Blog

The Wright Brothers National Memorial is located in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Memorial educates you on what exactly led up to December 17th, 1903. The day that the Wright’s made the first flight. The first flight only flew about 120 ft, lasted for 12 seconds and the top speed was about 6 mph.

The visitor center is very modern with many exhibits inside. These exhibits educate you on everything about the Wright Brothers, their family and the first flight. It’s pretty amazing how after one hundred and twenty years just how far aviation has progressed. One thing that I was unaware of was how much competition the Wright Brothers had to be the first to fly. The reason the Wright Brothers ended up being the first is because they figured out how to steer. Most of the people that were trying to be the first all knew they needed a combustible engine, but that wasn’t enough.

Trail:

At the Memorial there is a very nice 2.9 mile trail that goes from the Visitor Center out to a monument on top of a hill. You can find the trail on the Alltrails App. The trail is nice and wide, but fairly long so make sure you bring water. The first thing you will see on the trail is the boulder that marks the exact spot of where the first flight lifted off the ground. (Pictured Below). There is a small side trail that allows you to walk the entire length of the flight if you choose to do so.

The walk up the hill is made easier by the sidewalks that bend around the hill, which allows for easier access for wheelchairs and strollers. It should take you about an hour to complete.

The views from the monument are fantastic as you can actually see the Atlantic Ocean. You can also see more of the neighboring airstrip that is right next to the park. If I was a pilot, taking off from that airstrip and/or landing on it would be at the top of my bucket list. One thing to be aware of is that the grass at the monument has cacti in it. So make sure you keep your toddlers shoes on. Have a service animal? Make sure that you keep them on the sidewalks at all times for safety.

Cost:

$10/person. Free with the America the Beautiful pass

Hungry? Check out Sam and Omie’s in Nags Head.

While in the Outer Banks check out the North Pond Wildlife Trail