Visit North Carolina coast before summer crowds

Looking for a rite of spring to be a theme for your next trip? Think about heading to the southern corner of North Carolina for an annual flower festival at Wilmington. Once you're there, you can find all sorts of other attractions and activities to make your visit a success.

The North Carolina Azalea Festival has been going on since 1948, according to Wilmington Today --www.wilmingtontoday.com/Events/index.html -- which provides links to the festival Web site and information on festival garden tours. The festival starts on April 6, so you have time to plan for the concerts, parade and street fair.

Don't worry, there's more to see and do in and around Wilmington, a gateway to the shore communities in the Cape Fear region. Scan the menu along the left side of the page for details on beaches where you can enjoy the sound of the surf, the sea air and the scenery before the summer crowds arrive. They also provide suggestions for day trips including a Cape Fear River circle tour, and for recreation ranging from boating and fishing to tennis and golf.

Look for more details on outdoor recreation including bird watching and camping at the visitors section of the Wilmington-Cape Fear CVB -- www.cape-fear.nc.us/ -- and scroll down to the bottom of the page for a photo gallery. The shore communities outside Wilmington include Kure Beach, a family oriented destination with a 711-foot-long fishing pier, according to this Web site's guides. Kure Beach also is the site of Fort Fisher, the last major Confederate stronghold. Check their calendar for other Azalea Festival events around Wilmington, including a horse show, and the dates for the Cole Brothers Circus.

While you're at it, Cape Fear Region -- www.capefear-nc.com/ -- offers more details on the area, and supplies a handy link for ordering an essential state highway department map of the region's roads and waterways called the Coastal Boating Guide.

Just south of Wilmington, the Southport-Oak Island area -- www.southport-oakisland.com/ -- promises more than 28 miles of beach, picturesque lighthouses and spring-fed lakes at the town of Boiling Spring Lakes. These communities also boast of their average April high temperature of 74 degrees.