Atlantic City With the Entire Family - 2006

When we got in the elevator at the hotel on the second day a woman looked at the children and asked, "What is there to do in Atlantic City for children?"...the answer is Plenty. The main attraction may be the casinos for adults, but the area offers many things families can do together. Also just south of Atlantic City is Wildwood which has all sorts of family oriented activities. It is a very good place for the whole family to enjoy.

Quick Tips:

Make sure you check what shows are going on well before your arrival to get tickets. Look at all of the casino websites where shows and prices are listed. Also, www.atlanticcitynj.com is a great place to start your entertainment and activity search.

Best Way To Get Around:

Atlantic City is a walking destination. Most of the major attractions are on the boardwalk. There are many areas which get very seedy quickly off the boardwalk. The Aquarium, Borgota (which doesn’t allow anyone under 18 on the premises), Trump’s Marina, and Harrah’s all are less than a mile drive from the boardwalk and have ample parking for a reasonable fee.

We stayed at the Atlantic Palace. Each unit has a kitchen (no ovens - -but stove top and microwave), full size refrigerator and dishwasher. We were traveling with a party of eight and had three one bedroom suites reserved ...just as in the Seinfeld car rental episode—apparently they know how to take a reservation but don’t know how to hold a reservation...on our arrival they did not have any one bedroom units—BUT—they did offer us the use of two bedroom units...which was our only choice so of course we took them. The two bedroom had a queen size bed in each bedroom and a couch which folds out...so the unit could sleep 6...the best aspect of this facility is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!! On New York Avenue and the Boardwalk you are within walking distance (a maximum of about ¾ mile in either direction) to the majority of all of the places the Boardwalk has to offer. We were disappointed when we were told the only views available were the city views, but again since we had no choice took it—we were pleasantly surprised to have the most wonderful view of the boardwalk, and ocean and the surrounding area. We were in the last unit to the non water side of the building and had a STELLAR view—so anywhere in the building would offer spectacular views!!! There are no scheduled activities for all practical purposes, the facility provides you with a list of the shows and events scheduled in the casinos the week of your stay. You are better off doing the homework and getting any show tickets prior to your arrival...a great place to start that search is http://www.atlanticcitynj.com. The ocean is just in front of you and the beach if fully public and accessible. Lots of shells for children at low tides...there is a small pool, which was VERY cold!!! In June (in New Jersey) there still isn’t enough air temp heat build up to warm the pool...and the ocean is cold too!!!

The steel Pier! What used to be a true destination—I remember (in the 1960s) going to the Steel Pier and seeing the Beach Boys in concert, and I remember the diving horse who ‘jumped’ from the diving platform into a tank of water, watching the elevator taking the horse to the top was just about as cool as seeing it go down—now it is a very overpriced amusement park with a carnival feel.

The rides are all based on a ticket system and the tickets are $.75 each. The major rides (go-carts, wild mouse, disk-O, etc) take 9 tickets which is $6.75 a ride (and short rides they are). So, if a family of four goes that is a quickly spent $27 for about 2 minutes of fun. The other rides (i.e. tilt-a whirl, merry-go-round, etc) are 4 or 5 tickets, still $3 to $3.75 a ride and $12 to $15 for that family of four. On Wednesday and Thursday you can buy a wrist band for unlimited admission to all of the rides, however, they say it is unlimited but it isn’t. With the band you can only do the climbing wall once and the go-carts three times. The band costs $35 each and is good from 3pm until 10pm. If you are looking to get the bracelet, check out the height requirements for each ride. If your child is under 48 inches in height there are only a few rides they will be able to ride. Not included with the bracelet use is the big attraction is the Rocket, which is a two person spherical seating system which is then shot up 225 feet and bounces up and down a few times. It is $20 a person. Although they have ½ price rides on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, they offer a video of you and your co-rider screaming as you are shot into the air for an additional $10. The kids loved the ride and it was worth it when it was $10 at $20. I’m not so sure since we were going to be in Atlantic City for a week the first night we walked the steel Pier and saw what rides were available and confirmed the times the bracelets and ½ price rocket was available and told the kids we would do it at that time. It gave the kids something to look forward to.

Just a couple miles south of Atlantic City is Margate, New Jersey. This is where Lucy the Elephant lives! Lucy is a big building built in 1881 shaped like an elephant. It is well worth taking the family to see, it is truly something they will not see anywhere else. It is an activity which will only fill an hour or two. There is a small gift shop and a tour available which allows you to go inside Lucy and a short video describes her history (which describes how close she came to not being at all). The video is short enough that the kids will not become readily bored. After the video you get to go to her basket lookout and get a great view of the ocean and surroundings. Even without kids it is a place so unique it is well worth seeing! She has a website at www.lucythe elephant.org.

The show at Trump Plaza is PERFECT for families—it is full of bright colors and acrobatics, and the kids really enjoy it. You can get tickets ahead of time at Ticketmaster. The seating in the theatre is unique—the booth towards the back are the only seats with a rise to them, the sections on the floor are just placed chairs with no rise, so you have a child with you there is a very good chance in row three there will be some obstruction to their view. Close or far from the stage is about the same for this production, the most fun is that after the show all of the performers are out in the lobby and will pose for photos, which kids think is very cool! The costumes are very colorful! The casinos are changing shows at intervals so it is best to go to the major casino (BALLY’S, CEASAR’S, HARRAH’S, SHOWBOAT, TROPICANA, SAND’S—the Borgota is an 18 and older site and does not allow children anywhere in their property). Check out websites when you are scheduling your trip to see what productions will be there when you will be.

Well worth the experience is renting bicycles and taking a ride on the Boardwalk. There is one company who provides bikes. They are located in front of Resorts and Tropicana...the boardwalk is only open to bikes from 6:30am until 10am (bikes at more congested times would be a nightmare – especially with children!!!). We picked up our bikes shortly before 8 and returned them at 10. This allowed for a leisurely ride north to the end of the boardwalk, then back south to Ventor (which is the town south of Atlantic City) the full trip was about 12 to 15 miles total, which was the maximum for the 8 year old on a small bike (who is pedaling 2 and ½ times more than the bigger bikes require).

The bike rental company has a full variety of bike sizes for all of your family members. They are very good at getting the right size each rider. The seats are remarkably comfortable and the view is wonderful! There are no reservations, it is based on a first come first serve basis—but they had LOTS of bikes!!! The charge was $8 per bike for the first hour and $2 for each 15 minutes following. The individuals working the area are very receptive to getting the details all settled so that you can have an enjoyable ride.

Dolphin Watching Cruise. . .www.atlanticcitycruises.com. . .this company has been doing dolphin watch trips for about 20 years!!! It is a family owned business and has very little turn over from season to season. . .they are very pleasant to customers and are always seeking the positive experience for repeat business and good referrals. It takes about 2 hours and sighting dolphins is guaranteed and if not—they give you a free return voucher—but odds are. You’ll see dolphins and plenty of them. . .there are pods of know dolphins and they have a pretty predictable behavior pattern–thus the reason for the guaranteed sightings. These are wild dolphins so you will see them but there is no way of knowing what they will do and when they will come up into vision. . .the company does not do any feeding to encourage dolphins which is good for their safety. . .digital photos are a must because you will end up with a lot of water photos where a dolphin was. . .it is a great time on the water and the kids will enjoy hunting the horizon for the dolphins. . .reservations can be made by calling (609) 347-7600. . .they depart from Gardner's Basin—the company also has a tour boat ride, bird watching, happy-hour cruise, and a moonlight dance cruise.

The entire length of Atlantic City has open, public, no cost beaches. There are umbrella rentals in front of each of the resorts and there are lots of people all summer. During low tides there is lots of opportunities for children to find shells galore and this activity is probably the favorite of all I have traveled with. Seaglass is always a crowning jewel in the hunt!!! The cities south and north of Atlantic City had wonderful beaches also but require a tag system with an associated cost. Rather than purchasing your sunblock on the boardwalk or at the resorts...venture to the larger chain stores (i.e. Pathmark or Bradlees) in Ventnor for reasonable prices. The beaches are generally less crowded in the morning and late afternoon.

The Atlantic City Aquarium Ocean Life Center is a terrific place for everyone—it is small and intimate and has a very nice selection of displays...there is an interactive touch tank that you will have a hard time getting the kids and the adults out of—there are starfish and crabs and all sorts of ocean life to touch and feel...there are displays throughout which will entertain and educate all—the third floors has an outside observation area which has a phenomenal view of the surrounding bay...there are two very good reasonably priced restaurants right by the center, the flying cloud, and the Black Bay Ale House...both have good food and outdoor dining areas for your enjoyment...this is well worth the admission price...current prices are listed on their Website at www.ocenalifecenter.com ...AAA members get a $5 discount!!!