Fun Facts

  • Kitty Hawk is 8.23 square miles in area, which includes .05 square miles of water.
  • The elevation of Kill Devil Hills averages just 7' feet above sea level.
  • Kitty Hawk has an impressive year-round population of more than 3,200 residents. This number skyrockets in the summer months to 40,000 visitors or more.
  • Kitty Hawk borders the Albemarle Sound, as well as the Currituck Sound. The two sounds "meet" just off the western Kitty Hawk coastline, close to the Wright Memorial Bridge.
  • There are two main roads that run through Kitty Hawk - US 158, also known as the Beach Bypass, and NC Highway 12, also known as the Beach Road.
  • There are no alligators in the Currituck or Albemarle Sounds, but the soundside region of Kitty Hawk is home to a wealth of migrating and year-round birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals.
  • The Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve encompasses 1,824 acres of maritime deciduous swamp, forest, and marsh. Of this area, the Town of Kitty Hawk owns 461 undeveloped acres.
  • Kitty Hawk was unheard of until 1903, when the town became famous thanks to the Wright Brothers.
  • Kitty Hawk is credited as the home of the Wright Brother's first flight, but it was simply telegraphed from the town via the Kitty Hawk Weather Station. The first flight actually took place in neighboring Kill Devil Hills, which was not a "town" at the time, but was officially incorporated about 50 years later.
  • Kitty Hawk is often the first town visitors will enter when they arrive on the Outer Banks, as its northern town borders connect with the Wright Memorial Bridge.
  • The Aycock Brown Welcome Station, the largest Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Visitors Center, is located in Kitty Hawk, just after the Wright Memorial Bridge ends.
  • Kitty Hawk is home to a golf course, a natural preserve, several public boat launches, and the Outer Banks' only Wal-Mart.
  • In 2005, Kitty Hawk got a sister city - Coulaines in Pays de la Loire, France.

 

Black Pelican

Black Pelican

Black Pelican oceanfront restaurant is one of the Outer Banks’ premier restaurants serving lunch and dinner daily. Black Pelican is where you can enjoy fresh seafood, steaks, vegetarian dishes, sandwiches and some of the barrier island’s best wood-fired pizzas complete with a beautiful ocean view from the dining rooms and outdoor deck. The restaurant is big enough to handle large parties, but the setting is intimate enough for a cozy date.

Big Buck's Homemade Ice Cream

Big Buck's Homemade Ice Cream

Serving our customers on the Outer Banks since 1994, Big Buck's ice Cream is dedicated serving you “The Best.” We offer a full line of super-premium ice cream products, smoothies, chocolates, and custom-made ice cream cakes! 2 locations are open all year: Duck  and Manteo, at The Waterfront Shops.

 

We offer a full line of Espresso Drinks from Hot Vanilla Cappuccinos and Hot Chocolate to Iced Caramel Lattes & Frozen Mochas, all made to order. Big Buck’s fresh fruit smoothies are lactose-free and made to order. Also offering lactose-free sorbets made from the best fruits available. Old time favorites are sure to please! Choose from a delicious collection of milkshakes, sundaes and banana splits.

 

Savor the moment with our Homemade Chocolate! Chocolates are made daily in each location. We offer a large selection from Dark to Milk to White. Milk Chocolate Oreos & Almond Toffee, Dark Chocolate Berries and Cherries Clusters & Hand-dipped Peppermint Patties with a Drizzle of White Chocolate, Extra-Dark Sea Salt Caramels & our famous homemade caramel chocolate pretzels oh & don’t forget the ever-popular caramel pecan turtle, just to name a few treats!

 

Belinda Pleva grew up serving ice cream out of her parent’s shop. She loved being part of what she calls “a happy business.” “I love it when people come into the shop and you hand them something, and it makes them smile,” Pleva says. “That moment when you hand an ice cream cone over to a little kid and their eyes just light up. That’s what I love about the ice cream business.”

 

In 1994, Pleva opened up her own ice cream and chocolate shop, Big Buck’s Ice Cream, in the brand-new Timbuk II Shopping Center in Corolla. Business was good, but something was missing.

 

“I was never satisfied with the ingredients in the ice creams and chocolates you could purchase back then. I wanted to serve my customers delicious flavors with ingredients they could actually pronounce,” Pleva says.

 

Pleva took a trip to Italy to study the gelaterias. She fell in love with the incredible flavors, and when she returned home to the Outer Banks, she began working tirelessly to perfect the flavors in her own ice cream.

 

Big Buck’s homemade ice cream combined the flavors of the Italian gelaterias and the richness of American ice cream. It quickly became a tourist favorite. After having the same unsatisfactory experience with the readymade chocolates she was selling, she also took a trip to Brussels to learn more about making handmade chocolates. Pleva brought the chocolate-making experience right back with her, and the result was the finest quality of chocolates on the Outer Banks.

 

After her huge success in the Corolla shop, Pleva was able to open up three more shops—one in Kitty Hawk, one in Manteo and one in Duck.

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Sun Realty

Sun Realty

Sun Realty offers the Best Selection of Vacation Rentals on the Outer Banks. Our large selection of Outer Banks rentals means you can choose from a wide range of amenities, including private swimming pools, hot tubs, theater rooms, game rooms, pet friendly lodging and more! Our properties span the entire OBX coast including Carova, Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and South Nags Head. On Hatteras Island, we proudly offer beach cottages in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras Village.

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Resort Realty

Resort Realty

For more than 30 years, Resort Realty has been providing unforgettable Outer Banks vacations. From Corolla to Hatteras Island, Resort Realty offers nearly 550 Outer Banks vacation homes that range from cozy 1-bedroom condos to exquisite 13-bedroom luxury estates. Whether you’re counting down to a beloved family vacation, getting away for a long weekend, or planning a special event, our homes represent a variety of lifestyles and locations, with amenities and furnishings such as elevators, private pools and gourmet kitchens to more simple pleasures like wraparound porches, dune-top gazebos, and oceanfront hammocks made for afternoon naps.

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