Advice from a stranger at a gas station

On our drive to North Carolina, we made our last stop for gas in South Carolina. Another man at the pump noticed our Texas plates and inquired about what brought us this direction. When Jeff shared our plans with him, he became a fount of information on the area and had several suggestions for fun things to do. So, on this chilly and rainy day, we decided to put some of his proposed activities into play. Our adventures took us south to the aquarium at Fort Fisher. From there, we took the ferry to Southport, where we ate at a local dive with delicious food and a great atmosphere. We had ice cream across the street afterwards, before hopping back on the ferry. Once in Wilmington, we stopped at Trader Joe's and then Walmart (because, you know, no vacation is complete without a trip to a nationally recognized big box store with low, low prices). It was a delightful day and made us realize that taking advice from strangers at gas stations might need to be something we do more often. Or, something like that. 

A wild welcome at the aquarium

Gator attack!

Here, fishy fishy

Pondering the petting pool

Horseshoe Crabs

Shark bait

a toothy grin

Underwater wonders 

petting bamboo sharks

Playground time

Our little fashion marvel

The higher, the better

One of our favorites in the Butterfly Bungalow

Weston was a butterfly magnet.
(Probably because he's so sweet!)

"Second lunch" at Yacht Basin Provision Co.
("First lunch" was snacks at the aquarium.)

It's the pirate's life for me

Chillin' in the ferry's lounge

Trader Joe's

Flower to the Max