Wide-open beaches and flats provide plenty of room for kite flying at this Gulf Coast beach locale. "It's beautifully smooth, rolling off the lake." The 48-acre Lake Michigan beachfront park hosts a kite festival every May, attracting fliers from across North America. The Great Lakes offer the same consistent kite-able breezes as the ocean, Barresi says. For kite novices, nearby Sanderling resort offers kite-flying lessons in partnership with Kitty Hawk Kites, a popular regional store. "The wind there is ideal, if not on the high side," Barresi says. The site of the first flight and nearby Jockey Ridge State Park still offer the consistent breezes that attracted the Wright brothers to the Outer Banks. The pioneers of aviation knew a good spot for getting aloft. "One of the things I enjoy most is a venue that has a pocket of kite fliers." He particularly recommends Sand Key, which is a bit removed from the beach bustle. The Tampa Bay Area has an active kite club, Kiting Tampa Bay, and a kite store, which helps make it a great place to fly, Barresi says. The best kite beach is at West Rio Grande and Beach avenues, just south of the convention center. "It is another perennial kite town." The powdery beaches offer plenty of room for running and flying. And although the area took a hit from Hurricane Sandy last year, "kiting is alive and well," Barresi says. The Jersey Shore is where sport kiting - flying controllable kites with two or more strings - was born. It's really awesome." Not only does it offer incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Angel Island and other landmarks, there are also good winds and even a kite store that sets up in the park during prime flying periods. "This is where I cut my teeth as a kite flier," he says. John Barresi, president of the American Kitefliers Association, says harnessing the wind is not only fun, but it also provides a healthy opportunity to enjoy the outdoors: "The activity alone brings a great deal of peace." He shares some favorite kite-flying spots with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.īarresi got the kiting bug at this 90-acre San Francisco Bayfront park 23 years ago. Spring breezes also bring kites dancing across the sky in April, which happens to be National Kite Month. It's not just tulips brightening the landscape this time of year.
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