Kitty Hawk Kites

This is for the dolphin sunset cruise experience. We easily booked the outing online for our group of 10 people. The boat was comfortable and the guide was very knowledgeable about the dolphins. We got to see numerous dolphins once we were out in the water and snapped some great pictures. I felt like the excursion was reasonably priced.

Highly recommend private surf lessons! I had never surfed or done any board sports before and Nick did a great job of teaching and facilitating. Kitty Hawk Kites had to reschedule due to weather conditions and that all went seamlessly. It was a great experience and I'd love to go out again.

A fun place to take the kids after the dunes. Lots of toys and knick-knacks to choose from.

Fabulous experience - great lesson!!! Very patient instructor... was able to get a few great runs in, perfect ...

The store has a lot of cute things to pick from but customer service is lacking. There are signs posted throughout about how they are short staffed but have surveillance cameras to prevent theft and there was an employee staring at us as we walked around looking at merchandise. However when we went to check out, another employee was sitting behind the register barely visible. I asked if that was where we had to check out and she didn't answer. Another employee saw the situation and tried to get her to actually do her job and she just laughed and finally got up to help. It wasn't a great experience - will try shops next time.

This chain kite shop has locations all over the OBX! If you're in Nagshead, check it out! Beautiful, color, fanciful lites of all shapes and sizes and themes will delight you even if you're not a kite person! They are fun to see! On a clear windy day you'll find kiters flying their creations from the outdoor balconies and they're gorgeous! Across the street there's Jockey's Ridge where you'll see an array of whimsical kite designs dancing in the air. But this shop isn't just kites! They carry souvenirs galore including t-shirts and hoodies, postcards, nautical, pirate, mermaid, and sea life themed knick-knacks and signage, toys, games, and more. Every floor is displayed with treasures! One floor had some cool steam punk items and a cool jewelry section. I found some cute mermaid studs and lots of other trinkets.They also have shoes, crocs, flip flops and sandals as well as beachwear and accessories. The prices are decent and the salespeople are cordial. Not to be a "nagshead", but go and check this place out! You'll be flying high!

Huge two-level store with tons of foot traffic even around 9:00pm. Lots and lots of beautiful kites, as you can imagine. Most are extraordinary in quality, appearance, and price. Store does feel overcrowded and claustrophobic in some areas with narrow aisles. Doesn't seem wheelchair accessible. I didn't see any escalators or elevators to access the upstairs. Plenty of staff to adequately cover customer questions and checkout. There's a friendly juggling instructor upstairs doing tricks. The dunes are directly across the street. Buy a kite here, walk across the very, very busy street (be careful, seriously) and hang out at the dunes!

Bottom Line: Tourist trap with a few bright spots. Two things Kitty Hawk Kites does really well are hang gliding lessons and selling kites. Otherwise, I find this place to be a tourist trap. Often, during the peak season, it is so busy that if you do want to shop for a T-shirt, kite, souvenir, game, sandals, puzzles etc. you really have to maneuver through the crowds and wait your turn to really look at the options, sizes, etc. There are often many looky loos and bottlenecks. Service is awful. I heard someone tonight at the experience counter snap at a customer by literally blurting, "I'm not a register!" and then going back to her phone. I felt so bad for the customer. I remember when Kitty Hawk Kites was a world class experience. Thankfully, my KHK from about 30 years ago is still going strong so I can remove this store from my shopping repertoire.

Dolphin eco tour left from Oregon Inlet on a pontoon boat during a super windy afternoon..."prepare to get wet!" our marine biology major warned! We surely did and it as glorious as OBX native Capt Richard negotiated all over looking for illusive pods of bottle nose in the sound. Over 800 are cruising in pods...finally the captain heard of a pod of 40 dolphins near Wanchese Bridge..and it was worth it! Wonderful! Be sure to tip your crew...they do earn it!!

Stopped here to purchase kites for the sand dunes. Huge variety of kites and knowledgeable staff. We ended up getting two kites (24 in & 48in). Walked across the street and flew kites for the first time ever! Kids loved it.Plaza also had ice cream! :)