Attractions

Aycock Brown Welcome Center

• 5230 Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 1
• Kitty Hawk
• (877) 629-4386

The Aycock Brown Welcome Center in Kitty Hawk is an excellent stop for planning your Outer Banks vacation. If you’re arriving from the north by way of U.S. Highway 158, it will be a convenient stop about a mile on the right after you cross the Wright Brothers Memorial Bridge onto the island. There is information on everything to see and do on the Outer Banks, with displays and exhibits as well as local newspapers and pamphlets to take with you. The center is operated by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and staffed with helpful, friendly locals who are happy to help with any questions. If you miss the Aycock Brown Welcome Center on your way in, there are three others located along the beach. You can also visit the Whalebone Welcome Center at the entrance to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Outer Banks Welcome Center on Roanoke Island in Manteo and the Hatteras Welcome Center at the U.S. Weather Bureau Station in the village of Hatteras.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

• 592 Carolista Drive and The Bypass, MP 12
• Nags Head
• (252) 441-7132

Nags Head is home to the tallest natural sand dune on the East Coast. Jockey’s Ridge, a series of five dunes, is a natural wonder that’s continually changing in shape and height. With the highest hill varying from 90 to 110 feet tall, this system of sand is a haven for adventure. Colorful kites waver over its majesty regularly, and hang gliders climb to its summit to swoop down a sandy incline. Hikers excite in its form and function, and nature buffs appreciate discovering the subtle dune life that exists here. Few can resist the climb to bear witness to renowned Outer Banks sunsets.

Included in the 426-acre park are several trails, picnic areas, a visitor center and a museum and gift shop supported by the non-profit Friends of Jockey’s Ridge. Natural history programs for adults and children are offered. A boardwalk provides a lookout for a terrific view of the dunes and also serves as a passage for the mobility impaired. Arrangements can be made for a four-wheel dune ride to the top (the park requests a 24-hour notice). In the summer, the sand on the dunes is usually 25 to 30 degrees hotter than the air, so shoes are a necessity.

The visitor center closes at 5 p.m. from November through February winter and 6 p.m. the rest of the year. Park ground hours run November through February, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; March through May, September and October, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; June, July and August, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Soundside Access Gate is open October through March, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April through September, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Ridge closes 15 minutes before the park closes. Jockey’s Ridge State Park is open daily with the exception of Christmas Day.

Kitty Hawk Woods

• West Kitty Hawk Road and Woods Road, off The Bypass
• Kitty Hawk
• (252) 261-8891

Kitty Hawk Woods is a unique environment: a maritime forest, swamp and marsh. Totaling 1,877 acres, the Town of Kitty Hawk owns 461 acres with a conservation easement from the state. A diverse array of wildlife is at home in Kitty Hawk Woods. In some areas gray foxes, raccoons and white-tailed deer can be found. In marsh areas, a number of amphibians and reptiles thrive as well as river otter and muskrat. Birders will want to explore the woods for the hawks, wrens, herons and egrets that can be found in the woods and the marsh areas. Hiking trails with interpretive signs are available for day use only and are accessible from the main access points on Eckner Street, Amadas Avenue, Ridge Road and Birch Lane. The reserve office is located at 983 W. Kitty Hawk Road. Please respect this unique natural setting and stay on marked trails while exploring the woods.

Monument to a Century of Flight

• 5230 N. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 1, Behind the Aycock Brown Welcome Center
• Kitty Hawk
• No phone

The Monument to a Century of Flight was dedicated in November of 2003, just before the First Flight Centennial “in celebration of the soaring of the human spirit.” Fourteen steel wing-shaped structures reach from 10 to 20 feet, circling 120 feet, the distance of the Wright Brother’s first flight. The pillars have engraved granite panels that chronicle the 100 most significant events in the history of aviation. They begin with the first flight in Kitty Hawk by the Wright Brothers in 1903 and go on to list such achievements in flight as the first solo flight across the Atlantic, made by Charles Lindbergh in 1927, Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in 1947 and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969. The monument ends the celebration by stating, “Humankind is a continuum of pioneers sharing timeless dreams and the boundless possibilities of vast unexplored world.” Standing among the wing-shaped pillars that reach for the sky as you stand high on a dune, looking out at the Atlantic, you can’t help but agree.

Nags Head Town Artwork Collection

• 5401 Croatan Highway, Town Hall, The Bypass, MP 15
• Nags Head
• No phone

The public is welcome to browse through 100 works of fine art purchased by the town. The self-tour features creations by the area’s best artists. View paintings, drawings, sculpture, fiber and ceramic art, mixed media and hand-carved wood work and old and new photographs ranging from a painting of a giant lighthouse to a delicate floral watercolor. The tour is numbered, and a helpful catalog of works and biographies is available at the front desk on the second floor. There is a special emphasis on regional themes varying from the realistic to the abstract. Check out the figurative polymer sculpture by internationally famous illustrator/artist Bill Nelson. He has a gift for infusing lifelike character into his pieces, many of which appear in the collections of stars such as Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.

Nags Head Woods

• 701 W. Ocean Acres Drive
• Kill Devil Hills
• (252) 441-2525

A beautiful place for hiking, trail running and birding, The Nature Conservancy’s Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve is one of the best remaining examples of a mid-Atlantic maritime forest. Often referred to as the “best kept secret on the Outer Banks,” the five miles of trails in the 1,400-acre preserve are open every day from dawn until dusk for foot traffic only; dogs and bikes are not allowed on the trails but they are welcome on the gravel roadway. Highlights are an extensive dune system, inter-dune ponds and pine and deciduous trees that can be up to 500 years old. It is home to more than 300 species of plants and 50 species of birds, including herons, pileated woodpeckers and red-shouldered hawks plus other creatures like salamanders, turtles and muskrat. Before you begin your hike or ride, find maps and other information at the outdoor information counter located up the boardwalk at the parking area. Every May they host the Annual Nags Head Woods 5k. Race time is 8 a.m., so lace up your running shoes and get on it!

NMP Beachcomber Museum — Miss Mattie Midgett’s Store

• 4008 S. Virginia Dare Trail, The Beach Road, MP 13
• Nags Head
• No phone

Built in 1914 on the soundside before being rolled to the seaside, this unpretentious and once-thriving store houses the celebrated beachcomber collection of Nellie Myrtle Pridgen, Miss Mattie’s daughter who was a self-appointed protector of her beloved Nags Head beaches. In support of Mattie’s store, the Nags Head Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in June 2003. The resolution declared, “The site, the store and the artifacts are an irreplaceable part of Nags Head history.” In 2005 Pridgen was awarded the first annual Nags Header award by the town. The award recognizes a person who has helped shape the image and direction of Nags Head. In the museum, visitors will step back into time viewing artifacts discovered by Pridgen during her years of daily sound to sea jaunts. The collection is essentially the way Nellie left it. Rare shells, beach glass, war paraphernalia, buttons, barnacles, driftwood, messages in bottles and more chronicle her life’s time and its relationship with the sea. The unusual, must-see collection houses a huge fulgurite (crystallized sand caused by lightning) that took days for Pridgen to extract—with the help of a bicycle pump. At the time of this writing, the building had not yet become a full-time museum, but they do conduct several open houses at various times throughout the year. The best thing to do is just check by when you’re here to see if you’re lucky enough to coincide with one of the open times.

Outer Banks Music Showcase

• 3848 N. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 4.5, Kitty Hawk Plaza
• Kitty Hawk
• (252) 261-7505

The Outer Banks Music Showcase is wholesome entertainment for the whole family. The Music Showcase is a two-hour variety show featuring live music and comedy. Done in the Branson, Missouri, style, the 12-member cast includes vocalists and a band putting on a live, entertaining show. The musical numbers include a wide range of genres from pop, country and beach music hits from the 50s all the way to the popular songs of today. The regular season show is new every year and runs from May to October. The Christmas show begins in mid-November and runs through December. This year they are also doing a Grand Ole Opry-style show called the Country Music Jamboree as well as productions that feature hypnosis, magic and comedy. Tickets are $21.95 for adults, $6.95 for children 12 and younger and $20.95 for seniors. Ask about group rates for parties of 20 or more.

USS Huron Shipwreck

• Bladen Street Beach Access, The Beach Road, MP 11.5
• Nags Head
• No phone

Designated in 1991 as North Carolina’s first Historic Shipwreck Preserve, the USS Huron lies 250 yards from the beach. During the summer, buoys mark her bow and stern. Myriad sea life and remaining portions of the wreck including boilers, propeller, rudder and cannonball storage racks make this an interesting destination for divers and snorkelers. Erosion has taken its toll and marine growth covers the site, but the lower hull is well preserved with parts of the bow intact up to the main deck. It is illegal to collect artifacts or disturb this site. If you notice anything unusual, record its location and report it to the local authorities or the Underwater Archaeology Unit (call 910-458-9042). Follow safe scuba-diving practices and check on conditions with a lifeguard before swimming out to the wreck. Don’t swim or dive alone.

Whalebone Welcome Center

• 2 N.C. Highway 12, MP 17
• Nags Head
• (877) 629-4386

The Whalebone Welcome Center is right at the northern entrance to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Nags Head. There you will find information on all there is to see and do on the Outer Banks, with plenty of local newspapers and pamphlets to take with you. It is an excellent stop for planning your vacation activities, particularly as you head toward the southern villages. The center is operated by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau in partnership with the National Park Service and staffed with helpful, friendly locals. There are other welcome centers located elsewhere along the beach including the Aycock Brown Welcome Center on the Bypass at MP 1, the Outer Banks Welcome Center on Roanoke Island in Manteo and the Hatteras Welcome Center at the U.S. Weather Bureau Station in the village of Hatteras.