Wrightsville Beach: The Luminous Island

Either way, you can t go wrong.

Either way, you ll find a vibrant mixture of old and new.

Either way, you ll hear stories of fires and hurricanes and beach trolleys and Big Bands.

Either way, amid a landscape of change, you ll find the constancy of waves against sand.

Wrightsville Beach is Ray McAllister s homage to a special place, a book that captures not only Wrightsville s history but also its heart.

Unlike most of the North Carolina coast, Wrightsville had a sizable population base, thanks to nearby Wilmington. Development didn t begin early here, but once it started, it came hard and fast. By the early 20th century, Wrightsville was beckoning family vacationers to its simple beach cottages and day-trippers to its dance floors, cinemas, and sundry amusements.

Through all the changes, Wrightsville has never forgotten the hospitality that made it such a destination in the first place. Just ask the airplane full of Pennsylvanians who fled here to escape one of America s first manmade disasters. Or the thousands who continue to come for happier reasons today.

Longtime Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Ray McAllister has visited the North Carolina coast for many years. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.