Atlantic City Tourist Attractions
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Atlantic City, the best known - and by some the most decried - seaside resort on the Atlantic coast of New Jersey, founded in the 1850s, offers visitors its long sandy beaches and an immense range of entertainments and amusements which has earned it the name of the "Las Vegas of the East". It now has innumerable revue theatres which put on shows round the clock.
Ocean One Pier
Ocean One has attracted visitors since 1906 when Captain John Young opened his famous Million Dollar Pier at this location. He even lived at the end of the pier in an elaborate marble villa with state of the art Edison-designed pastel lighting and garden sculptures.
Harrah's Atlantic City
Harrah's is a hotel offering: For children, a teen center filled with video games. For adults, there are stage shows featuring a variety of entertainers year-round.
Ocean Life Center
The Ocean Life Center has hands-on, interactive exhibits that detail marine life and sailing. For instance, sailing is explored first-hand aboard a model sailboat and a wind tunnel.The aquariums include sea life from all over the world, from the New Jersey Coast (sea bass, lookdowns, sand tiger shark, northern sting ray, sea robins), to the Coral Reef (colt, colonial anemone, elephant ear, trumpet ear, polyps, yellow tree, bubble, wall, star), and the Gulf Stream (percula clownfish, domino damsel, hippo tang, longnose hawkfish).
Atlantic City Historical Museum
The Atlantic City Historical Museum chronicles the history of the conversion from resort to paradise. The exhibits include artifacts, costumes, photographs, song sheets, postcards, and an array of Miss America memorabilia. A video shown throughout the day includes footage of the Miss America Pageant, archival Thomas Edison beach shots, and the famous high-diving horse.The Al Gold Photography Gallery features rotating photography exhibits.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum
Based on the widely syndicated comic strip, Ripley's Museum in Atlantic City is housed in a building that appears as though it will be destroyed by a wrecking ball. Human oddities and freaks of nature are the highlight of the museum. The museum boasts real shrunken human heads, a two-headed calf, a Fiji mermaid, a genuine section of the Berlin Wall, and a vortex tunnel, and instruments of torture used during medieval times.
Trump's Taj Mahal Resort
Trump's Taj Mahal is part of Donald Trump's group of hotels in Atlantic City. What distinguishes this complex are the penthouse suites that are named and designed after famous historic figures, such as Alexander the Great, King Tut, Napoleon, and Cleopatra.For entertainment, The Taj Mahal's features The Taj Princess Lounge, The Oasis Lobby and The Rainforest, Xanadu, a 1,500 seat multi-purpose showroom, and the 5,200-seat Mark G. Etess Arena, which hosts concerts and sporting events.
Steel Pier
Situated at Donald Trump's Taj Mahal, The Steel Pier is Atlantic City's answer to New York's Coney Island. The 1898 amusement pier has been long neglected then ruined in a 1982 fire, but rebuilt in 1993 with 14 rides including a custom made, double-decker carousel, and the famous animal act, the Diving Horse.
Boardwalk
The Boardwalk is the most famous, most popular and most important attraction in Atlantic City. All the main attractions line this eight-foot wide, four-mile long stretch of wood that was built in 1970 along the shores of the ocean.The boardwalk can be explored on foot, by bike or in the legendary rolling chair, a large whicker chair that is pushed by an attendant like a rickshaw (at 1605 The Boardwalk).
Trump Marina Resort
The complex offers a view of the bay and the Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina.At night, entertainment is offered at several venues including a dance club. The Shell Showroom features headliners including The Jeff Healey Band, Psychedelic Furs and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts while The Grand Cayman features George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Foreigner and other musical acts.
Absecon Lighthouse
Built in 1857, the 228-step Absecon Lighthouse boasts its original First-Order Fresnel lens and offers a view of the Atlantic. Recently renovated to commemorate New Jersey's 300th anniversary, the lighthouse is made of granite blocks, brick and iron and painted in its original black and yellow.
Atlantic City Aquarium
The Atlantic City Aquarium features live feeding shows, and fish from various bodies of water around the world including the Amazon, Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. There are some unusual animals from oceans around the world, seahorses and a shark touch tank.
Atlantic City Convention Center
The Atlantic City Convention Center contains half a million square feet of exhibit space and is connected to the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel. The complex is within minutes of the Boardwalk.The entrance to the Convention Center features a 90-foot high skylit atrium lobby complete with sculptures and art.
Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
Boardwalk Hall, first opened in 1929, and has undergone renovations to become a state-of-the-art special events arena. It is used for family entertainment, concerts, sporting events, meetings and trade shows.
Gardner's Basin
Gardner's Basin is a maritime village and waterfront park. It features a variety of attractions including historic vessels, such as the Tempo II that belonged to late band-leader Guy Lombardo, the original Steel Pier Diving Bell, a sundial, and the Fisherman's Museum. Cruises and fishing are also offered.
Atlantic City Art Center
The Atlantic City Art Center was restored in 1994 and features noted national and regional artists. The center overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The Art Center also offers concerts, gallery talks, artist demonstrations and literary readings.
Atlantic City Free Public Library
The Atlantic City Free Public Library was established in 1901 and formally opened its doors in 1903. The current library building opened in July, 1985 with a capacity of 135,000 volumes and three times the reading space.
Bally's Park Place Resort
Bally's has the Main Ballroom featuring headliners including Barbara Mandrell, The Four Tops, and Anne Murray. The Park Cabaret Theater houses a revue, "Legends in Concert," featuring impersonators.
Coast Guard Station
The first Coast Guard station was built in 1849. The unit provides Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement and Environmental Protection for about 250 square miles of ocean, backbays and inlets.
Garden Pier
The Garden Pier opened in 1913, with Spanish Renaissance architecture and beautifully landscaped gardens it attracted an upscale crowd. Atlantic City has restored it to its former beauty.
Sands Hotel
The Sands is a hotel featuring The Sands, famous for its showroom, the Copa Room. Past and current headliners include Frank Sinatra, Cher, Liza Minelli, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Jackie Mason and Rosemary Clooney.
Tropicana Resort
The Tropicana offers the new 2000-seat Tropicana Showroom features headline entertainment, such as Johnny Mathis, Tim Conway, and Brian Wilson, musicals such as Grease, and special events, including an exhibit of Titanic artifacts.
Atlantic City Hilton Resort
The Hilton sits on the Boardwalk, adjacent to the beach.The 2,000-seat theater attracts headliners such as Liza Minelli, Kenny Rogers and Paul Anka.
Caesars Atlantic City Hotel
Caesars features headliners such as Whitney Houston, George Carlin and Patti Labelle.
Claridge Hotel
Over 50 years old, the Claridge Hotel is one of the older hotels in Atlantic City. The Palace Theater features a variety of entertainment acts.
Resorts Atlantic City
Resorts Atlantic City is a hotel with the Superstar Theatre features headliners such as Tom Jones, Wayne Newton, Regis & Kathie Lee, and Tony Bennett.
Entrance to the Stars
The Entrance to the Stars is Atlantic City's version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Situated at the Boardwalk entrance to Resorts Atlantic City, celebrity handprints and signatures adorn the concrete sidewalk, including Johnny Carson, Milton Berle, Cher, Liberace, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra who dedicated the walk in 1978. The celebrities have all been headliners.
Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina
The Farley State Marina features state-of-the-art, floating docks, 24-hour security, and a glass-enclosed walkway to the Trump Marina Hotel.
Showboat Hotel
The complex also offers nightly entertainment from a variety of singers and dancers.
Trump Plaza Hotel
The Trump Plaza offers live entertainment at the Trump Plaza Showroom. Recent headliners include Michael Bolton, Damon Wayans and David Brenner.
Map of Atlantic City Attractions
Map - Atlantic City
