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Kill Devil Hills Attractions and Activities

Nature is the main attraction in Kill Devil Hills, and the town’s beautiful beaches bring visitors to our shores year after year. You can’t visit the Outer Banks without seeing the place where flight began. Visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial. There are several temporary additions to the site that were placed there during the centennial celebration, so this is a great time to visit and see the special exhibits.

Natural Attractions

Nags Head Woods: 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!

Memorials

Wright Brothers National Memorial: The Wright Brothers National Memorial is the site of the world's first powered, sustained and controlled flight. The Memorial includes a visitor's center with a bookstore, exhibits on the Wright Brothers and full-scale replicas of both the 1902 Wright Glider and the 1903 Wright Flyer. On the grounds are markers of all four flights that took place on December 17. There are replica buildings of the Wright brothers' living quarters and hangar. The centennial pavilion includes exhibits on the Wright Flyer, the First Flight Centennial celebration, NASA and the future of flight and the Outer Banks at the turn of the century. A 30-minute film is shown daily in the pavilion center on The Machines of the Wright Brothers from 1900 to 1903. There is a gift shop filled with First Flight Centennial memorabilia such as Ts, hats, glassware and even a Century of Flight edition of Monopoly.On top of the 90-foot dune known as Big Kill Devil Hill is a 60-foot granite monument. You can climb the hill to get a striking view of Kill Devil Hills, the ocean and the sound.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built in the region, authorized by Congress in 1794 to help prevent shipwrecks. The original structure was lost to erosion and Civil War damage; this 1870 replacement is, at 208 feet, the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. Endangered by the sea, in 1999 the lighthouse was actually raised and rolled some 2,900 feet inland to its present location. It's now the Hatteras Island Visitor Center. In summer the principal keeper's quarters are open for viewing, and you can climb the 257 steps (12 stories) to the viewing balcony. Children under 42 inches in height aren't allowed in the lighthouse. Offshore lie the remains of the USS Monitor, a Confederate ironclad ship that sank in 1862.

Activities

Whether you’re a surfer, kiteboarder, kayaker or sunbather, Kill Devil Hills is the perfect place to pursue your favorite outdoor activities.

Festivals and Events

Annual Wright Kite Festival (July 11-12 2009).

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