Name: Saltwater Stories Series - Shell Island
Start: 2026-06-28T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-06-28T21:00:00-04:00
Location: 11 market st

WilmingtoNColor & Voyce Expand “Saltwater Stories” Into Monthly Series After Immediate Sellout
The immersive dining and storytelling experience centered on Black beach history returns with multiple Shell Island dates and a special Seabreeze finale.
WILMINGTON, NC — What was originally planned as a one-time cultural dining experience has officially evolved into an ongoing monthly series after tickets for the first “Saltwater Stories: An Immersive Dining & Storytelling Experience of Coastal Carolina” sold out within the first week of being announced.
Created by WilmingtoNColor Heritage Tours and Voyce, the intimate storytelling and dining experience quickly captured attention across the region, leading organizers to expand the concept into a recurring monthly series designed to give more people the opportunity to experience the powerful stories hidden along the coast of North Carolina.
Hosted inside Voyce, the Black-owned restaurant led by two-time James Beard Award nominee Chef Keith Rhodes — also featured on Top Chef — the series blends upscale Coastal Carolina cuisine with immersive public history storytelling.
The first chapter of the series centers on Shell Island, the once-thriving Black beach resort community of Wrightsville Beach that became a symbol of freedom, entrepreneurship, joy, and cultural gathering during segregation before much of its history faded from mainstream public narrative.
Because of the intentionally intimate nature of the experience, seating remains limited for each event to preserve the emotional and interactive atmosphere that has made the series so impactful.
Following overwhelming demand, organizers have announced three Shell Island editions of the experience:
* May 24, 2026
* June 28, 2026
* July 19, 2026
The series will conclude with a special Seabreeze edition on July 30, 2026, featuring storytelling by Sister Elise, a direct descendant of the Freeman family, whose family still owns beachfront property connected to the historic Seabreeze community to this day.
The Seabreeze experience will highlight the legacy of one of North Carolina’s most important Black beach communities — a place built by formerly enslaved families and Black entrepreneurs that became a refuge for generations seeking freedom, recreation, and ownership along the coast.
Organizers say the expansion of the Saltwater Stories series is also meant to formally introduce the public to WilmingtoNColor’s new year-round Black beach history tour experiences focused on both Shell Island and Seabreeze.
Guests can now book immersive group storytelling tours exploring:
* Shell Island and the Black history of Wrightsville Beach
* Seabreeze, Freeman Beach, and the Black beach history of Carolina Beach
Tours are now available year-round through WilmingtoNColor.com.
WilmingtoNColor Heritage Tours has gained national recognition for its innovative approach to public history and cultural tourism, with features in PBS, Travel + Leisure, The Washington Post, and Travel Noire.
“This series represents exactly what WilmingtoNColor was created to do,” said organizers of the experience. “Not just teach history, but allow people to emotionally feel connected to it through storytelling, food, place, and community.”
Event Information
Saltwater Stories: An Immersive Dining & Storytelling Experience of Coastal Carolina
Location: Voyce Restaurant — Wilmington, NC
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Shell Island Editions
* May 24, 2026
* June 28, 2026
* July 19, 2026
Seabreeze Edition
* July 30, 2026
About WilmingtoNColor Heritage Tours
WilmingtoNColor Heritage Tours is a Wilmington-based public history and cultural tourism initiative using immersive multimedia storytelling to uncover historically overlooked African American narratives throughout Coastal North Carolina. Through guided tours, festivals, exhibits, and experiential storytelling events, WilmingtoNColor connects visitors to the people, places, and stories that shaped the region’s history.
Media Contact:
WilmingtoNColor Heritage Tours
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.WilmingtoNColor.com