Our big adventure on this day was to go to the Wright Brothers Memorial and have lunch at the Outer Banks Brewing Station. After checking out the memorial and doing lunch, Matthew pooped out in the car while Mike ran into the store for some essentials.
When we got there, a park ranger told us that they were doing a special event for kids over near where the flight markers were located. A park ranger was having kids run the length/distance of the first flight and see if they could run it quicker than the first flight time. I’m happy to report that both Ian and Matthew were faster than the first flight. OMG, I can’t imagine the crying and drama we’d experienced if they didn’t race equally fast. LOL
Visitor center
I’ve been to the Wright Brothers Memorial 3 or 4 times at this point and I always forget how much walking there is….holy moly, it’s a work out!
Our last visit was about 6 months before the centennial. That year, they put in Centennial Pavilion (I took no pictures of the stuff in there) and a new monument that you can see below. You can also see a giant dune in the background.
Standing at the top of the monument gives you impressive views of the Outer Banks and ocean.
We watched a plane land on the runway next to the memorial!
The loooooooong walk back. The white tent thingy (on right) is Centennial Pavilion.
Nobody wanted to walk!
Ready to get educated?!?!
Replica of their camp while they were in Kill Devil Hills attempting to fly. The buildings replicate their living quarters and the hangar for the 1903 flyer.
Next, we walked the path that represents the distance for each of the flights. There are markers that represent each flight and it’s a great way to comprehend how much improvement they made over the course of the 4 flights.
At the start of the path:
Flight 1:
See the markers for flight 2 and flight 3? Flight 4 is waaaay down the path.
Flight 2:
Flight 3:
Flight 4:
This is the view from the 4th flight marker. You can barely see the other markers from here.
On my way back:
There was a crowd flying kites on the grounds of the memorial.
Before leaving the memorial, we drove around to the new monument. It is a replica of the photograph of the first flight.
You can see the man on the wings of the flyer.
After that, we headed to lunch at the Outer Banks Brewing Station – a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives location.
And the post-lunch carseat crash:
He has gorgeous eyelashes.
The drink of choice for this vacation:
