Kitty Hawk, located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, consists of a thriving village that has been around for generations, a newer beach community of residential cottages, and a maritime forest called Kitty Hawk Woods which features a wide variety of plant and animal life.

Understand

Once a remote area, Kitty Hawk has grown with small-scale development into a summer resort and beach recreation area.

Orville and Wilbur Wright chose this remote fishing village on the Outer Banks in 1900 partly for privacy from prying eyes. Three years later, they flew for the first heavier-than-air flying machine. Since then, Kitty Hawk has been associated with the Wright Brothers as the birthplace of aviation, although the flight took place four miles south from the base of Kill Devil Hills.

On the oceanside, thousands of rental homes, restaurants and shops are part of the development that has characterized the northern Outer Banks from Nags Head to Corolla. But along the Albemarle Sound, the village remains off the beaten path. Shaded lanes wind along the marshes. Quaint clapboard cottages and fishing boats line a series of canals that lead to the open waters of the Sound.

Wright Brothers National Memorial and Visitor Center and the Memorial Pylon are nearby reminders of the days when Orville and Wilbur Wright made this area their headquarters.

See Aviation history for context.

Get in

By plane

The Norfolk International Airport is 1 hour and 30 minutes away. It is right off the highway and an easy drive to the Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk. You can also check flights into Newport News. That drive would be about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Pitt-Greenville is about three hours away.

• Private pilots will want to make a visit to First Flight airport (FFA ^IATA), just southwest of the Wright Memorial. OR Manteo Airport in Manteo, NC. There are Charter flights from Norfolk (ORF ^IATA).

By boat

• Dock of the Bay Marina, ☏ +1 252-255-5578. Marine fuel, supplies, charters. 

Get around

There is no local bus service. Use a private car, or hire a taxi. Walking and bicycling is also possible.

Do

Activities include kayaking, parasailing, boating, fishing, surfing and surfing lessons.

• The Promenade, ☏ +1 252-261-4900. Amusement, mini golf, chip & putt, driving range. 
• Outer Banks Music Showcase, ☏ +1 252-261-7505. A musical variety show for everyone. 

Golf

• Sea Scape Golf Links, 300 Eckner St., ☏ +1 252 261-2158, golf@seascapegolf.com. 
• Duck Woods Country Club, 50 S. Dogwood Trail, Southern Shores. 

Buy

• Kitty Hawk ABC Liquors, 5400 N Croatan Hwy C, ☏ +1 252-261-2477. M-Sa 10AM-9PM. The only liquor store in Kitty Hawk. Liquor, cordials & some mixers. (updated Apr 2017)
• Farmer 2 Fork Market & Culinary Services, 3620 North Croatan Highway, ☏ +1 252-480-3100. Gourmet market, butcher and catering. (updated Apr 2017)
• Red's Carolina Outfitters, 3836 N Croatan Hwy, ☏ +1 252-261-6681. Camping and hunting gear, military surplus. (updated Apr 2017)

Eat

• Black Pelican Restaurant, ☏ +1 252-261-3171. Su-Th 5PM-10PM; F 5PM-1:30AM; Sa 5PM-11PM. Historic restaurant. Dining, nightlife & seafood. (updated Apr 2017)
• Ocean Boulevard, 4700 N Virginia Dare Trail, ☏ +1 252-261-2546. (updated Apr 2017)
• Pizzazz Pizza Kitty Hawk, 1187 Duck Rd, ☏ +1 252-261-1111, piemaster@pizzazzpizza.net. Pizza, subs, wings, buffet and salad bar. Delivery. Four locations in the Outer Banks. (updated Apr 2017)
• Jimmy's Seafood Buffet, 4117 N Croatan Hwy, ☏ +1 252-261-4973. Tu-Sa 4PM-8:30PM. Seasonal. Features crab. (updated Apr 2017)

Drink

• Barefoot Bernies Tropical Grill & Bar, 3730 N Croatan Hwy, ☏ +1 252-261-1008. Daily 11AM-10PM. Fun, casual place with great food and a lively ambiance. (updated Apr 2017)
• Hurricane Mo's Beachside Bar & Grill, 120 W Kitty Hawk Rd, ☏ +1 252-255-0215. Daily 11AM-9:30PM. Relaxed, casual dining, fresh Outer Banks Seafood. (updated Apr 2017)
• Rundown Café, 5218 Virginia Dare Trail, ☏ +1 252-255-0026. Daily 11:30AM-midnight. Oceanview surf bar with burgers, seafood, and salads. (updated Apr 2017)

Sleep

• Buccaneer Motel and Beach Suites, 5 Beach Rd, ☏ +1 252-261-2030, toll-free: +1-800-442-4412. 
• Hilton Garden Inn Kitty Hawk, 5353 N. Virginia DareTrail, ☏ +1 252-261-1290, toll-free: +1-877-629-4586, fax: +1 252-255-0153. Oceanfront hotel. 
• Holiday Inn Express, 3919 North Croatan Highway, ☏ +1-877-660-8550. 

Go next

Routes through Kitty Hawk

Roanoke Rapids ← Elizabeth City ←	W  E	→ Kill Devil Hills → Nags Head
Corolla ← Southern Shores ←	N  S	→ Kill Devil Hills → Nags Head