Atlantic City Boardwalk: The Original American Entertainment Strip

Atlantic City’s boardwalk, built in 1870 to keep sand off the floors of beachfront hotels, was the first boardwalk in the United States and briefly the entertainment capital of the East Coast. Harry Houdini performed here. The Miss America pageant started here in 1921. The Boardwalk was the inspiration for Monopoly’s property names (Charles Darrow was from Atlantic City). By the 1970s the city was in serious decline; legalisation of casino gambling in 1978 brought money back but not the old atmosphere.

What exists now is a genuinely strange place: 60 casino resort hotels, several of which are closed or partially abandoned, on a boardwalk where the gaps between the functioning attractions are conspicuous. Atlantic City has had a complicated relationship with its own rebirth. The boardwalk is still there, the beach is still there, and several good casinos are doing well. The claim to being a destination requires some adjustment to expectations.

The Boardwalk

The main boardwalk runs roughly 8 kilometres along the Atlantic City beachfront. The working casino section concentrates in the central stretch; the Showboat Casino end and the southern sections are quieter. In summer the beach is legitimately good, wide, sandy, and accessible. Saltwater taffy, the confection invented in Atlantic City in the 1880s (the origin story involves a candy shop owner whose stock was soaked by a wave, making his taffy “salty”), is available from multiple shops along the boardwalk and is genuinely different from candy made elsewhere.

Steel Pier at the end of the original pier has been an amusement park in various forms since 1898. Current version has rides, games, and a ferris wheel with views over the ocean and the boardwalk.

The Casinos

The surviving major casinos include Borgata (the best quality overall, off the boardwalk in the Marina District), Hard Rock (the former Trump Taj Mahal), Caesars, Bally’s, and the Ocean Casino Resort. Borgata consistently gets the best reviews for food, entertainment, and overall experience. For the boardwalk-walk experience, Caesars or Hard Rock are more centrally located.

Atlantic City gambling tends toward slots rather than the table game culture of Las Vegas; most visitors who come specifically to gamble find the atmosphere different from what they expect.

Where to Eat

The casino food courts and buffets are the most cost-effective eating option. For something better: Old Homestead Steakhouse at Borgata is legitimate and expensive. Dock’s Oyster House on Atlantic Avenue has been serving seafood since 1897 and is the most historically authentic dining experience in the city.

Where to Stay

The casino hotels dominate: Borgata for quality, Caesars for the boardwalk location. Budget options cluster on the side streets away from the main boardwalk. The convention hotel properties are cheaper and functional.

Getting There

Atlantic City is 130km from Philadelphia by road (about 90 minutes) and accessible from New York by NJ Transit bus from Port Authority. Train service from Philadelphia to Atlantic City runs via NJ Transit. Parking at casino hotels is generally free.