ATLANTIC CITY - There Are A FEW Things For Families To Do Together
Written: Jul 31 '05 (Updated Sep 02 '07)
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Pros: Colorful and active boardwalk. Decent beach. Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. Rainforest Cafe.
Cons: Most attractions not family-friendly. Has never overcome urban decay.
The Bottom Line: Atlantic City is great for adults. It's okay for families to visit for a day or two, but I would discourage planning an extensive family trip here.
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| radioroger's Full Review: Atlantic City |
Atlantic City was a one-day stop between my family's visit to two of America's largest cities... New York and Philadelphia. While it's true that most Atlantic City attractions are geared toward adults (i.e. gambling casinos), families can also enjoy the area. In fact, we didn't set foot in a casino the whole day. I definitely wouldn't recommend Atlantic City for a week-long family excursion, but you can have plenty of fun for a day or two. Families can enjoy the three mile boardwalk, abundant food and shops, amusement rides and games, Ripley's Museum, and the beach. This review is certainly not meant to be comprehensive. It's simply a snapshot of our one-day visit to this city.
Lucy the Elephant
We arrived in the Atlantic City are at about 11:00 AM. Our first stop was Lucy the Elephant, in Margate City about 5 miles south of Atlantic City. Built in 1881 to draw attention to the surrounding real estate, Lucy is actually a building shaped like a giant elephant. It's located on the main drag (Atlantic Avenue) just off the beach and is easy to spot upon approach. The structure is 122 feet tall and weighs 60 tons. Her right rear leg serves as a spiral staircase leading to her cavernous belly which resembles a small church sanctuary. Visitors may look out the windows. Lucy's eyes are actually windows overlooking the beach and the ocean. From the belly, visitors climb to the outdoor "carriage" on top of Lucy. This vantage point affords great views of the surrounding area, the beach and the Atlantic City skyline to the north. The tour is $4 for adults and $2 for kids under 12. Parking is free and is ample for the modest crowds. Our tour included a guide and about 15 visitors. The whole tour takes about 20 minutes. Other than being allowed to look inside the building, the guided tour was poor. It was conducted by a teenager whose body language and sing-songy delivery indicated that she had done this a thousand times before and preferred to be elsewhere that day. After we reached the top of the spiral staircase, she introduced us to a video (shown on a 24-inch TV), then told us, "If you get bored of the video, you can look around." After a minute or two, everyone did just that. The photos and artifacts on display are far more interesting than the video and the tour guide. Nevertheless, Lucy the Elephant is definitely a unique curiosity and worth a look for us Clark Griswold disciples. If you wish to skip the tour, you may still park there for free, snap a few photos and be on your way.
Parking
My next task was to find an affordable parking, so we could spend a few hours in Atlantic City. We saw several lots, most in dubious areas, offering all-day parking ranging from $5 - $10. The casinos along the beach offered parking, self and valet, but no prices were posted. I turned off of Pacific Avenue to New York Avenue to stop and consider my options. To my amazement, I found available on-street parking for just 50˘ an hour (no limit)... just ˝ block from the Boardwalk and beach. So I pumped a few quarters in the meter, and off we went.
The Boardwalk
The Atlantic City Boardwalk has probably achieved its greatest fame as the most highly coveted Monopoly property. Atlantic City's Boardwalk is very active and is an impressive three miles-plus in length, even longer if you include its connection to the much more laid-back Ventnor Boardwalk to the south. We explored only about a half-mile stretch of the Boardwalk... between the Ripley's Museum and the Rainforest Café. The A.C. Boardwalk is not too different from other large boardwalks. It's kitschy and touristy. There's lots of taffy shops, clothing shops, snack shops, games, souvenir shops, etc... remarkable collectively, but for the most part, individually ordinary. As I've written so many times, I am not a shopper. Shopping is not important to my travel enjoyment. However, my daughters are now 12 and 14... and they thoroughly enjoyed all of the shopping options on the Boardwalk... tacky as they are. We had a n ice cream cone from Baskin-Robbins and a delicious fruit "slushee" (a pina colada and a strawberry) from a vendor. Just about everything in Atlantic City is accessible from the Boardwalk... the beach (of course), hotels, restaurants, casinos, rides and other attractions.
Amusement Rides
There are several amusement opportunities scattered along the Boardwalk, but perhaps the best and most popular is the Steel Pier. Steel Pier is open until midnight during the week and 1 AM on the weekends. I would characterize their rides as "State Fair" level... better than your typical county fair, but nowhere near Six Flags level. For example, they have a Ferris Wheel, a log flume ride, bumper cars, a giant slide and plenty of other rides that appeal to little kids through teenagers. You can buy ticket books for individual rides or all-day wristbands.
Rainforest Cafe
Beyond the Boardwalk, the casinos offer many more upscale dining opportunities. Among the most family-friendly is the Rainforest Café. This chain restaurant has a location in the bottom floor of the Trump Taj Mahal. Simulating a rainforest environment, you can dine in the depths of a tropical rainforest. It's dark and it's noisy. You'll be surrounded by thick faux-foliage and an abundance of wildlife including an elephant, a gorilla and giant butterflies.. Above you will see a sky that shifts from dawn to day to dusk. At "night", you'll see a starry sky, complete with shooting stars. Every 15 minutes, visitors experience a lightning storm. My older daughter said that it was the "coolest" place she had ever eaten. The environment was certainly unique and very entertaining. The food was okay and the service was mediocre, but the food and service are really secondary to the atmosphere... it's more entertainment than dining. Whether you have little kids or teenagers, I'd recommend the Rainforest Café for a one-time family experience.
Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum
Shy, yet eccentric, Robert Ripley was an amazing fellow. The diminutive buck-toothed globetrotter amassed an amazing collection bizarre artifacts from the world's most primitive and exotic locations. His huge collection remains intact, owned by Ripley Entertainment, which operates 25-plus Believe-It-Or-Not Museums and other attractions in some of America's most popular tourist destinations as well as a few other locations on other continents The Atlantic City location was the second BION Museum we visited (Here is my review of the Believe-It-Or-Not Museum in Gatlinburg". Located at the intersection of New York Avenue and the Boardwalk, the unique building appears to be in mid-destruction by a giant wrecking ball fashioned after Planet Earth. In the true Ripley tradition, the museum is filled with a spirit of shock and peculiar whimsy... occasionally (but rarely) crossing into the frightening and disgusting. You'll see a model of 8' 11" Robert Wadlow, the world's tallest man. You'll see freak mounted animals like a two-headed calf. There is a mounted headless chicken that lived for 17 days after its head was lopped off. There is a huge bridge made entirely of matchsticks, optical illusions and two or three good-natured tricks played upon visitors. This particular museum's centerpiece is George Tomasco's "Chateau in Miniature"... a 27-room carved miniature French castle. Built over the course of 30 years, the detail is incredible. Each of the rooms is displayed behind glass in its own separate diorama. Although small children may be frightened by some of the images in this museum, it's a nice 45-60 minute family diversion. Admission is $12.95 for ages 13 and up and $7.95 for ages 5-12. There was no line to get in, nor was it exceptionally crowded.
The Beach
We spent a couple of hours at the beach off the Boardwalk. The view from the beach is very nice... the water... then the sand, beach grass, and Boardwalk with the high rise casino/hotels in the background makes for a scenic view. Although it was a hot, sunny day, the beach wasn't overly crowded. The beach and water appeared fairly clean. The gradient was very gradual. The water remained shallow for a great distance. The gentle surf was ideal for small kids, but totally unsuitable for boogie-boarding or body surfing. The lifeguards appeared to pay close attention to visitors' safety. Bathhouses and freshwater showers are available, but the bathhouse near New York Avenue was filthy, disgusting and very poorly maintained. It had the strong smell of urine and excrement and the floors were all wet. I elected to wear my wet, salty bathing suit to our hotel rather than allow my clothes to touch the floor in this dump.
Urban Decay
The division between the "haves" and "have-nots" is clearly visible in Atlantic City. The division is drawn down the center line of Pacific Avenue, the closest main thoroughfare parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. On the east side of Pacific Avenue, you will find snazzy, beautifully maintained high rise oceanside hotel-casinos with impeccably manicured landscaping and valet parking... all with easy access to the Boardwalk and the ocean. On the other side of the street at the rear of the casino-hotels, there are crumbling buildings, uncontrolled weeds, aesthetic indifference, and a generally unattractive view. Perhaps the self-contained hotel-casinos, combined with the Boardwalk, provide everything the tourist desires... making it unnecessary for visitors to leave the hotel unless they need to dash across Pacific Avenue to one of the numerous pawn shops. The city's decay is apparent along most of the city's main streets. You must drive through it to get to your hotel, casino or the Boardwalk. Atlantic City's economic contrast is profound, and is mentioned by just about everyone writes or speaks about the city. I don't profess to be an expert on A.C.'s local politics, nor the dynamics of gambling upon a local economy. I don't wish to suggest that the Atlantic City leadership and the casino owners have completely ignored this issue. (There is some evidence of an attempt to "slap some paint" on the problem near the casino-hotels.) Nor do I suggest that the A.C. citizens don't bear any responsibility for the city's recovery... but for whatever reason, despite the economic boost that gambling is purported to provide, Atlantic City has never risen from its ashes (beyond the waterfront)... and it is quite visible to all who visit and take a quick look around. It gives an ugly first and last impression of this small city.
Summary
Well... jeez... all that being said... we enjoyed our day in Atlantic City. Without a doubt, the casinos make Atlantic City much more appropriate for adults than families. I certainly would not recommend Atlantic City as a primary family destination. However, if you're just going to spend a day or two, families can bypass the casinos and go to the beach, enjoy the Boardwalk, shop, play games and eat at some nice restaurants.
TO SEE MY ATLANTIC CITY PHOTOS, PLEASE VISIT MY TRAVEL WEBSITE:
www.mikebechtol.com
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
radioroger
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Location: Rural Ohio
Reviews written: 46
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