Can you name one invention that inspired both Benjamin Franklin and the Wright Brothers? Here’s a hint: It was not invented in the US. If you answered the kite - you are right! The kite was first invented and popularized in China about 2,800 years ago to send messages, test wind and measure distances. The kite played a significant role in 1752 when Benjamin Franklin flew a silk kite in the middle of a thunderstorm, proving his own theory that lightning is electricity. In the late 1800s, Wilbur and Orville Wright built a biplane kite, which had a similar wing structure to a bird and was an early version of the airplane that they invented in 1903.
You can learn the rest of the history of kite and kite making at the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame in Long Beach, Washington. It’s the only museum devoted to kites in North America. It’s also a ten minute walk from Boreas Bed & Breakfast in Long Beach, Washington where you can check in at the ocean front property and check out the inn’s private collection of fighter kites, stationary kites, international kites and festival posters. When you’re ready to fly your own kite, innkeepers Susie and Bill can direct you to a nearby kite shop and you can test your luck on the boardwalk at Long Beach.
Or skip the history lesson and learn to fly a kite all on your own at Kite Hill Vineyards Bed & Breakfast and Winery in Carbondale, Illinois. Every weekend during the month of April, kite-lovers of all ages can watch or fly a kite on the B&B estate, which also sits near the inn’s own vineyard. Buy a bottle of wine at the winery, pick up a kite at the inn, sit back, relax and enjoy National Kite Month.
To find more kite flying options, use the keyword search box and find a bed and breakfast near you.
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