Kitty Hawk Kites

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.

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!!

I ordered several items but the package was never delivered. I gave the photographic evidence that the package was not delivered (fedex photo of another house where they left the package) and was ignored. I asked for help several times and was brushed off. No longer answering my emails. I posted on their FB page asking for help, they removed it without responding.
I understand they have a business to run but i gave them my money and did not get anything in return. This makes me feel useless, thanks Kitty Hawk Kites. This order was for a fun time, not what you have given in return. I thought you were a reputable vendor. But you know I never got my package and you are actively ignoring my requests for help.

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!

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! :)

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.

This review is for their services and not the retail store.

You can't come to OBX and not see Kitty Hawk Kites being advertised everywhere. They have offices in various locations along the coast, so no matter where you are you can go on a tour or rent equipment. Their customer service was absolutely incredible, my trip was last minute and after combing through their online listings and deciding to book things the day of on multiple occasions, each time I called some friendly and patient customer service provider would work out all the details with me. They would answer my questions, make recommendations, and tell me what tours would be best and were available based on my current location on the coast to maximize activities and minimize driving time. They will seriously cut down on the research and leg work you have to do - so few companies deliver that type of service anymore!

That said, some of the tours seemed a little more hyped up when compared to the actual experience. BUT - many of these tours are nature dependent, so take that for what it is. You can't make the wildlife come out, but a little more indication of just how much wildlife you can expect to interact with on average would have been appreciated.

The best experience I had was the wild horse tour in Corolla. Not only do you get to see wild horses on the beach, but you get to learn a lot about a the very unique town of Corolla, with its gorgeous beach houses hidden among sand dunes, only accessible with a 4x4 vehicle. The horses are calm and you might even get to take pictures standing a safe distance from them. I thought this experience most accurately matched the description out of all the tours.

I also went on a swamp kayaking tour that advertised alligators and some other large animal (something big enough that I reacted with skepticism on the phone, but was assured yes, they do appear). I've done swamp tours in New Orleans where there are gators and hogs and huge spiders around every turn, but we only saw one baby gator here, and it was when we were getting our kayaks set up to go in the water. Still a good time, but I had different expectations.

The last activity I booked was for a sunset fishing tour, and they have many different kinds of fishing tours. This was my first time fishing, which was part of the appeal. The tour provided me with a fishing pole and bait, and went over the basics of how to use both. And if you get tired of holding the pole, you can even rest it on the side of the boat. So it's all geared towards beginners, and lasts only a few hours, so I think it's unrealistic to expect to catch fish. I don't know if more fish come out during different times of day, or different areas, but the very few people who did catch fish had to throw them back because they were too small. It's a fun experience, but when booking on the phone that wasn't really conveyed. So hey, catching a fish is probably not as easy as just showing up, which I guess is why you see people heading out early and spending all day in a boat to do it.

Overall Kitty Hawk is a great service I plan on using again. If you want to try something you've never done before at a reasonable price just to get a feel for it, this is definitely a great way to do it. It also helps you avoid renting equipment or traveling with a lot of equipment if that's a concern. It essentially makes all the great activities OBX offers accessible to everyone, and for that reason alone I strongly recommend it!

Bate and switch !! Glider listed for $6400 on website. speak to them about buying in over the course of several days. Then they said the price was too low and changed it to $7500 ! Plus shipping. Used glider no less. Four year old glider and they are selling it for more than a brand new 2022 model goes for . Super unethical. They have had glider for sale for four years and as soon as they got a serious buyer they change the price ?! Wow. Oh and i found out that in 2018 the glider was $5700.

Super shady business practice. very disappointed.

Review for retail stores not services. Nice selection of tourist items including an array of clothing, shoes, hats, jewelry. Extensive children's toy section and of course kites. Both Quality and inexpensive items. There's also a fudge and jewelry store within the shopping center. Purchased a nice gold necklace three doors down. Great stop!