Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wasn’t planning in going until we just rode by! It was the spare the moment kind of thing. I’m very glad we did it. We went through the gift shop first and bought a few things. The view from the top of the hill is beautiful. Employees are very nice! :)

American history is one of the things you tend to take for granted. Over the last few years I have become more interested in it as I travel to cities that have more historical importance if you will. Having an opportunity to check out this gem, I couldn’t pass it up. The price of admission ($ 7 per person) is good for 7 days. Now, I doubt it would take you 7 days to see everything but it’s nice to have that option. Also, with as much space as you have there and if you like to walk/​jog, this is a great place to do that! Now, there isn’t much to see but what you do see it pretty awesome. If you come here often or live in the area, I can imagine you won’t get here often. But if you aren’t, you need to make the stop… walk the length of the first, second, third and even fourth flight attempts.
The only thing I didn’t do was walk to the air strip. I was short on time but had I had more time I would’ve done it.

Inspirational in many ways. A must visit if you are in the OBX, especially if you have kids.
The monuments to the Wright Brothers, the indoor museum, the strip, etc. all take the visitor back in time to when almost the entire world said «no» to heavier than air flight and the Wrights just went out and did it and started the wave that transformed humanity forever.

Bottom Line: A nice memorial to two bright minds and a great opportunity to learn about early flight.
I’ve driven by this memorial hundreds of times so sadly its easy to take this memorial and the amazing feats of Wilburn and Orville Wright for granted. On my recent visit I found a renewed since of appreciation for what the Wright brothers accomplished and a connection with the time they spent in the Outer Banks. I also enjoyed learning more about the Wright brothers upbringing in Dayton, Ohio and how Outer Banks locals assisted the brothers during their quest for flight.
If you are contemplating a trip to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, here is what you can expect to find:
— A museum with simple exhibits about the Wright brothers and flight
— A replica of the 1903 flyer
— A gift shop and book store
— A path to walk the flight line that gives perspective on how far the first four flights traveled and for how long they were airborne
— Replicas of the Wright brothers’ living quarters, hanger and workshop
— The famous, monolithic monument that can be seen from Highway 158
— A very cool statute that represents the famous first flight and the key individuals that were there cheering for the brothers
Admission is $ 4 for adults and free for children.

Well worth the visit. Get here early because the lecture hall fills up quickly. Some historic exhibits to see. Bring walking shoes to climb the big hill.

Really interesting place where you can totally see where and how they flew, with handy markers showing their landing places and the distance they covered. Well worth a visit while in the area.

Coming here was a dream come true. It’s inspiring. I found the outside portion of the museum, i.e. the actual memorial and markers of where the flight happened much more interesting than the inside portion (although the room with the replica of the airplane and the aviation figures all over the walls is my favorite part of the indoor museum).
It helps knowing about the Wright Brothers beforehand so you can appreciate the sights more, although the museum does do an OK job at educating you. Reading David Mccullough’s book about the Wright brothers is much more in depth and recommended. The staff here was very knowledgeable and for those interested in aviation, it’s incredible to come here and realize how much the Wright brothers changed the world… and it all happened where you are standing.
For pilots, there’s also an airport right next to the museum (KFFA) which you can fly into, park your plane and walk to the museum. Pretty damn cool. The best part? The museum costs $ 4 per person and you get a pass to go for the whole week. They make up by having a super expensive gift shop, but hey — you’re supporting a national memorial.

Good spot. With history memorials/​monuments, the designers either pay accurate tribute to the icon in a format that is accessible and entertaining for the visitors, or they fall completely flat. Very rarely will you ever see a tribute that falls squarely in the middle of the road.
Wright Brothers National Memorial has all the obligatory features: museum, gift shop, interactive hosts, gorgeous park, big gray stone thing, and added value with the restored hangar and housing next to the takeoff rail and stone markers of those first flights.
What’s most important is the visitor gets full context of what the brothers were doing. The launch rail, especially, and stones really tell the story. And to see the living quarters is a great touch. Don’t forget, these guys were trying to fly at the same time the government was funding the military to achieve the same thing. What they did was incredible. Seeing these displays really puts it in perspective.
Worth seeing on a visit. Couldn’t imagine seeing OBX for the first time and not coming here!

Is the Wright Brothers National Memorial life-​altering? Nope. Is it worth the price of admission? Absolutely. The actual museum is in a great-​looking ultra-​modern, Glass-​House-​style building. Lots of information to read and take in, giving you a fresh perspective on the history of the first plane ride. There’s also a pretty cool replica of the airplanes that the Wright Brothers created and lots of information on other modern-​day pilots.
The walk to the monument is a steep one and long on a hot day, but once you get to the top, the view is spectacular and the monument is pretty neat.
The clincher for us, however, was the impromptu Black Hawk-​like air force helicopter take-​off. Nothing like reliving your Top Gun fantasies — so cool — complete with a thumps-​up from the pilot.
Very cool place — worth the trip and doesn’t take very long at all.

Man what a fantastic place to go when you need a break from the beach. When you go, make sure you hear the intro talk first in the main room, its so informative and emotional. Then take a walk through the mile markers and head up to the monument.

It does not take a long time about 1 – 2 hours. Remember the presentation in the visitor center but it is only even hours (10am, 12pm, 2pm) so if you miss one then its along time til the next presentation.
It is pretty cheap (kids free, see photo) and they offer annual passes, but I don’t think you would need to go more than once in a year.
The models of their hangar and living quarters were pretty interesting to see.
They have a metal model of the original airplane behind the monument on the hill, that people can climb on and take pictures

Like everyone else has said: wear a good pair of walking shoes.
The memorial can be done in less than 2 hours. The main building has some interesting exhibits on the Wright brothers and their work in powered flight. I would strongly suggest going at a time where you can hear the ranger talk at the visitor center (10, 12, 2 There may be other times as well).
The rest of the memorial is items that can be taken in relatively quickly. the monument takes 2 minutes to walk around (you can’t go into the obelisk, but the view is nice). The flight line and the first flight sculpture can be viewed pretty quickly.
Worth the 4 bucks a head? Certainly, especially if you have children. Will you spend more than an hour here? Probably not.

Went and saw the memorial this past Sunday. It was a nice day ot and the long walk to the top was enjoyable. It was pretty busy but didnt really feel crowded because of how big the whole memorial is. The view from the top was amazing and the breeze coming from the water definetly made the day. Nice little piece of history close to home

Small but very interesting place to visit. Park rangers gave a short informative speech on the Wright Brothers and their flights. The walk was long but we had to walk it to Burn off Bobs (Eat and get the Hell out) taters.

I recommend wearing a good pair of walking shoes to tour this place! The parking is close to the hanger with all the replicas and memorabilia in it however you may be at the back of the parking lot and have to walk a ways. From the hangar to the building which shows the history of the Wright brothers it is a walk. Then you will head out on your way to some display «shacks» that showed how they lived and that’s a ways and finally heading up to the monument is a definite longer ways and uphill the entire way!
The hanger was really interesting and had interactive type exhibits that will keep younger or older children entertained.
The building with the history items of where they Wright brothers grew up, how they became interested in flight, how they came to the Outer Banks and why it was the optimal place, etc. is better suited for children of teenage age or adults (in case you have young children I would skip that part)!
The outdoor «shacks» were pretty interesting and was sort of like looking back in time to what people used to be able to tolerate as comfortable and gave perspective on life back then.
The monument is worth the uphill climb and even though I wanted to quit since I didn’t wear the best walking shoes (sandals not advised-​believe me I made that mistake) I was glad that I didn’t! You can get some great pictures but, the best pictures are taken up close and back down at the grass where they had their first flight.
I loved that they marked where their first flight mark was! You feel lost in history here and a part of a very important part of our history!
The entry fee is very minimal for standing on such a deep seeded place in history! I will definitely go again the next time that I am in The Outer Banks!

Flown in for the day to visit this memorial and the Kitty Hawk Beach. It is definitely interesting to see where it all begin for aviation. There is a small airport next to the memorial where if you fly in with your own plane or rental, you are right next to the memorial. I guess otherwise you have to drive in. There is public parking available. You can take a short walk up to the monument, and then there is a museum and a couple of ‘shacks’ where the Wright Brothers lived and worked on their plane. The actual distance for the short flight was amazing short, but that it how it all began!
If you fly in there is a pilot’s lounge where you can do your pre-​flight planning, file your flight plan… etc.

Military can get free entrance.
Many ppl are jogging and many kids are playing.
Peaceful!

If, as a little kid you’ve ever dreamt of flying, then plan a stop during your OBX vacation and stop by Wright Brothers National Memorial where a dream became a reality; when in 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright changed the world. The Wright brothers, after four years of trial and error, successfully launched the first flight.
In this day and age of technology, transportation, and space travel, it’s amazing to see the markers of the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th flights. Sure, the Visitor Center displays seem dated, but nonetheless, they’re very informative. And it’s unfortunate that the film is no longer being shown.
You’ll get a little more out of walking the actual sites, shed, and markers. And if you’re up to it, take some time to walk up Kill Devil Hill — you’ll get some great views of the sound and ocean.

The facts:
The Wright Brothers NM like most NPS sites is open 9 – 5 seven days a week with the exception of Christmas Day. There is a $ 4.00 per person entrance fee that is charged for all visitors over 15 unless you have one the NPS annual or lifetime passes. Once you pay the fee you can come back anytime over the next week.
What you get:
You get access to the visitor center which has some displays & pictures about the Brothers and the technology that went into the original glider and flyer. Also in the visitor center are the reproductions of the original glider & flyer. (The actual flyer of course is at the Air & Space Smithsonian in D.C.)
You can also see the reproduction hangar & living quarters, Kill Devil Hill & the Memorial Tower, the first flight interactive sculpture and the field where the flights landed which have the four markers listing the length of the flight and the pilot.
My opinion (aka what matters):
Let me just start by saying flat out this is not a five star attraction or a five star NPS site, period. If you think so you’re either easily amused or you haven’t seen many/​any other NPS sites.
First thing wrong with this place is that the only thing interactive about the site, the Centennial Pavilion was closed due to budget issues earlier this year yet the brochure the Rangers are still handing out today lists it as being open and so does their NPS website listing.
Trust me, it’s not open:
Next, unlike most NPS sites there is no movie. The NPS site movie while cheesy in a lot of places is expected by a lot of the visitors who frequent sites and most of them are very well done. They are kind of like a brief 20 – 30 minute Cliff’s Notes as to what you’re about to see.
Supposedly «in season» the Rangers offer more programs but in mid-​September it’s only a twice a day talk about the Wrights Brothers in the Flight Room of the visitor center. Now don’t get me wrong in that the Ranger who did it (Ranger Collins) was down right amazing in his delivery and knowledge but usually you get more especially when it’s an NPS site that charges admission.
Past that it’s just reproductions of everything and fields which the NPS has grassed over to make them look completely non-​authentic from what they were like during 1903.
I mean I liked it and I’m glad that we came but after 90 minutes you’ve seen it and quite honestly there’s no reason to come back.
(On a sidebar, if your kids do the Junior Ranger program the booklet at this place is insultingly easy. I’m not saying that they should be like a Harvard entrance exam but this one was clearly slapped together in a hurry and it doesn’t require a lot of effort to Git R’ Done.)

A very interesting and informative visitor center with replicas of the 1901 glider and the 1902 self powered planes. You can walk the flight paths of the four flights that day and see the amazing view from the monument on top of the hill.
I was a little disappointed that the original plane is not there. It is at the flight museum in DC. We were able to see replicas of the camp and workshops but again, very few original items. It was educational but could definitely use some excitement added it. Maybe a movie, a cable guided ride in a replica, something to bring up to today’s expectations that people have.
Great people, entrepreneurs, and true pioneers were the Wright Brothers.