BACK DOOR KITCHEN TOUR 2025: Where History, Hospitality, and Community Spirit Meet

On Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the heart of Wilmington will open its doors. The Residents of Old Wilmington (ROW) present their much-loved Back Door Kitchen Tour, now in its 52nd year—a tradition that continues to capture the city’s soul while raising vital funds for local nonprofits.

What began in the 1970s as a grassroots effort to preserve and restore a declining Historic District has blossomed into one of Wilmington’s most beloved community traditions. Each year, homeowners graciously welcome visitors not through the front door, but through the “heart of the home”—the kitchen. From there, guests are invited to explore the first floor, featuring eight beautifully preserved and thoughtfully designed homes in the Historic District, each with its own unique story to tell.

More than a glimpse at architecture and design, the tour is a living testament to Wilmington’s resilience. “When I walk up the stairs of the 150-year-old home, I see how the wooden stairs have worn over time, and I think of those who’ve traversed them,” shared ROW President Jane Patterson, who, along with her husband, Bruce Urban, welcomed visitors into their home last year. “It makes me feel connected to the past in a very intimate way. Knowing that sharing our home will support local nonprofits feels like we’re helping bring the past and present together in a vital way.”

That spirit of generosity is at the heart of the Back Door Kitchen Tour. The funds raised each year, including your ticket purchase, are awarded to nonprofit organizations working to improve the quality of life in Wilmington. The 2025 beneficiaries—funded by last year’s event—include Carousel Center, DREAMS Center for Arts Education, Castle Street Collective, Williston Middle School, Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, Sister Isaac Center, and the Brooklyn Arts Music Academy. Each represents a different way in which the community is nurtured, from supporting children and families to protecting the environment and celebrating the arts.

Visitors can expect to step back in time as they walk across 150-year-old heart pine floors, admire intricate ceiling medallions, and run their hands along moldings carved by hand. Yet, the tour also celebrates the modern spirit of Wilmington homeowners, whose design choices blend historic craftsmanship with fresh, surprising details that make each home unique.

What sets the Back Door Kitchen Tour apart from other home or garden tours is not just the architecture—it’s the story of community resilience. By opening their homes, residents extend a warm invitation to strangers to connect with the history, beauty, and shared pride of place that make Wilmington so special. As much as it is a fundraiser, it’s also an act of hospitality: a gesture of inclusion and connection that ties past, present, and future together.

Tickets for the Back Door Kitchen Tour are $40 per person and can be purchased in advance through Eventbrite. More details, including a preview of the homes featured on this year’s tour, are also available online.

This October, step inside the kitchens of Wilmington’s past and present, and experience firsthand how a community’s history can continue to nourish its future.