Wilmington puts finishing touches on Riverfront Park, opening its West Garden

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The final touches were put on Riverfront Park Friday morning, with dozens turning out for the opening of the West Garden.

Mayor Bill Saffo says the opening of the gardens is the final piece of the puzzle, completing the park that’s been in the works since 2013.

There have been 27 events at the park since it first opened 5 months ago, with over 126,000 attendees generating Wilmington $314,000 worth of revenue.

“This whole north end of Wilmington, 15 years ago was old, was dilapidated warehouses,” Wilmington council member Charlie Rivenbark said. “A never very stable shore, waterfront. It just took a lot of will, and a lot of wallet to put it together. It can only get better.”

Signs around the park are made from steel collected from old warehouses used to build ships in WWII, part of an effort to connect Wilmington’s past to its future.