Atlantic City – The Atlantic Sin City
Atlantic City, or AC as it likes to brand itself, is like a Las Vegas of the East Coast. This vibrant city resembles the western gambling empire in many ways, including an impressive lineup of giant hotels and resorts along the sandy shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The “strip” of Atlantic City is the boardwalk, the long promenade along the ocean, with glittering hotels that house large casinos.
- Atlantic City is a favorite spot for residents of the Northeast and New York City metro area, located just a two-hour drive south of New York City and only an hour east of Philadelphia.
- The city is a less glamorous and more vintage version of Las Vegas, but despite this, it exudes fun and relaxation and is filled with tourists during most seasons of the year.
- The big advantage of Atlantic City is its great beach (a feature Las Vegas doesn't have).
How many days do you need for a trip to Atlantic City?
For those coming to relax and have fun, a few good days of enjoying the beach and the casino will suffice. For those coming just for a tour of Atlantic City, half a day should be enough.
What are the must-see and must-do activities in Atlantic City?
- Drink, roll dice, and have a blast at one of the casinos in this gambling town
- Chill at Atlantic City Beach or Chicken Bone Beach
- Bask in the sun at the Boardwalk casino's shadow
- Vintage amusement park at Steel Pier
- History at the Absecon Lighthouse
- Atlantic City's American touch at Ocean City
- Lucy the Elephant statue in Margate City
Click here to check availability and prices at Atlantic City's hotels and casinos…
Click here for a day trip to Atlantic City (departing from Manhattan)…
What is Atlantic City?
- Atlantic City is one of the leading tourist destinations of the New York Metropolitan area and very popular among Big Apple residents.
- The city is located in the southern part of New Jersey, on Absecon Island, a natural sandy barrier island, not far from the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area.
- Atlantic City is home to about forty thousand people, and its small metropolitan area houses around a quarter of a million people.
- The city developed as a recreational spot as early as the mid-19th century, following its rail connection to Camden (the city in New Jersey adjacent to Philadelphia to the east).
- With the construction of the boardwalk in 1870, vacation mansions with ocean views were also built there.
Map of Atlantic City
The hotel strip of Atlantic City
- At the beginning of the 20th century, two historic hotels were built in Atlantic City – the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel and the Traymore Hotel
- The two modern resorts on the beach and the boardwalk became a hallmark of the city and the starting shot for the great hotel race
- Over the years, the strip of hotels has experienced ups and downs. Historical events such as Prohibition in the 1930s, the 1944 hurricane that damaged the boardwalk, and several economic downturns greatly affected the city's business over the years
- In the 1980s, Donald Trump invested heavily in attempting to restore the city's grandeur, an effort that ended with quite a few grandiose projects that failed
- Today, the city teeters between being an entertainment site with historical chic, reminiscent of the vintage glamor of the 1920s, along with a feeling of decay, certainly when compared to the meteoric rise of Las Vegas
How to get to Atlantic City?
How to fly to Atlantic City?
Philadelphia International Airport-PHL – Philadelphia's airport is one of the largest on the East Coast of the USA. It serves as an American Airlines hub and is well-connected with all major airports in the USA and Europe. There used to be a direct flight by US Airways to Tel Aviv, but now it's easily accessible with a transfer at European airports. The airport is about an hour's drive from Atlantic City's boardwalk.
Atlantic City International Airport-ACY – The city's small airport is located slightly west of the Boardwalk hotel strip. The airport is well connected with major airports across the USA. A significant portion of the flights arriving at the airport come from Florida's airports, with the city's hotel marketing largely targeting Florida's retiree population, many of whom originally came from the New York metropolitan area. The journey by car or taxi from the airport to the Boardwalk takes about twenty minutes.
Newark Liberty International Airport-EWR – The second largest airport for the New York metropolitan area is located in New Jersey, between Newark to the north and Elizabeth to the south. The airport has many flights from all over Europe. The drive from the airport to the Atlantic City Boardwalk takes about two hours.
When to visit Atlantic City?
- The perfect season for a trip and vacation in the city is, of course, the summer season, where you can combine a swim at the beach along with all the attractions and fun activities.
- Unlike Las Vegas, which operates with vigor all year round, Atlantic City is a vacation and casino city with seasonal limitations.
- Due to weather conditions, winter in Atlantic City is considered less attractive, not only because it's cold but mainly because the sandy beach is gloomy and quite a few attractions are closed.
How to Plan a Trip Route in Atlantic City?
- Atlantic City is almost the official vacation city of New York.
- You can combine a visit or fun activities in the city with travel routes in the New York metropolis including a stop in Princeton and a continuation route towards Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
- Most people who come to Atlantic City are here for a vacation and casino fun, not just for travel.
- The city is the perfect place to enjoy the American entertainment experience, especially if you're not heading to the West Coast and Las Vegas.
Click here for a day trip from Manhattan to Atlantic City…
The trip in Atlantic City centers around the long Boardwalk, which features the beautiful beach, the Steel Pier, and all the famous casino hotels in the city. You can continue south from the city along the coastline, stop and see Lucy the Elephant in Margate City, and continue towards Ocean City and Cape May.
Everything you need to know about staying in Atlantic City
- Atlantic City is one of the most important and popular resorts in the northeastern part of the USA.
- The hotel experience includes all the fun of the genre – gambling, parties and nightlife, numerous attractions, entertainment shows, buffet restaurants and more – the giant resorts of Atlantic City have it all.
- If you're staying in Atlantic City, of course it’s best to find accommodation in one of the giant hotels on the Boardwalk, preferably with an ocean view.
- A large complex of new and flashy resorts has also been built at the marina of Atlantic City, where some of the city's luxurious resorts, led by MGM's Borgata, are located.
- The lodging prices at the large resorts and casino hotels aren't too expensive, and you can always find an attractive deal.
- If you want to save a bit, you can also stay at second-row hotels, the motels, and three-star hotels of Pacific Avenue and Atlantic Avenue.
- On Pacific Avenue, there are plenty of important motel chains such as Best Western, Marriott's Courtyard, and more.
- The hotels in Atlantic City are generally excellent, some are new, but along the Boardwalk, there are also giant hotels some parts of which haven’t been renovated.
Click here to find accommodations in the hotels and casinos of Atlantic City…
The Famous Casino Hotels in Atlantic City
Casino Hotels on the Boardwalk
The Tropicana Tropicana Atlantic City
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
The Caesars Atlantic City Casino
The Ocean Casino Resort Ocean Casino Resort
The Bally's Bally's Atlantic City Casino
Modern Casino Resorts in Atlantic City's Marina
The Borgata Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Harrah's Harrah's Resort Atlantic City
The Golden Nugget Golden Nugget Atlantic City
Everything to See and Do in Atlantic City
The Atlantic City Boardwalk Atlantic City Boardwalk
The Atlantic City Boardwalk stretches along the entire coastline of Absecon Island, where Atlantic City is located in the northern part. The long boardwalk begins near the Atlantic City Marina and continues south to the end of Longport beach.
The boardwalk was built in 1870 to stabilize the sandy coastline of the island and allow for construction. With its construction, the entire eastern coastline of the small island became a long boardwalk (named after the barrier island Lido that protects the Venetian lagoon), filled with hotels, holiday homes, and entertainment venues.
For the Hard Rock Cafe dining experience, a particularly delicious tasting meal, click here…
The bustling part of the Boardwalk stretches more or less from the Tropicana Hotel to the luxurious Ocean Casino Resort in the north. Its highlight is the famous Steel Pier. Along the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, you'll find many of the city's big casino hotels, plenty of luxury restaurants, entertainment venues, theaters, and everything that resembles the Las Vegas Strip. The Boardwalk is the peak of Atlantic City, a lively place bustling with people around the clock.
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
The structure of the convention hall is one of Atlantic City's historical icons. This massive building, now known as Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, was constructed in 1929. It was once the city's main convention hall, the Atlantic City Convention Hall, prior to the opening of the large and modern convention center near the train station in 1997.
The venue is a part of the popular lifestyle of Atlantic City and is best known for hosting the annual ‘Miss America' pageant. The hall hosts various events, including hockey games, boxing matches, and more. It has a capacity for ten thousand spectators for sports events and about fifteen thousand for concerts or performances. The hall is home to the world's largest organ, which is also currently the largest musical instrument in the world.
Atlantic City Beach and Chicken Bone Beach
As befits a barrier island, the entire eastern shoreline of Absecon Island boasts abundant sand and great beaches. The beaches of Atlantic City historically were the source of the vacation culture that developed in the city. The wide sandy beach touches the Atlantic Ocean's waters at the base of the boardwalk.
In summer, crowds of hotel-goers at the city's casinos take advantage of the sunny mornings and head to the city's beaches – Atlantic City Beach to the north and Chicken Bone Beach in the southern part of the city. The most popular beach strip in the city is on both sides of Steel Pier.
Besides Steel Pier, the Atlantic City shoreline is crossed by two more piers to the south – the Central Pier Arcade, featuring a huge video game arcade, and the Playground Pier, which currently has a mall being built on it. The wide Chicken Bone Beach near Playground Pier is considered much calmer than Atlantic City Beach, but it is also very popular in summer.
Steel Pier
The Steel Pier is a vintage amusement park and one of the icons of Atlantic City. The pier is located across from the massive Hard Rock Café hotel and casino, the giant hotel facility that was once the Trump Taj Mahal. The amusement park opened in 1898 and is considered one of the oldest still operating (with lots of updates, of course).
Although it is a fairly mediocre amusement park, the place is still attractive due to its history and its status as one of the most famous symbols of the city. The Ferris wheel above the coastline, with the hotels in the background, is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Atlantic City. The amusement park also features roller coasters, extreme rides, a vintage carousel, and various fair attractions.
Island Water Park
The new and attractive water park is located next to the Showboat Resort Atlantic City hotel, adjacent to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The water park offers a wealth of wet attractions for the whole family and all ages. The park includes numerous pools and different activities, such as a lazy river, water slides of various levels, a wave pool for surfing, and many other attractions. The big advantage of the water park is its super central location right on the boardwalk. The park is seasonal and only open during the summer days.
Address: Boardwalk. 801, Atlantic City
Click here for the latest opening hours and entrance fees to the water park…
Atlantic City Convention Center
The gigantic Atlantic City Convention Center opened in 1997 as the official replacement for the city's historic convention center on the boardwalk. The center boasts a huge exhibition area and hosts various events and fairs.
The convention center is adjacent to the main train station of Atlantic City. The complex also includes the Sheraton hotel and the popular Tanger Outlets Atlantic City.
Address: Convention Blvd. 1, Atlantic City
Absecon Lighthouse
One of the oldest historical buildings in Atlantic City is the charming lighthouse at the northern corner of the city. The lighthouse was built in 1856 from granite and is about 52 meters tall.
The lighthouse is one of the city's landmarks, a memory from the past against the backdrop of the sparkling hotel skyscrapers. At the base of the lighthouse, there's a small museum dedicated to it and its history.
Click here to purchase online tickets for entrance to the lighthouse…
A Coastal Walk South from Atlantic City
Atlantic City dominates the northern part of Absecon Island but is continuously connected with the other cities on the island. The entire island is inhabited from its northern part to its southern tip. Running along its length is the boardwalk, originally built as a concrete barrier to prevent the erosion of the sandy shoreline.
The cities/suburbs south of Atlantic City are upscale residential and vacation areas. Along the boardwalk are charming mansions in Ventnor City, Margate City, and Longport.
In Margate City sits the historic statue Lucy the Elephant. It is an enormous wooden elephant statue built in 1882 as a marketing exercise to sell real estate on the shoreline. Today, the statue is one of the unique attractions on the coast south of Atlantic City.
Ocean City
Traveling south from Longport at the southern tip of Absecon Island, you arrive at the very American resort town of Ocean City. Ocean City, New Jersey (not to be confused with the more attractive Ocean City, Maryland) is kind of a smaller replica of Atlantic City. The Ocean City Boardwalk stretches along the city's waterfront, lined with numerous attractions and amusements.
Attractions along the waterfront include Gillian's Wonderland Pier, famous for its giant Ferris wheel, Playland's Castaway Cove amusement park, and the large OC Waterpark. Ocean City also offers a great beach for swimming and plenty of entertainment options on the beach and boardwalk, but the vibe is much more local.
