Pool in NC - Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Topsail, Southport Areas

[Kickin' Chicken]

looks like I will be in the Wilmington and surrounding areas for a week starting Thursday and wondering what pool rooms might be worth visiting.

I've heard of Ortons in Wilmington which is supposed to be the oldest room in the US and even has ghosts (haven't played the ghost in a while).

Any other establishments that should be on my radar?

TIA

and Merry Christmas.

best,
brian kc

 

[jasonlaus]

looks like I will be in the Wilmington and surrounding areas for a week starting Thursday and wondering what pool rooms might be worth visiting.

I've heard of Ortons in Wilmington which is supposed to be the oldest room in the US and even has ghosts (haven't played the ghost in a while).

Any other establishments that should be on my radar?

TIA

and Merry Christmas.

best,
brian kc

One of the rooms in Wilmington had a lunch special - free hr of pool with lunch, not sure if they still do that or not. That was a long time ago, worked in that area for ~ 10yrs every spring.

Last time I was in Southport nothing but a few raggedy BB's.

It's a pretty good drive to Myrtle Beach.

Enjoy!
Jason

 

[pt109]

Brian....a word of warning

Wilmington considers itself the Fried Chicken Capital.
...protect yourself at all times....

...and avoid places like this....:yikes:

 

[West Point 1987]

https://www.breaktimepoolhall.com/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/rackm-pub-and-billiards-wilmington

Both on College Road...either will keep you busy and in action for the whole week. Breaktime is the better of the two, wall to wall Diamonds, both BB and 9 footers, and a snooker table for golf.

Orton's not worth he trip downtown, IMHO. Small, dingy and poorly maintained. Plus parking's a pain.

 

[jasonlaus]

https://www.breaktimepoolhall.com/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/rackm-pub-and-billiards-wilmington

Both on College Road...either will keep you busy and in action for the whole week. Breaktime is the better of the two, wall to wall Diamonds, both BB and 9 footers, and a snooker table for golf.

Orton's not worth he trip downtown, IMHO. Small, dingy and poorly maintained. Plus parking's a pain.

Breaktime is where I played.
Jason

 

[GoPlayPool]

Wilmington, NC

Hope you have a great time.
We have all the pool rooms listed there in Wilmington and more...
including:
Table count, sizes, brands and tournament and leagues availability and most amenities, from: food to alcohol and entertainment.
The GoPlayPool App is free as well with zip code search and more...
Check it out and Happy Holidays!
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[West Point 1987]

Best fried chicken in the area (Southport), special recipe.
http://famoussubsandpizza.com/

Best Asian restaurant I've ever eaten at, the portion size will kill you. We never miss an opportunity to eat there every time we're in town (which is about once every 2 months).
https://www.indochinewilmington.com/

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Brian....a word of warning

Wilmington considers itself the Fried Chicken Capital.
...protect yourself at all times....

...and avoid places like this....:yikes:

View attachment 508471

How funny / concerning.

We were going down I-95 in Central Virginia last night and sure enough saw a billboard for Bojangles fried chicken and actually did laugh out loud it went by too fast to get a picture

I have a good pool buddy who by coincidence happened to be in Wilmington for 9 days over the holiday and I thought I would get there in time 2 hit some balls with him but this 11 hour drive became 14 hours and still three hours away this morning due to extreme traffic in Baltimore Washington and Northern Virginia

He told me that he did go to aspect he agreed it wasn't too great of a playing room but he liked the atmosphere and said they let him write his name on the wall downstairs but only with using a piece of chalk

I told him about the Breaktime suggestion and he said he went there and was actually disappointed with the equipment shed but yes there were all diamonds but sadly most in need of attention dirty stains Etc

I will go to these two places myself and let you all know what I find

Thanks everybody for your tips and suggestions

best
Brian kc

 

[Black-Balled]

Northern va/ DC traffic...yeah, you gotta plan what time you roll thru that zone. Any time between about 11pm- 5am should result in free passage.

Other than that, it has ruined many a passer's schedule!

 

[woodyosborne]

Northern va/ DC traffic...yeah, you gotta plan what time you roll thru that zone. Any time between about 11pm- 5am should result in free passage.



you are absolutely right about the timing. 11pm-5am is when you want to go thru there.

 

[jayburger]

Brian breaktime is where most of the gAmbling goes on,if you,re looking to matchup. I hate to knock him,but i protect my buddies on azb(you) so a kid named justin is the best player in town(not really knocking as he is pretty well known nationwide and will match up fairly)

 

[dealerphil]

Wilmington / Monkey Junction

Is Monkey Junction / Cardinal Bands and Billiards still open and worth a shot?

 

[West Point 1987]

How funny / concerning.

We were going down I-95 in Central Virginia last night and sure enough saw a billboard for Bojangles fried chicken and actually did laugh out loud it went by too fast to get a picture

I have a good pool buddy who by coincidence happened to be in Wilmington for 9 days over the holiday and I thought I would get there in time 2 hit some balls with him but this 11 hour drive became 14 hours and still three hours away this morning due to extreme traffic in Baltimore Washington and Northern Virginia

He told me that he did go to aspect he agreed it wasn't too great of a playing room but he liked the atmosphere and said they let him write his name on the wall downstairs but only with using a piece of chalk

I told him about the Breaktime suggestion and he said he went there and was actually disappointed with the equipment shed but yes there were all diamonds but sadly most in need of attention dirty stains Etc

I will go to these two places myself and let you all know what I find

Thanks everybody for your tips and suggestions

best
Brian kc

They renovated all the tables...converted the red diamonds to blue and recovered everything. Anybody says there isn't action isn't looking very hard. It usually finds you...

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Brian....a word of warning

Wilmington considers itself the Fried Chicken Capital.
...protect yourself at all times....

...and avoid places like this....:yikes:

View attachment 508471

Went in disguise and took a nice box lunch out to our tailgate. Caniballistically speaking, their chicken and biscuits were great! :thumbup:

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Northern va/ DC traffic...yeah, you gotta plan what time you roll thru that zone. Any time between about 11pm- 5am should result in free passage.

Other than that, it has ruined many a passer's schedule!

came back thru wash dc and baltimore at off hours and even on Sunday and that did the trick. Shaved 3.5 hours off the trip.

If I lived there I'd have to get a helicopter. :grin:

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Is Monkey Junction / Cardinal Bands and Billiards still open and worth a shot?

real estate agent told me that monkey junction is a bad spot - no idea on that pool room though.

asked he how it was named, she said many years ago there was a gas station whose owner had a monkey with him all the time; evolved grin-square into Monkey Junction.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Best fried chicken in the area (Southport), special recipe.
http://famoussubsandpizza.com/

Best Asian restaurant I've ever eaten at, the portion size will kill you. We never miss an opportunity to eat there every time we're in town (which is about once every 2 months).
https://www.indochinewilmington.com/

per your tip, went to indochine and we had enough leftovers for a nice meal the next day, too.

Food was terrific! :thumbup:

thanks for the headsup

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

https://www.breaktimepoolhall.com/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/rackm-pub-and-billiards-wilmington

Both on College Road...either will keep you busy and in action for the whole week. Breaktime is the better of the two, wall to wall Diamonds, both BB and 9 footers, and a snooker table for golf.

Orton's not worth he trip downtown, IMHO. Small, dingy and poorly maintained. Plus parking's a pain.

I actually enjoyed Orton's for the historical aspect but yeah, equipment and interior on the dingy side for sure. While there I was thinking if these walls could talk they'd have a whole lot to say. There was an Anniversary and a Centennial there, however, and barbox.

They allow you to sign the wall in certain areas but you have to use a chalk cube to do it. "Kickin Chicken" now has an autograph on the back left wall.

As my buddy Carl pointed out, Break Time was more of a players room compared to Ortons and much bigger but the tables weren't in very good shape there either, dirty, stained cloth, etc.

The main purpose of the trip was to check out the area and real estate (and relax a little) and I'm happy to say I found my dream home nestled deep inside the Tobacco Field Mobile Park. I can just picture my retirement rocking in my chair on the front porch with a cool glass of sweet tea.

best,
brian kc