Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wright Brothers National Memorial preserves the Kill Devil Hills landscape where Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the world's first controlled, sustained flights of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft on December 17, 1903. Visitors can follow the original flight line from the takeoff boulder to four landing markers, explore reconstructed camp and hangar buildings, climb Big Kill Devil Hill to the Wright monument, and see the historic Mission 66 visitor center. Its museum uses hands-on exhibits, ranger programs, and a full-scale 1903 Flyer replica to explain the brothers' experiments and engineering path to powered flight. The National Park Service operates the memorial year-round with admission required.