It takes about 2 hours to get to the ship from Raleigh. I set out at about 9:30 in the morning on a Friday in June, set my bike’s cruise control to 70mph and just sat back to enjoy the ride. When I arrived, the parking lot was only about one quarter full, so there was no line, no waiting.
The ship is very well maintained, and the tour is very well laid out. It is phenomenal to walk through virtually every space within the ship, and see all the different components that made this place a floating city -with fire power!
I stopped in the old mess area to have a Pepsi and ponder what it must have been like to serve aboard this ship in the Pacific during WWII. Later, I got to sit in the captain’s chair up on the bridge, looking out over the massive guns and pretending for a moment that I was the skipper and we were out at sea, stalking the enemy.
The model-building kid in me was having the time of his life!
Afterwards, I crossed the bridge into Wilmington proper, and I found a nice gothically decored restaurant/pub named Fat Tony’s. I had some cheap and delicious pizza before heading for home.
In all, the trip took about six hours, cost me about $50 (including gas, the tour ticket, mementos, snack and lunch) and it was entirely worth it!