Wright Brothers National Memorial

Address:1401 National Park Drive
Manteo, North Carolina
Tel: (864) 936-3477

Soar through history at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The Wright Brothers National Memorial was built to commemorate Wilbur and Orville Wright's attempts from 1900 to 1903 to produce the first powered, sustained flights in a heavier-than-air machine. Today, the Wright Brothers National Memorial offers visitors the chance to discover the work and lives of the Wright brothers during those years.

The site of the Wright Brothers National Memorial originally served as the site where the brothers built and tested airplanes. This site provided them with the privacy they sought to perform their tests, and was an ideal site for flying, with the US Weather Bureau forecasting the area's steady winds. In December 1903, the Wright brothers embarked on the first controlled, powered, and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, and in the two years that followed, they developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft.

Visitors to the Wright Brothers National Memorial can explore the visitor center, the Centennial Pavilion, the Wright Brothers' living quarters and hanger, and the flight line. The visitor center contains both replicas and original versions of various parts of the 1903 Flyer. The Centennial Pavilion is home to exhibits of the area at the turn of the century, as well as the evolution and challenges of flight. The living quarters and hanger, a two-minute stroll from the visitor center are furnished with items similar to those used by the Wright Brothers from 1900 to 1903. The flight line shows the starting and ending points of the Wright Brothers' first four successful flights. Visitors can find food at a variety of restaurants in easy walking distance from the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

To get to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, take I-95 to US-64 East, then keep going east through Nags Head, North Carolina, and get on US-158. The site will be at mile post 7.5 on US-158.