--- title: "Free and Cheap Things to Do in Wilmington, NC" description: "A local's list of genuinely free and under-$10 things to do in Wilmington and its beaches, from the Arboretum to the $7 ferry, with current prices for each one." url: "https://www.wilmingtonbeachrentals.com/things-to-do/free-cheap-things-to-do-wilmington/" published: "2026-08-25" updated: "2026-08-25" --- # Free and Cheap Things to Do in Wilmington, NC Wilmington's free-and-cheap list is shorter than the search results suggest, and it changes less often than the blog posts about it do. The New Hanover County Arboretum has been free since it opened, the Riverfront Farmers Market has never charged admission, and the $7 ferry to Fort Fisher still covers a whole carload for a 30-minute river crossing. Here's what costs nothing right now, what runs a few dollars and earns it, and one popular pick that isn't actually free. ## Key Takeaways - The New Hanover County Arboretum, Fort Fisher State Historic Site, the Riverfront Farmers Market, and the Wrightsville Beach Loop cost nothing to visit, with no ticket or parking fee at any of them. - The $7 Southport-Fort Fisher ferry buys a carload a 30-minute river crossing and time in Southport, though NCDOT tolls are set to change ferry pricing statewide starting January 2027, so confirm the fare before you go. - Greenfield Lake's shaded walking loop is free, but the boathouse's paddleboat and kayak rentals run $12 to $17 an hour, well past the "under $10" mark, so budget that one as a splurge. - Airlie Gardens charges $10 for most visitors, but New Hanover County residents get in free, two adults per ID, on the first Sunday of every month. ## Free to see and do, no cost at all ### New Hanover County Arboretum The [Arboretum](https://www.nhcgov.com/161/Arboretum-NC-Cooperative-Extension), at 6206 Oleander Drive, has been free since it opened in 1989 and stays that way, no ticket booth and no parking fee, open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. About 33 themed gardens spread across the 7-acre site, including a children's garden, a Japanese garden, an herb garden, and a rose garden, with plantings that trace back to work by NC State horticulturist J.C. Raulston. It's a good hour or two, longer if kids want to run the paths, and it's shaded enough to work on a hot afternoon that would be miserable at the beach. The gardens occasionally close for private events, so call 910-798-7660 ahead of a special trip to confirm they're open. ### Fort Fisher State Historic Site [Fort Fisher's](https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/fort-fisher) admission has always been free, Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays, Mondays, and state holidays). The earthworks here held for most of the Civil War, keeping Wilmington's port open to blockade-runners supplying the Confederacy, and by early 1865 the fort was the last open supply line for Robert E. Lee's army in Virginia. It fell on January 15, 1865, after a major U.S. amphibious assault, which hastened the Confederacy's collapse. Walking the grounds and the museum takes an hour or so, and it pairs naturally with a beach stop, since Fort Fisher's own stretch of sand sits right next to it. ### Riverfront Farmers Market The [Riverfront Farmers Market](https://www.wilmingtonbeachrentals.com/things-to-do/riverfront-farmers-market-downtown-wilmington/) runs Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine, on Dock Street between 2nd and Water Streets downtown. It's free to walk through, and it's been going since 2003, which makes it the longest-running farmers market in Wilmington. The stalls mix local growers with artisan vendors, so you'll find produce next to handmade goods, and browsing the market with a coffee is a solid way to spend a Saturday morning before the day heats up. ### Wrightsville Beach Loop The [Loop](https://www.wilmingtonbeachrentals.com/things-to-do/wrightsville-beach-loop-pier-museum-walk/) is a paved, roughly 2.45-mile circuit that crosses Banks Channel on both the north and south bridges, runs along Causeway Drive and North Lumina Avenue, and passes Wrightsville Beach Park and the town museum on the way. There's no fee to walk or run it, though the town's beach parking does cost money in season, so plan to arrive on foot or park in a free residential spot if you're not paying for beach access that day anyway. Go early. The path gets crowded with walkers, runners, strollers, and dogs by mid-morning, especially on weekends. ### Riverwalk and free Battleship views Downtown's boardwalk along the Cape Fear River doesn't cost anything to walk, and it puts the Battleship North Carolina directly in view across the water. If you don't want to pay the ship's admission, the [SECU Walkway](https://battleshipnc.com/) that encircles the Battleship's grounds is free and open to the public, and it's close enough to read the hull and appreciate a ship that earned 15 battle stars in the Pacific during World War II. Between the two, you get river views, restaurants and shops along the boardwalk, and a free look at one of the city's landmarks. ### Greenfield Lake's walking loop [Greenfield Lake](https://capefearriverwatch.org/greenfield-lake/), just south of downtown, has a shaded walking path free to anyone who shows up, with Spanish moss draped over cypress trees more than a century old and alligators that live in the lake year-round. Feeding them is against the rules and a bad idea besides. It's a different pace than the beach, and the light over the water gets especially good in the evening. ## Worth the extra few dollars ### Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry The [Southport-Fort Fisher ferry](https://www.wilmingtonbeachrentals.com/things-to-do/southport-ferry-day-trip/) costs $7 for a vehicle under 20 feet, which covers everyone riding in it, and the crossing gives you 30 minutes on the Cape Fear River with the fort and the Atlantic on one side and Southport's waterfront on the other. [NCDOT has scheduled new tolls](https://www.wect.com/2026/08/19/tolls-coming-all-north-carolina-ferry-routes-2027/) across all its ferry routes starting January 1, 2027, with rates going to the state transportation board for review this fall. Confirm the current fare before you drive to the dock. ### Airlie Gardens [Airlie Gardens](https://www.wilmingtonbeachrentals.com/things-to-do/airlie-gardens-day-visit/) runs $10 for general admission most days, which puts it just over this list's under-$10 line, but it earns the extra couple of dollars with the Airlie Oak, a butterfly house with weekly releases in summer, and a concert series through the grounds. New Hanover County residents get in free on the first Sunday of each month, two adults per ID plus kids under 18, which turns the whole visit into a free outing once a month if your timing lines up. ### Greenfield Lake's boathouse, if you want to be on the water The walking loop around Greenfield Lake is free, though paddling it runs extra. The Cape Fear River Watch boathouse rents single kayaks and canoes for $12 an hour, and tandem kayaks or 4-seat paddleboats for $17 an hour, Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last boat out at 4. That's past the under-$10 mark this list is built around, so budget it as a splurge. It's worth it if getting out among the cypress trees and alligators, from a safe distance and in a boat, is what you're after. ## A full day here doesn't have to cost much None of these need a whole day, which is what makes them easy to stack. Walk the Arboretum in the morning while it's cool, catch the farmers market before it closes at one, or time a Saturday around both. The ferry and Fort Fisher pair naturally into a half-day near Kure Beach, and the Wrightsville Beach Loop works as a before-dinner walk once the parking meters stop mattering. Older "free things to do" roundups don't always reflect what these cost today, so before you plan around a number you saw elsewhere, check the source page linked above for whichever stop is on your list. ## FAQs ### Is there a free way to see Wilmington's beaches with kids? Yes. The New Hanover County Arboretum has a children's garden and no admission fee, Fort Fisher State Historic Site is free and lets kids run the earthworks and the museum at their own pace, and the Wrightsville Beach Loop is flat enough for a stroller. None of the three charge for parking either. ### What's the best under-$10 outing if you only pick one? The Southport-Fort Fisher ferry. Seven dollars covers the whole carload for a 30-minute crossing of the Cape Fear River, and you get a boat ride, river views, and a reason to explore Southport on the other side.