Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens

Definitely a must-see place in Wilmington! Most objects are well preserved pieces from the house. Very knowledgeable and engaging guide who spent a lot of time explaining every interesting object in the house. History is fun and she proved it with excellent tour! The gardens were closed but this made me decide to return one day to see them as well.

Driving back from the low country, my sister and I decided to make a side trip to Wilmington. The tour was fascinating. It was interesting to learn that the house was used for entertaining the Wilmington upper class for many years before the Wright family bought it. And before that, it was the Wilmington jail. The tour takes about an hour and is worth it.

the tours are done on the hour and last probably just over an hour. our tour guide, chuck, was very knowledgeable and charismatic. he was able to efficiently explain the history and process behind the home and its many functions and features. when asked a question, he was able to give a significant amount of insight. the tour was extremely informative and a good one-stop-shop to general history of wilmington. definitely worth checking out! :)

We loved this tour, John our guide was very informative and entertaining. As an architect, I thrive on the history of why we build the way we do, and construction details. The gardens were also so well maintained!

I often visit the craft fairs, but while I was listening to an episode of their history podcast, they mentioned the night tours and I had to go. It's an after dark flashlight tour of the house. It's not a ghost tour. The tour gives you a unique view of life when the house was first built.

Hunter, the Assistant Curator gave us a wonderful tour of this 18 century home. It’s interesting to note the builder lived 8 miles away on his plantation of 1000 acres. He used this home for entertainment, music, dancing and guest rooms. “The Headquarters of Cornwallis is this 2 story white weather-boarded structure built 1770. Cornwallis maintained his headquarters here while in possession of Wilmington in 1781.” There is a self guided walking tour of the Gardens on site.

5/5 Stars We are absolutely thrilled to share our incredible experience with this breathtaking wedding venue! From the moment we first visited to our magical ceremony day, everything exceeded our wildest dreams. The Venue - A True Fairy Tale Setting The venue is nothing short of spectacular - it truly felt like stepping into a fairy tale! The natural beauty of the grounds, combined with the thoughtful design and landscaping, created the most romantic and enchanting atmosphere we could have imagined. Every corner of the property felt picture-perfect, providing countless stunning backdrops for our ceremony and photos. The venue's charm and elegance made our special day feel truly magical. Exceptional Service from Hunter We cannot say enough wonderful things about Hunter, who was absolutely exceptional to work with throughout our entire planning process. What makes Hunter's service even more remarkable is that we only visited the venue once and planned our entire wedding from Utah! Hunter's professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine care for making our day perfect was evident from our very first conversation. Despite the distance and remote planning, Hunter's expertise and guidance were invaluable, and they consistently went above and beyond to ensure every aspect of our vision came to life. The fact that we could plan such a perfect wedding from out of state speaks volumes about Hunter's communication skills and dedication. Outstanding Communication & Problem-Solving One aspect that particularly impressed us was Hunter's proactive communication regarding some grounds restoration work that was scheduled around our wedding timeframe. Rather than leaving us worried or uncertain, Hunter kept us fully informed throughout the process and confidently assured us that the restoration would not impact our ceremony in any way. Their transparency and clear communication put our minds completely at ease, and they were absolutely right - the restoration work had zero impact on our perfect day! A Perfect Wedding Day Our ceremony was everything we dreamed it would be and more. The fairy tale setting provided the most romantic backdrop as we exchanged vows, and every detail came together seamlessly. Our guests were in awe of the venue's beauty, and we couldn't have been happier with how everything unfolded. A Core Memory Forever This wedding day will remain a core memory for the rest of our lives, and so much of that magic was made possible by this incredible venue and Hunter's exceptional service. The combination of the breathtaking fairy tale setting and outstanding professional support created an experience that was truly beyond our expectations. Highest Recommendation To any couples searching for their perfect wedding venue, we cannot recommend this place highly enough. The stunning natural beauty, exceptional staff, and commitment to making your day absolutely perfect makes this venue a true gem. For couples planning from out of state, don't let the distance worry you - Hunter and the team make remote planning seamless and stress-free. We only visited once and planned everything from Utah, yet our day was flawless! Hunter and the entire team will ensure your wedding is everything you've dreamed of and more. Thank you for giving us the fairy tale wedding we always dreamed of! Alex and Alan Dickerson August 7, 2025

We had the our intimate wedding dinner in the Burgwin-Wright House Gardens. Hunter, the assistant museum director, was very kind, responsive, and easy to work with. If your looking for a beautiful event space in Downtown Wilmington, this is it!

The Burgwin-Wright House offers guided tours on the hour although my tour lasted over an hour with all the history provided and fascinating stories about the property and the people who lived there. It is the oldest of the three houses. The house is not handicap accessible. It was built in 1770 in the Colonial Era on what once was a jail. It had ballast stone walls. Outside you can see the jail cells. The house is Georgian architecture. The house is furnished with items from the 18th and 19th century. The house was somewhere Burgwin did business and tried to impress those he entertained. The house shows how they lived in pre-revolutionary times. The paint colors were restored to what they were in 1770. Outside in another building is the kitchen with a hearth which was the jailer's quarters. I recommend taking a tour of the Burwin-Wright House if you are interested in history or architecture.

It was very good, informative and interesting. We walked through 2 stories and through the garden.

$14 for an adult ticket for the tour. It includes a guided tour of inside the house as well as the outside building. You can free walk around the garden area after the guided tour. If you love history, old historic homes, and learning about Wilmington history, then this is a must see. The key to any good tour is the guide. They need to possess a good understanding of the history of the house and the historic period. Not just memorizing lines but really knowing the history. Our tour guide was as good as it gets. She knew the history of the house, the previous owners and was very knowledgeable about the period the house was built and lived in. I have done several historic house tours in Savannah and New Orleans and there is similar history here in Wilmington. Our guide as able to answer all questions I fired at her. She also debunked some of the ghost tour information pertaining to the house, though she admitted to being a fan of the ghost tours. I would highly recommend touring the house, with a guide. They do take credit card.

Historical home of Upper class (new money) Burgwin-Wright entertainment property and living quarters,9 the property was built on the original prison. Many enslaved in the home for serving guests and family. .Great tour guide . Also the exhibition of Cape Fear Quits - was very impressive pieces with fine detail. Glad to that!

The tour was fabulous, I'd have stayed there all day listening to the history and stories! John was amazing with all the details and showing us around this stunning piece of Wilmington history! Thank you!!

The house and contents are excellently maintained and fascinating. Our tour guide Julie was delightful- enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!

Very informative tour of a historic home. I lost count of how many factoids I learned in the 45-60 minute tour. If you're tall, watch your head

This was a highlight of my visit to Wilmington. It is easy walking distance from downtown, riverwalk. You can browse the gardens for no charge. They were gorgeous. The tour guide was very knowledgeable of the previous occupants and time periods they lived in.

Guide was great, tour of the house was interesting and the house was filled with interesting period pieces. Nice garden outside to see at the end of the tour. Would recommend for anyone interested in the 18th century history of the area.

Loved the tour of this house. The guide was engaging and knowledgeable about the history of the occupants and the area. Definitely recommend.

Beautifully restored historic 1770 home that's walkable to nearly everywhere in downtown Wilmington. Stopped in here on Saturday and did the 3 o'clock tour with Caitlyn. Caitlyn was wonderful on our tour, she was funny and informative and let our 7 year old help her demonstrate uses of different items in the home. We really enjoyed our tour of this piece of Wilmington history.

This house/museum is fantastic. The house is totally furnished, everything is authentic from the period from which it wa built. The docent that gave us the tour was incredible. I wish I could remember her name. I truly enjoyed it all.