Kill Devil Hills

Kill Devil Hills is a colorfully-named town on the coast of North Carolina. It is part of the Outer Banks, and is best known for its association with the Wright Brothers' historic flights in the first airplane in 1903. The flights are usually associated with Kitty Hawk, but actually took place here. A national monument and museum marks the site.

Get in

By plane

• 🌍 First Flight airport (FFA  ^IATA) (just southwest of the Wright Memorial). Private pilots will want to make a visit here where on December 17 1903 the first successful powered heavier-than-air aircraft flight occurred here, conducted by the Wright brothers.  

Get around

See

There is a large monument to the Wright Brothers on a giant sand dune near the beach. It is, to say the least, difficult to miss.

• 🌍 Wright Brothers National Memorial, 1000 North Croatan Highway (Follow US Highway 158 to mile 7.5, turn west into Memorial), ☎ [phone]. Daily 9AM–5PM (closed on Dec 25). Celebrates and explains the first successful controlled, sustained, powered, heavier-than-air flights, which the Wright brothers performed here in 1903. The visitors center has a model of the original aircraft, and interpretive talks. Outside, stone markers show the start and ending points of the first four flights. The adjacent First Flight Airport (KFFA) offers a 3,000 ft (910 m) runway for day use, with tie-downs but no fuel or other services. Compared to the time of the first flight, Kill Devil Hill has shifted south a short distance due to wind, and is planted with grass to keep it in place. It is topped by an art deco monument to the Wright brothers, and Orville attended its dedication. $7/adult, children 15 years or younger free, free with passes.  

Do

You are at the beach. Have fun!

Buy

Eat

• Pigman's BBQ, 1606 S. Croatan Highway, ☎ [phone]. 11AM-9PM. The biggest barbecue joint on the beach. The food is generally good and reasonably priced. Stick to the basics, though, such as the five types of barbecue and the ribs and chicken. Though past its heyday, the new owners are working hard to bring the place back to its glory days of the 90s. 

Drink

Sleep

• Cambridge Cove at Bermuda Bay, 1101 Cambridge Rd, toll-free: [phone]. Three-story town homes feature two and three bedroom units surrounded by lush dunes and vegetation. 
• Carolina Designs, 1197 Duck Road Duck, NC 27949, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Carolina Designs has providing vacation property rentals and sales for over 25 years. 4-22 Bedroom rentals available across the outer banks region 
• Hamilton Cay at Bermuda Bay, 1101 Cambridge Rd, toll-free: [phone]. Hamilton Cay offers 2 and 3 Bedroom units that are on a single floor layout. Volleyball and watersliding are just a few of the many activities Hamilton Cay has to offer. 
• Beach Realty & Construction / Kitty Hawk Rentals – Kill Devil Hills Office, 2901 N. Croatan Hwy. (Rt. 158), toll-free: [phone]. Vacation Rentals (mini-weeks, full weeks, extended stays), real estate and construction services. 
• First Flight Rentals, 815 S. Virginia Dare Trail, toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Vacation rentals (nightly, weekly, & group stay packages), luxury oceanfront condo rentals, includes pool, spa, fitness room, game room, elevator access. 
• Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Vacation rentals. 
• Resort Realty, toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Vacation rentals, 2-10 bedrooms, private pools, pet-friendly, event planning. Offers Resort Club collection of top-of-the-line vacation properties. 
• Seaside Realty Outer Banks Vacations, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. Vacation rentals. Bed linens & bath towels included; 1 - 17 bedrooms, private pools, hot tubs, game rooms, elevator, dog-friendly. 
• Village Realty on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, toll-free: [phone]. Over 600 upscale accommodations in Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills and Corolla. All bed linens and towels are provided, beds are made. Oceanfront, golf course, soundfront, oceanside. Many homes have Private Pools, (some heated) and Hot Tubs, Elevators, Theater Rooms. Pet friendly homes available. 
• Ramada Southeast Hotels, 1701 S. Virginia Dare Trail, toll-free: [phone]. Ramada hotels cater to a variety of clientele, from business travelers to family vacationers. 
• Sun Realty Vacation Rentals, toll-free: [phone]. Sun Realty offers a wide collection of beach vacation rental homes and cottages in Kill Devil Hills and the entire stretch of the Outer Banks. 
• John Yancey Oceanfront Inn, 2009 S Virginia Dare Trail (beach road), ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Oceanfront hotel. Prime location. Outdoor pool, free breakfast, WiFi. Pet Friendly. 

Go next

Routes through Kill Devil Hills

Roanoke Rapids ← Kitty Hawk ←	W  E	→ Nags Head → END
Corolla ← Kitty Hawk ←	N  S	→ Nags Head → Jct W