Itinerary: Wilmington

People tend to forget about Wilmington, the harbor area of Los Angeles tucked next to the bigger community of San Pedro. But the primarily working-class area has its own attractions and a history worth examining. Hollywood filmmaker Preston Sturges once ran a manufacturing company in Wilmington, for instance, and the town was the location for the major West Coast Civil War barracks.

A bit down in the heels for the last few decades, Wilmington’s citizen groups and local officials are working to restore the docks to lure tourist bucks. Eleven recreational marinas share space in the Cerritos Channel with tugboats and work barges from Terminal Island across the way. A newly completed community center has spruced up the oceanfront, giving residents a sense of pride in their community. Wilmington’s a great place to find reasonable marina slip fees, too. This weekend, avoid the summer crowds in Long Beach and San Pedro and spend some time discovering the charms of this understated neighbor.

Friday

Dine at the favorite local hangout, Maya’s Mexican Restaurant (227 W. Anaheim St., [310] 830-6660). Jesus and Fernando Gamboa keep the place open seven days a week and host many meetings of city planners and organizers. The restaurant features authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices.

Saturday

Check out the newer aspects of Wilmington. The College of Oceaneering (272 S. Fries St., [310] 834-2501) offers classes in deep-sea diving as well as underwater welding and diver medical training. Sign up for a class and while you’re there, visit the Diveco gift shop that is stocked with T-shirts and diver-related souvenirs.

In June, the community proudly dedicated the Banning’s Landing Community Center (100 Water St., [310] 548-2496). Designed by architect Ted Tokio Tanaka, who created the glass-pylon gateway to LAX, the center’s design pays homage to the boating heritage of Wilmington and San Pedro. The lines of the exterior evoke a huge boat shape, and a new walkway provides pleasant access to the harbor. In a recent interview, Tanaka said that, before the building of the community center, most Wilmington residents didn’t even know their town bordered the ocean.

Stop in for some clam chowder at the Chowder Barge (611 Henry Ford Ave., [310] 830-7937). The floating restaurant has been moored at Leeward Bay Marina since 1969.

Sunday

Explore a distant piece of Civil War history at the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum (1052 Banning Blvd., [310] 548-7509. Closed Mondays and Fridays). The museum is in the only remaining wood building of Camp Drum, which was the Union Army headquarters for California and Arizona Territory from 1861-71. Inside, you’ll find a parlor decorated with 1860s furniture, models of the site as it looked during the Civil War, guns, swords, period clothing and an original Gatling gun.

After the Civil War, Camp Drum was used as a base during the Indian Wars. Some locals claim the place is haunted and speak of the fragrances of pipe smoke and lilacs, and doors that won’t stay shut or locked.

For more history, visit the Banning Residence Museum (401 Elm St., [310] 548-7777, tours Tuesdays-Thursdays and Saturdays-Sundays starting at 12:30 p.m.). The 23-room Greek Revival mansion was built in 1864 for Gen. Phineas Banning, one of the founders of the port of Los Angeles In addition to the mansion, the property includes a one-room schoolhouse and stagecoach barn.

Hollywood loves to use the house as a film location, the most recent being the 1998 movie “Primary Colors.” Adjacent to the museum is the 20-acre Banning Park.