River Road Park
Cape Fear River access for kayaks & small boats
6500 River Road, Wilmington, NC  28412

Riverside Park
Cape Fear River access for jon boats & kayaks
6710 Old Bridge Site Road, Castle Hayne, NC  28429

Smith Creek Park
Freshwater lake for non-motorized watercraft only
633 Shenandoah Street, Wilmington, NC  28411
*Recent improvements have made it easier to get your watercraft into the lake.  Now you can drive your vehicle down closer to the launch to unload without having to carry your boats all the way from the parking lot!

Trails End Park
Intracoastal Waterway access for kayaks & boats, 25' or less
613 Trails End Road, Wilmington, NC  28409

Check out the Interactive Parks Map on our website for information on these locations and more!

THANK YOU Trash Mob Volunteers!

The first NHC Parks Conservancy Trash Mob was a big success thanks to an awesome group of volunteers!  On April 22nd, we had 60 volunteers pick up 65 bags of trash from around the county.  We had volunteers from Alcami, Cape Fear Garden Club, Capitol Ford/Lincoln & Nissan, Pathfinder Wealth Consulting, as well as, a great group of NHC employees & volunteers!  If you missed it this time, don't worry...  there will be many more Trash Mobs and other volunteer opportunities.  Visit the Parks Conservancy website for more information or email us to add your name to the volunteer list.  

National Public Gardens Day

National Public Gardens Day is a national day of celebration to raise awareness of America’s public gardens and their important role in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness, plant and water conservation, and education in communities nationwide.  To celebrate, Airlie Gardens will offer FREE admission to all guests on Friday, May 12th from 9am-4:30pm.  More Info

Butterfly House at Airlie Gardens Opens May 15th

Airlie's 2,700-sq ft butterfly house is home to hundreds of butterflies, all native to North Carolina.  Species like Giant Swallowtail, Monarch, Gulf Fritillary, and Red Admiral are just some of the majestic butterflies to be found inside the exhibit which is open daily and included with regular garden admission and FREE for Airlie Members. More Info

Airlie Gardens Concert Series

Airlie's 2017 Summer Concert Series begins May 19th and runs every 1st and 3rd Friday through September 15th.  Concerts are from 6-8pm each scheduled evening and admission is $10/Adults, $2/Children and FREE for Airlie Members.  The offsite parking location for all general admission has changed this year.  The new location is the NHC Government Center at 230 Government Center Dr (west entrance facing College Rd).  A free trolley service will run continuously throughout the evening beginning at 5pm.  More Info

National Kids to Parks Day

The 7th annual Kids to Parks Day is May 20th!  KTP is a national day of outdoor play organized by National Park Trust to encourage children across the country to explore their neighborhood parks and discover science, history, nature and adventure right in their own hometowns.  There are numerous opportunities for kids to play outdoors in our 15 county parks.  Visit our website at parks.nhcgov.com to learn more about our parks locations, amenities, programs and activities.