Kitty Hawk Kites

This is the second time Kitty Hawk Kites has let me down. I made a reservation through them for SUP last May. I hit traffic and was going to get there right at the start time for the tour. I called an hour before to let them know. It started raining, so there was a chance that the tour would cancel. I asked them to let me know so that I wouldn't break my neck getting there on time. They didn't. I got there and nobody was there. It took me 30 minutes to reach someone who could tell me that it was cancelled.This time I called to reserve a wild horses tour and a kayaking tour. They told me on a Tuesday that there was no problem with availability for the horses tour. I called Thursday to reserve and was told that the tour was cancelled. So, I booked the kayaking tour. They told me they were located a mile away from where I was staying. The email confirmation said it was 15 miles away. I called an hour before the tour to see if it was still on since it was really windy. The lady said they rarely cancel due to wind, but she would double check and call me back. I get to the location and once again, nobody is there. I call them back. I call the number on the building and the van. Nobody knows anything. So, I go to Kitty Hawk Kites. It takes her FORTY FIVE MINUTES to tell me that the guide cancelled but didn't tell her. He said he called me, but my voice mail box was full. I checked my phone. No missed calls from the 252 area code. They gave me a refund, but you can't get your time back. Needless to say, I won't be trusting them with my business ever again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... :/

If you are looking for some great kites with a lot of variety, check this place out! My husband loves kites so we had to go! They had anything you can possibly need in the store from beach stuff, clothing, kites of course and more. Reasonably priced and my husband got to fly it nicely at the beach!

Went kayaking in the Maritime Forest. Jen was our guide. Super nice. We all had a good time and would do it again.

Fun shop, fair prices. So many kites. Great toys for kiddos. It's great for an upscale tourist souvenir sport clothes and gift shop. Staff was friendly. Lots to see and lots to buy.

A group of 4 of us came in for SUP (Stand Up Paddle) Boarding Lessons for the 9am lesson. We just take off from behind the building and begin paddling. Carolyn was our guide and teacher, she was very social and talkative and continued to give us advice the whole 90 minutes. She taught us some tricks as well how to get back on the board in case we fell. The entire experience was very enjoyable, relaxing and fun. We also found out they have trio bundled lessons, Surfing/SUP/Kayaking for a bundled price and Bioluminescence Kayaking tours at night, very cool - watch out for the mosquitos though.

My family of four and another family of four went SUPing with Jake. Real good kid...knowledgeable of SUP and the water around us, chatty and charming. Very fun afternoon for us.

Props to the staff at Kitty Hawk Kites! We had a rough weather week and they were so accommodating! Jason who was at the Sanderling helped us stay up to date on the status of our activities, Luke took us on an amazing sunset kayak tour and Chelsea helped us reschedule our Vineyard voyage after weather caused cancellations!! Would definitely book through them again!

My family of 5 enjoyed a bucket list item of Tandem Hang Gliding at 2,000 feet. It was AWESOME!!! Everyone was friendly, welcoming and understanding of us being nervous. Even my 9 and 11 yo had the time of their life. Johnny the tandem pilot was amazing and fun! Worth every penny!! Definitely recommend.

While vacationing on the Outer Banks we booked two trips through Kitty Hawk Kites -- the first was for hang gliding at Jockey Ridge State Park and the second for horse back riding on the beach on Hatteras Island. I was familiar with Kitty Hawk Kites from a visit to the Outer Banks many years ago so was excited to use them. However, they proved to be very disappointing. My issue with Kitty Hawk Kites is that they overbook. The adventures they offer are great in concept, but they misrepresent the number of people participating and then timing. For example, there were at least 22 people in our hang gliding class on the hottest day this past June. What was supposed to be a 3 hour experience (1 hour in class, the other 2 flying on sand dunes) did not end up that way. At 12 p.m. when we were supposed to be done (so three hours in), we only had 2 of our 5 flights completed because the class was overbooked. My spouse actually ended up not completing the additional 3 flights because we had conflicting plans. They did offer us a wind check (we could make up the flights at a later date) but we were only in town for a week and had other plans, so were not able to take advantage of this. This would have been a great experience if Kitty Hawk Kites up held their end of the bargain by keeping the class size to a reasonable size instead of trying to profit from all vacationers by adding as many people as possible. The second adventure -- horse back riding -- was the same issue. We were told at most 12 people, but it was closer to 20. Again the adventure started later than planned due to the number of people and ran over the allotted time. If Kitty Hawk Kites had just stuck to what they promised this would not have been an issue. Instead both outings were very frustrating.Also please be aware that for hand gliding, as much as this was not fun for me and my spouse, it was even worst for those following us. When we hiked back to the office after giving up on hang gliding due to timing the 11 a.m. class that was supposed to be on the sand dunes flying at 12 were still there. They were using the same hang gliders as my class, which had only just begun the 3rd flights. Again this was the hottest day in June and a record high at that. As annoyed as I was, I felt much worst for those waiting for the adventure that they paid for that would not begin until probably at least an hour late if they were lucky and were sitting there in the hot sun waiting.

My son (who is 7) and I went on the maritime kayak tour. It was a great tour. Our guide, Kelly, was amazing. She knew the tour area well, so she knew where the turtles, snakes, and other creatures would typically be hiding. She did a wonderful job of keeping my son interested and involved in spotting the creatures. The individual who we made the reservation through was able to answer all of my questions about the various tours.