Kitty Hawk
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 into a summer resort area and provides some of the best beach recreation on the North Carolina Coast
The beach and village consist of low to medium density, single-family residential developments served by small businesses. Both the beach and the village share a feeling that development remains on a human scale and in harmony with nature. It is a pattern and character of development that the Town's people, both year-round and seasonal, are quite comfortable with and want to retain.
When Orville Wright stepped ashore in Kitty Hawk Village in the fall of 1900, he probably already knew that he and his brother were destined to make history as discoverers of flight. After all, they had chosen this remote fishing village on the Outer Banks partly for privacy from prying eyes.
Three years later, they would indeed break the bonds of earth for the first time in their heavier than air flying machine. From that moment forward, Kitty Hawk would forever be associated with the Wright Brothers as the birthplace of aviation -although the actual flight took place four miles south from the base of Kill Devil Hill.
Today, the once-tiny soundside village is one of the largest townships on the Outer Banks. 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 a treat for those who to choose to take a drive 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. And life takes on a more leisurely pace that is reminiscent of the way Outer Bankers used to live.
In 1903, Orville Wright telegraphed home the triumphant news of the first powered flight. The telegraph was dispatched from Kitty Hawk. This, along with the isolation of the area and the unusual names themselves, led to the subsequent confusion as to where the first flight actually occurred.
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.
Get in
By plane
The Norfolk International Airport is only 1 hour and 30 minutes away. It is right off the highway and an easy drive to the Outer Banks and Kiity 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.
See
- 1 Wright Brothers National Memorial, 1000 North Croatan Highway (Follow US Highway 158 to mile 7.5, turn west into Memorial), ☏ +1-252-441-7430. 9 am–5 pm daily 7 days/week (closed on Dec 25). Celebrates and explains the first successful controlled, sustained, powered, heavier-than-air flights, which the Wright brothers performed here in 1903. The visitors center has a model of the original aircraft, and interpretive talks. Outside, stone markers show the start and ending points of the first four flights. The adjacent First Flight Airport (KFFA) offers a 3000' runway for day use, with tie-downs but no fuel or other services. Compared to the time of the first flight, Kill Devil Hill has shifted south a short distance due to wind, and is planted with grass to keep it in place. It is topped by an art deco monument to the Wright brothers, and Orville attended its dedication. $7/adult, children 15 years or younger free, free with passes.
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 NC 27949.
Buy
Kitty Hawk ABC Store The only liquor store in Kitty Hawk. Liquor, cordials & some mixers. +1 252-261-2477
Farmer 2 Fork Market & Culinary Services Gourmet market, butcher and catering. +1 252-480-3100
Red's Carolina Outfitters Camping and hunting gear, military surplus. +1 252-261-6681
Eat
Black Pelican Restaurant Historic restaurant. Dining, nightlife & seafood. +1 252-261-3171
Hooters Of Kitty Hawk Wings, burgers, seafood & sports. +1 252-255-1808
Ocean Boulevard World class dining. +1 252-261-2546
Pizzazz Pizza Kitty Hawk Pizza, subs, wings, buffet and salad bar. Delivery. +1 252-261-1111
Jimmy's Seafood Buffet A crab lovers dream. +1 252-261-4973
Drink
Barefoot Bernies Tropical Grill & Bar Fun, casual place with great food and a lively ambiance. +1 252-261-1008
Hurricane Mo's Beachside Bar & Grill Relaxed, casual dining, fresh Outer Banks Seafood. +1 252-255-0215
Rundown Café Oceanview surf bar with burgers, seafood, and salads. +1 252-255-0026
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
|
→ Nags Head → END |