Oceanfront Hotel Close to Historic Attractions
The tallest lighthouse in the United States is situated on Cape Hatteras, one of many barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks off the coast of North Carolina. Right around this lighthouse, you can find the spot where the Wright brothers took flight for the first time, in Kill Devil Hills (not in nearby Kitty Hawk, contrary to what's in many textbooks). Today, the islands on the Outer Banks are popular for their history as well as their temperate climate and wide-open beaches. The Ramada Plaza Nags Head Beach sits right along the oceanfront, close to all of these attractions.
The beach is the main attraction here. You can spend a day just lounging on the Ramada's expansive beach, or go bicycle riding or surfing with equipment rented from a shop nearby. When not swimming in the Atlantic, you can take advantage of the hotel's pool.
You can get a nice view of the beach from Peppercorns, the onsite restaurant, which serves up seafood, sandwiches, and sweeping panoramas of the beach. Stop at the lounge to catch live music on Friday nights and karaoke on Saturdays. Each of the hotel's guest rooms features beach-inspired decor and offers striking views of the city, dunes, or ocean.
North Carolina's Outer Banks: Historical Monuments and Sand Dunes
The Ramada Plaza is located about a mile north of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, a 60-foot granite obelisk topped by a shining marine beacon commemorating the first human-powered flight. Here you’ll also find wind-tunnel reproductions, replicas of the brothers' early gliders, memorabilia, and the pinch of Tinker Bell's pixie dust that made aviation possible.
A couple miles south of the hotel, some of the tallest natural sand dunes on the East Coast dot the grounds of Jockey’s Ridge State Park. The mounds of constantly shifting sand would fill six million dump-truck beds. Combative winds from the northeast and southwest keep them from blowing away.
Farther south, Cape Hatteras National Seashore has earned the nickname “Graveyard of the Atlantic” for the many ships that have wrecked here during storms on its dangerous shoals. The abundant wildlife in the area includes nesting sea turtles, and the surfing is considered some of the best on the East Coast.
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