Things to Do in Kill Devil Hills, NC: Map & Local Guide

The first flight didn’t happen in Kitty Hawk — it happened in Kill Devil Hills. In 1903 the whole area went by the name Kitty Hawk, the nearest settlement with a post office, which is why the telegram and the fame went there. Kill Devil Hills itself didn’t become an incorporated town until 1953 — half a century after it became the most important patch of sand in aviation history. It is also the Kil- in the show’s Kildare: Kildare Island, explained takes the name apart and lists fifty-four things to do on the real coast, starting on this hill.

Kill Devil Hills is the Outer Banks’ central beach town, sitting between Kitty Hawk and Nags Head around mileposts 5 to 10. The monument marking the first flight is visible from most of it, and everything else on this list — the pier, the beach accesses, the park — is a short drive from that hill.

Because it sits in the middle of the beach road, Kill Devil Hills works well as a home base for exploring the wider Outer Banks: Kitty Hawk’s public beaches are a few minutes north, Nags Head’s dunes and fishing piers a few minutes south, and Manteo and the Roanoke Island sites a short drive across the bridge. Weekday mornings tend to be the quietest time to visit the monument, before tour buses and midday crowds arrive.

Things to Do in Kill Devil Hills

• Stand where flight began – Wright Brothers National Memorial. Four granite markers trace the actual first flights of December 17, 1903: 12 seconds and 120 feet on the first, 59 seconds and 852 feet on the fourth. The monument tops Big Kill Devil Hill, and the renovated visitor center holds a reproduction of the 1903 Flyer along with a 16-screen video wall covering the Wright brothers’ story. An entrance fee applies for adult visitors, and park passes are accepted. Check the Park Service for current hours, fees, and closures.
• Watch the fly-ins – First Flight Airport. This NPS airstrip sits right beside the monument, and pilots land a short walk from where flight was invented — no ticket booth required. There’s no fuel on the field, but tie-downs are available. See the full guide at firstflightairport.us.
• Fish or stroll Avalon Pier – a classic 1958 pier at milepost 6, with a bait shop, an arcade, and the only second-story bar deck on an Outer Banks pier. Hours vary by season, so check before you go.
• Hit the beach – Kill Devil Hills has public beach access up and down the beach road. Ocean Bay Blvd is the standout: a central lifeguarded access with a bath house and handicap parking, and the town’s fully accessible beach access — but it’s one of several named accesses along the way.
• Walk Nags Head Woods – the Nature Conservancy’s maritime forest preserve is actually entered from Kill Devil Hills, off Ocean Acres Dr, despite the name. Several miles of quiet trails wind through forest and past freshwater ponds, and it’s worth pairing with a Nags Head afternoon. Pack bug spray in summer.
• Let the kids (or the dog) run at Aviation Park – a concrete skatepark that’s BMX-friendly, plus a dog park, playground, restrooms, and a summer farmers market, all on Veterans Dr. It’s an easy after-dinner stop if you’re staying nearby. Traveling with the dog? Mary’s Paws Park at Aviation Park has three fenced yards and a wash station, and the beach welcomes leashed dogs outside peak summer daytime hours — the full rules are in the dog-friendly guide.

When the sun drops, KDH quietly owns the evening: the Hayman Blvd Gazebo on Bay Drive is the locals’ sunset bench over the sound, and the Wright Memorial has a trick — the main gates close earlier in the evening, but the First Flight Airport lot on the far side stays open until about sunset, putting the monument at golden hour back on the menu. The full evening playbook is in our sunset spots guide.

On two wheels, KDH has the best of the beach: the Bay Drive path along the sound — ride it late — and the First Flight multi-use path from Town Hall past the memorials and the airstrip toward Colington, where the smart money carries cash for a dockside tavern stop. Both are on the trails and biking guide.

Kill Devil Hills Map

Save this map to your phone for offline use

Where to Eat & Stay

For food, Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar is the anchor — an Outer Banks institution directly across from Avalon Pier, where sitting at the bar to watch them steam and shuck is half the appeal (hours vary by day, so check before you go). Beyond that anchor, Kill Devil Hills’ stretch of the beach road carries the usual run of Outer Banks casual seafood, breakfast spots, and ice cream stands, so you’re never far from a meal, whether you’re coming off the beach or heading out for a fly-in at First Flight Airport. For lodging, Kill Devil Hills has the densest run of oceanfront hotels and motels on the Outer Banks, plus the usual run of rental cottages set back from the beach road — no single property needs singling out, and options range from budget motels to full oceanfront condos. See our full Outer Banks Restaurants guide for the wider area.

Related OBX Guides

Just up the beach road, see what’s nearby in Kitty Hawk. Or browse everything in our Things to Do in the Outer Banks guide for the rest of the barrier islands.