Diane Cook and Len Jenshel / Getty Images

Jockey's Ridge State Park, north carolina

Steady ocean breezes power Jockey's Ridge to top jock in the outer banks. The highest sand dune on the East Coast (down the road from where the wright brothers flew) offers an ideal launch for hang gliders and kite fliers with slopes that beckon sandboarders when the crowds thin. Kitty Hawk Kites teaches beginning gliders in three-hour lessons that get you airborne above the dunes for up to 100 yards, 80 feet higher than the Wrights' first attempt.