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View of Kill Devil Hills

 
Wright Brothers National Memorial
North Croatan Highway
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-7430
www.nps.gov
Park Description
The first successful sustained powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine were made here by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. A 60-foot granite monument dedicated in 1932, is perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill commemorating the achievement of these two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio. A visit should include touring the museum exhibits, participating in a ranger conducted program, touring the reconstructed camp buildings and first flight trail area, and a climb up Kill Devil Hill to view the memorial pylon.

A large granite boulder at the first flight area near the reconstructed 1903 camp buildings marks the spot where the first airplane left the ground. Numbered markers indicated the distance of each of the four flights made on December 17, 1903. One of the 1903 camp buildings duplicates the one used by the brothers as a hangar for the 1903 Flyer. The other is similar to the one used as a workshop and living quarters in 1903. It is furnished with items much like those the Wrights used when they were there.

The Wright Memorial Shaft crowns Big Kill Devil Hill, a 90-foot dune of once-shifting sand that has been stabilized with grass. The 60-foot pylon, constructed of gray granite from Mount Airy, North Carolina, honors the Wright Brothers and marks the site of the hundreds of glider flights that preceded the first powered flight.

The 3,000-foot paved First Flight Airstrip was added to the park in 1963 to accommodate small planes. Parking at the airstrip is limited tie down area is restricted to 24 consecutive hours or a total of 48 hours during any 30-day period. Pilots who wish to stay longer for other purposes may tie down at the Dare County Regional Airport, where gas and rental cars are available.

Hours of Operation: Open All Year 9am-6pm in summer, 9am-5pm rest of year. Closed December 25

Fees: There are entry fees for this park
No Metro Region listed. Park Management: Federal

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