie McDonald. “We are designed to accommodate boaters.”
While The George may be the only restaurant in downtown Wilmington with its own boat dock, there are plenty of other nearby eateries you can enjoy by boat, thanks to extensive public dock space. This makes almost any restaurant in downtown Wilmington reachable by water, along with many shops and attractions.
The city’s dock space runs from the foot of Market Street north, past the Hilton Wilmington Riverside to the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. There is a $5 flat fee for those wanting to dock for a few hours, and overnight dockage with or without power is also available on a per-foot basis.
“I would say the majority of people who come just for the day are coming to eat,” said Wendy Larimer of the city’s Downtown Services department. “Our numbers seem to go up each year. We get a lot of big groups.”
Likewise, many Wrightsville Beach restaurants without their own docks are accessible for boaters via the public dock at Wynn Plaza, located at the corner of Causeway Drive and Waynick Boulevard. Small boats can dock there on a first-come, first-served basis.
Many dock-and-dine restaurants have special entertainment that attracts boaters after a day of fishing, sunbathing and watersports.
Now through Labor Day, Bluewater offers live music on its outdoor deck on Sunday evenings. During warm months, Dockside has a variety of bands on its outdoor deck on Sundays.
“It is a great place to gather and tell fishing stories, show off your boat and bring your family all while having great food and a cold drink,” Bain said. “The beauty of our waterfront community never gets old.”
Yacht Basin Provision Co. in downtown Southport has an annual Spring Fling, held this year on May 12. The popular eatery hosted a 12-piece band and a big party with dancing.
“Our restaurant attracts everybody, and mainly it’s because of the atmosphere,” said Manager Rose Ray. “Our employees are just lively and outgoing. We have fun.”
So, don’t even think about taking a dressy outfit onboard just to satisfy a restaurant’s dress code. Most dock-and-dine eateries encourage a laid-back setting just fine for walking straight off the boat.
“We consider our restaurant fine dining with a casual, comfortable atmosphere,” McDonald said. “We don’t expect people to be in their suit and tie. Come in whatever.”
James of Bluewater said other than requiring customers to wear a shirt and shoes, “anything goes,” including “shorts, T-shirts and sun gear.”
That is one of the primary reasons Robin Riggs and her husband, John, frequent the area’s dock-and-dine restaurants whenever the weather allows.
“The places that allow you to dock and dine are usually pretty laid back,” Robin Riggs said. “That’s important if you’ve been out on the boat all day with windblown hair and a sunburned face. At the end of a day of boating, we are usually just looking for some decent food to enjoy with friends while staying outside as late as possible.”
These restaurants have their own docks for boaters to pull up and enjoy a meal: Airlie Seafood Company, 1410 Airlie Road, Wilmington, 256-3693 Bluewater Restaurant, 4 Marina St., Wrightsville Beach, 256-8500 Bridge Tender, 1414 Airlie Road, Wilmington, 256-4519 Dockside Restaurant & Marina, 1308 Airlie Road, Wilmington, 256-2752 The George on the Riverwalk, 128 S. Water St., Wilmington, 763-2052 Sears Landing Grill, 806 Roland Ave., Surf City, 328-1312 Yacht Basin Provision Co., 130 Yacht Basin Drive, Southport, 457-0654 There are also public boat docks in downtown Wilmington from the foot of Market Street north to the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce (for reservations, call 520-6875) and in Wrightsville Beach at Wynn Plaza at the corner of Causeway Drive and Waynick Boulevard (256-7925).