We decided to drive up to Nags Head and Kitty Hawk to check out a few sights and have lunch one day. I had read about kite flying at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, so we went there first. Their big kite festival was going on the weekend we left, so I was sad to miss that. The park is located right off the main highway that runs through Nags Head, with the entrance on the left side of the road just past Kitty Hawk Kites.
The park is known as having the tallest natural sand dune on the eastern coast of the United States and is a favorite place for kite lovers and for hang glider training. There were lots of families there flying kites and playing on the dunes, running and rolling down the hills. Be sure and pack drinks and snacks if you plan on being there a while. http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/ 
Hang gliding lessons
You can leave your shoes at the steps 
I was inspired to get a kite to fly back on our Frisco beach, so our next stop was Kitty Hawk Kites and they have kites from hang gliders to wind socks and everything in between. They also carry t-shirts, gifts, souvenirs, etc. I picked out a parrot kite and named her Polly
Visit their website for lots more info, locations and their online store: http://www.kittyhawk.com/
It was time for lunch, so we decided to get our raw oyster fix at Mulligan’s Raw Bar & Grille. It was a gorgeous day, so we sat out on their back upper deck that has a view of the water. The oysters were huge with a good flavor, and we also had a big salad and crab cake dinner, which I loved.
They have a pet friendly patio area at the back door and plenty of parking in back.
I loved their totem faces on the deck
After lunch, our last stop was the Wright Brothers National Memorial just a few miles north in Kitty Hawk. There is a museum with a gallery of paintings of people important in the history of aviation, as well as replicas of the Wright Brothers inventions.
After touring the museum, you can walk out to the sheds which replicate where they lived during their experiments and one was for their plane or glider.
A guide stood at the rock that shows where their flight took place and she explained about their trials.
An airport is just past the Memorial and I caught a plane in action.
The big memorial is a LONG walk from the museum or you can drive to the back corner below it and walk up from there.
The view is quite nice from the memorial hill
If you have children, there is a little park with an airplane below the memorial.
I would recommend that if you have a few hours when you first arrive on the Outer Banks and are staying north or south, to go ahead and see these sites on your way in or way out to save a long drive during your stay.
That was enough tourist activities for us for one day, so it was back to Frisco and the beach!
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busybeetraveler 