Wilmington True History Tours

10/29/2026

If you've ever booked one of our tours, odds are you did it through our ticketing app, FareHarbor. Over 23,000 business utilize FareHarbor for ticketing. This month, FareHarbor announced its inaugural Pinnacle Experience Awards. This award honors 300 operators from around the world whose business performance and guest feedback set them apart. Recipients were required to exhibit notable growth while still maintaining excellent reviews on Google & TripAdvisor. We're thrilled that both Wilmington True History Tours and Savannah True History Tours made the list. Only 0.01% of FareHarbor operators earned this award. To say we're honored is an understatement. Thank you for continuing to support us and allowing us to truly live the dream!

When we tell you our tours are built differently, we're not lying.

Thank you, Wilmington!

10/15/2026

Wilmington’s only fact-based evening tour is back! Our Dark History Tour is the True History answer to ghost tours: True stories about the macabre side of the city, no ghouls or goblins included. Our Savannah Dark History Tour was even recently featured in the New York Times!

We have four upcoming Dark History Tours. On Friday the 23rd, local educator Alex will be your guide. The following week, Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr. will offer his take on the tour. Chris’s tours will center around his popular “Curious Tales from Old Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear: The Truth Behind the Legends” books.

The tours run roughly two hours and are family friendly. We look forward to seeing you soon!

03/01/2026

Perfect weather for our first Revolutionary Wilmington Tour. Looking forward to tomorrow’s sold out tour!

02/27/2026

Today is a huge day in Cape Fear history. 250 years ago, the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge was fought.

Royal Governor Josiah Martin sought to raise 10,000 Loyalists in the interior of NC to march to Wilmington to link up with British troops. He was only able to raise about 1,600. Those Loyalists left today’s Fayetteville on February 20, 1776. Patriots blocked their route at every turn.

On the evening of February 26, a Loyalist courier entered the patriot camp and demanded surrender. He also got a good look at the camp, noting that the patriots’ backs were to Moores Creek. The patriots refused surrender, and the British began moving toward the patriots around 1 AM on February 27. In the meantime, the roughly 1,000 patriots moved to the opposite bank of Moores Creek and took position behind carefully prepared earthworks. They also dismantled the bridge over the creek.

By the morning of battle, Loyalist troops numbered less than 800. They stormed across the bridge girders and got within 30 yards before the patriots opened fire. It was all over in less than five minutes. At least 30 Loyalists were killed or wounded with more likely having fallen into the creek. The patriots lost just one man killed and one wounded.

The ramifications were huge. Patriots would capture nearly the entire Loyalist force over the coming days. More importantly, it was the first major patriot victory of the Revolution and encouraged NC to allow her delegates to vote for Independence in the coming months.

We highly recommend a visit to Moores Creek National Battlefield this weekend! Fun fact: This is the shortest battle commemorated within a National Park!

02/19/2026

Our sister company, Savannah True History Tours, was featured in today’s New York Times. The Savannah Dark History Tour is spotlighted as a fact-based alternative to the city’s numerous ghost tours.

Fun fact: We also offer a Wilmington Dark History Tour! We even have a few coming up every week throughout February!

The present and past coexist in a Southern city unlike any other.

02/14/2026

Ticket update! Sunday's Revolutionary Tour is sold out, but we do have SEVEN tickets available for Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr.'s Saturday (2/28) tour.

We also have good availability for both Dark History Tours with NPS alum Brandon

Send a message to learn more

02/04/2026

New tour announcement! To coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr. will lead a Revolutionary War Walking Tour of Downtown Wilmington. These tours will take place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1.

Wilmington plays a massive role in the Revolution. The area sees one of the first Patriot victories of the war, and Cornwallis will make the fateful decision to head to Virginia while here. Chris will also introduce you to men and women like Cornelius Harnett and Polly Slocumb. We’ll also view a number of existing buildings that witnessed those trying events. Only 15 tickets will be made available for each tour!

Tickets are listed on our website. We’ll also be offering our popular Dark History Tour those evenings as well. Former National Park Service Ranger Brandon will lead those. They’re the perfect fact-based alternative to ghost tours.

See y’all soon!

10/09/2025

We tell this story on our History Walk!

🐘 Does anyone remember Topsy the elephant? It may sound like a tall tale, but it's very real!

On this day in 1922, Topsy managed to escape from the visiting Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. The four-ton pachyderm somehow got loose from her handlers and took an 18-hour stroll through the heart of downtown Wilmington, causing thousands of dollars in damage. She was eventually wrangled up after getting stuck in Greenfield Lake; however, she managed to escape again the next day by diving off a dock and swimming across the Cape Fear River.

Follow the link in the comments to read more of Topsy's incredible story!

10/07/2025

Spooky Season tours are back! Our popular Dark History Tours are back in action starting Friday, October 17 at 6:00. We’ll offer the same October 24. Beginning October 27, Chris Fonvielle will give his Dark History and Curious Tales Tour each night through Halloween. Those tours will begin at 7:00 (Halloween’s Tour will be at 6:30).

Can’t wait to see you then!

08/29/2025

As an NPS alum, this is an AWESOME opportunity. The eyes of every American history nerd will be on Moores Creek National Battlefield next February. Apply for this!

Exciting Internship Opportunity at Moores Creek National Battlefield!

Moores Creek National Battlefield is actively recruiting for a 20-week internship with the park's interpretation division. This position will be our America250 Intern. In addition to providing visitor services at the site, the intern will also play a key role in finalizing planning for the park's 250th anniversary event in February 2026. The internship is expected to start in mid-October and last until about mid-March. For more information about the position, please visit:

https://secure8.entertimeonline.com/ta/conservationlegacy.careers?ShowJob=688419142

Applicants must between the ages of 18-30 and have a high school diploma or equivalent degree. This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) Tuesday through Saturday from 8:45 am - 5:15 pm each day.

This position will be open now through COB Monday September 15. If you have any questions about the position, please contact Chief Ranger Jason Collins at [email protected].