Attractions - Kitty Hawk
Most likely, you’re visiting the Outer Banks because of the beaches, and in the town of Kitty Hawk you won’t be disappointed. The beaches are beautiful.
Read on for some of our tips for enjoying them safely. If you’re arriving from the north, stop in at the Aycock Brown Welcome Center as you drive into town. They have a wealth of information that can help you plan your visit. While you’re there don’t miss the Monument to a Century of Flight. Kitty Hawk is home to an amazing maritime forest, Kitty Hawk Woods, and we’ll tell you how to get there. For family entertainment, take in a show at the Outer Banks Music Showcase. There’s something for everyone with the variety of musical numbers in every show.
Kitty Hawk
- General Information
- Kitty Hawk
- Town Hall (252) 261-3552
Kitty Hawk is known the world over for its association with the Wright brothers and flight. The Wright brothers didn’t actually fly their airplane here, but they did arrive and depart the Outer Banks at Kitty Hawk, and they found accommodations in the rural soundside community for some of their visits in the early 1900s.
More than a century later, Kitty Hawk has shifted its focus from the soundside to the ocean. The beach draws thousands upon thousands of vacationers every year to Kitty Hawk, where a variety of accommodations await. Kitty Hawk is known for its old-school beachfront cottages, along with mom-and-pop motels and one of the nicest hotels on the beach.
Kitty Hawk is small, but it offers plenty for a nice vacation, including shops, superstores, restaurants and a golf course.
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.
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, shrub 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.
