Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
After miles of clapboard farmhouses and soybean fields, the sparkling blue ocean looms
ahead, edged by a glorious expanse of beach.
2.
Kill Devil Hills
It was the weather that lured Wilbur and Orville Wright to these islands in 1900. But the
Ohio bicycle makers didn't come for the sun; they came for the wind, which was needed
for their pioneering experiments in aviation. From atop a huge sand hill in what is now
Kill Devil Hills, the brothers took their homemade craft on the first powered flight in his-
tory—120 feet in 12 seconds. Today, at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, a mighty
granite pylon on Big Kill Devil Hill commemorates their feats. You can view two replicas
ofWrightaircraftattheexhibitcenter,andoutdoorstheparkhasmarkersthatshowthedis-
tances and durations of four historic flights the Wright brothers made among these windy
dunes.
3.
Nags Head
More than a century ago summer resorters here built handsome wooden cottages with
wraparound porches on the sound side of the island. Then someone got the idea that the
ocean side had better views, better swimming, and a salt-air breeze that discouraged mos-
quitoes.Sothehomeownersplacedlogsbeneaththeircottagesandrolledthemovermarsh-
landsanddunestotheoceanfrontatpresent-dayNagsHead,wheretheyraisedthecottages
on stilts to allow storm waters to surge harmlessly underneath. The homes, known as the
UnpaintedAristocracy,stillstandonthebeachroadbetweenmileposts11and15,buttoday
they are flanked by a clutter of souvenir shops.
Across the highway, in startling contrast, stand huge mounds of white sand, the dune
system that makes up Jockeys Ridge State Park. You can climb 125-foot Jockeys Ridge,
the highest single sand dune on the East Coast, and watch hang gliders leap from the top.
Jockeys Ridge is part of a system of sand dunes that shelter an ancient maritime forest,
theNagsHeadWoodsPreserve.Thisidyllicstandofoaks(someofthem500yearsold)and
rare wildlife was salvaged by the Nature Conservancy in the 1980s. Although the woods
arelinkedtoJockeysRidge,you'llhavetobacktracktomilepost10ontheRte.158bypass
to reach the forest and the visitor center. Trails lead through the moss-draped woodland
past crystal-clear freshwater ponds and flowering dogwoods. Be sure to call ahead before
visiting.
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