Winston-Salem to Wilmington NC drive: Best stops, distance & time

Planning a Winston-Salem to Wilmington road trip itinerary

The Winston-Salem NC to Wilmington NC drive connects historic North Carolina to the coast.

Winston-Salem NC is the birthplace of both Camel cigarettes and Krispy Kreme. The top attraction is the Old Salem Museums and Gardens, which brings together several topics across a series of preserved buildings. Wander the site, and you’ll move from decorative arts to indigenous peoples to Moravian settlers.

Other attractions include the Reynolda Museum of American Art in a handsome mansion and Historic Bethabara Park. The latter is the site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina.

You can also go on a guided ghost tour.

For Winston-Salem accommodation with a bit of personality, try the Kimpton Cardinal or Historic Brookstown Inn.

Wilmington NC is a port city that acts as a gateway to the beaches of Cape Fear. Wrightsville Beach is the best known of these. Attractions in the city itself include Battleship North Carolina, which took part in every major WWII Pacific offensive. Visitors can now go on board and explore.

For historic homes, you can try the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens or the Bellamy Mansion. And, on a sunny day, the Airlie Gardens and the Wilmington Riverwalk are a delight.

Good Wilmington experiences include nighttime ghost walks, history and architecture walking tours, e-bike tours and sunset sailing cruises.

For Wilmington accommodation deals, search here.

Winston-Salem NC to Wilmington NC distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Winston-Salem NC to Wilmington NC is 232 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and 27 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40.

The best stops to add to a Durham NC to Wilmington NC road trip itinerary are Durham NC,  Raleigh NC and the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site.

For more suggestions, check out the guides to the Winston-Salem to Raleigh drive and Raleigh to Wilmington drive.

Best stops between Winston-Salem NC and Wilmington NC: Durham NC

Durham NC is a big tech research center, and home to Duke University. The latter is home to the Nasher Museum of Art and the soaring Gothic Duke Chapel.

Nature-lovers can go walking through the Sarah P Duke Gardens and take a tour of the Duke Lemur Center. The biggest crowd-pleaser, however, is the Museum of Life and Science. There are several sections to this, both indoor and outdoor. It’s mainly button-pushing, kid-friendly science indoors and black bears, butterflies and red wolves outside.

The best-rated Durham NC accommodation options are the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club and the Hampton Inn and Suites at the University Medical Center.

Winston-Salem NC to Wilmington NC road trip attractions: Raleigh NC

Raleigh NC offers a series of high quality museums. The North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina Museum of Art are the three big-hitters. Meanwhile, the Mordecai Historic Park is where you’ll find Raleigh’s oldest house and the William B Umstead State Park is the top spot for outdoorsy pursuits.

Top Raleigh activities include trolley pub tours and ghost tours.

For Raleigh accommodation, the Marriott is the prime address downtown and the Store is a gorgeous guesthouse.

Winston-Salem NC to Wilmington NC drive: Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site

The Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site covers the location of the biggest battle ever fought in North Carolina. Fought from March 19-21 in 1965, this was the last tactical offensive launched by the Confederate Army in the Civil War.  You can tackle it via a 10 mile self-driving tour, or along the six miles of walking trails. There is also a video presentation in the Visitor Center, while tours of Harper House show off the former field hospital.

The ocean in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The ocean in Wilmington, North Carolina. Photo by Wentau Liu/ Unsplash.

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