Origin
Sea Breeze, NC
Afternoon in Sea Breeze on Sunday
Local time
1:32 PM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sea Breeze, NC to Wilmington, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
12.5 mi
20 km
Drive Score
5/10
Practical drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sea Breeze, NC
Peter Xie
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition from Sea Breeze to Wilmington, this 12.6-mile journey is an ideal day trip. You can easily complete the drive in about 20 minutes, making it a highly efficient connection within the Southeast region of North Carolina. Since the route requires no overnight stops and involves zero highway driving, it is a straightforward commute rather than a long-haul excursion. Budgeting about $2 for fuel will comfortably cover the distance, leaving you plenty of resources for your destination. Because the trip is so brief, you have total flexibility to head out whenever it best suits your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Beach Road | 11.1 mi | 18m |
| South 3rd Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Seabreeze Road South | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Burnett Boulevard | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Carolina Beach Road
— 11.1 mi, about 18m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sea Breeze, NC and Wilmington, NC.
1
Start on Seabreeze Road South
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Seabreeze Road South
2
Turn right onto US 421
5.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Carolina Beach Road
3
Turn left onto US 421
5.8 mi
·
10 min
·
Carolina Beach Road
Use the straight lane.
4
Take the exit
488 ft
·
11 sec
5
Merge onto US 421
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Burnett Boulevard
6
Continue on US 421
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South 3rd Street
7
Arrive at destination
US 17 Business
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 11.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 421 / Carolina Beach Road
Turn right onto US 421 / Carolina Beach Road
Navigation decision point
4
5.7 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
US 421 / Carolina Beach Road
Turn left onto US 421 / Carolina Beach Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
3
11.5 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
4
11.6 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
US 421 / Burnett Boulevard
Merge onto US 421 / Burnett Boulevard
Merge point - match speed before joining
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.95 one way
$3.91 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.14 | $4.27 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.31 | $4.63 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.76 | $5.52 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.31 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.75 | $0.80 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Wilmington, NC
Afternoon in Wilmington on Sunday
Local time
1:32 PM
EDT
Current temp
86°F
Sunny
SW 13 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
20 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
22m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate experience on this path. You will navigate primarily via Carolina Beach Road, Burnett Boulevard, and South 3rd Street to reach your destination. With a 0% highway share, the road maintains a consistent local pace throughout the entire 12.6-mile stretch. There are no exceptionally long, uninterrupted segments, so stay alert for frequent turns as you transition between these specific local arteries. It is a functional, no-frills drive that keeps you connected to the local street grid from start to finish.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.1 mi on Carolina Beach Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near US 421 / Carolina Beach Road.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 22m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (US 421 / Carolina Beach Road): Navigation decision point; at 5.7 miles (US 421 / Carolina Beach Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
About the Cities
Arriving in Wilmington, NC
Full guide →Wilmington is a city in the southeastern part of North Carolina. It is the county seat of New Hanover County, and home to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial, the Cape Fear Museum, Airlie Gardens, and a large historic district. It is convenient to nearby beaches, and is a relatively short drive from the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, SC, and the I-95 corridor.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 22m. Total distance: 12.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.1 miles on Carolina Beach Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (US 421 / Carolina Beach Road): Navigation decision point; at 5.7 miles (US 421 / Carolina Beach Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes — Moores Creek National Battlefield. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Wilmington, NC before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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