Source: Unsplash
Atlantic City can take up visitors' vacation time pretty quickly. Its glittering attractions and famous boardwalk can soon become the whole holiday, and before they know it, tourists may find they have experienced little of the history and culture of this great city. Yet it does have an interesting past, visible through a treasure trove of curiosities. Below, we give a selection of hidden gems you must visit to understand Atlantic City's past.
Once a major tourist hub at the start of the 20th century, Atlantic City lost its appeal in the thirties, when people flocked to Las Vegas. As that city prospered, Atlantic City slowly died as footfall decreased. Things started to pick up in the late seventies and the city's slot machines were one of many attractions that got people back into the city. You can still visit its first slot machine today.
The machine is extremely primitive, especially when compared to the modern efforts you can find online today. The growth of this digital industry has been a great boost to Atlantic City. Improvements in technology and connectivity, combined with no-deposit bonus codes, have seen more people playing online slots and table games. This has resulted in a boost in footfall over the last few years, and Atlantic City is alive once again.
Unfortunately, you can't play the first slot machine in operation. It sits behind a plexiglass shield, which you can find just at the entrance to the casino itself. Once in a while, the casino does take off the cover to show it in operation.
Source: Unsplash
To residents of Margate, Lucy is a proud part of the city's heritage. Yet to outsiders, she is a perfect example of the glory days of the area as an entertainment hub. Built in 1882, Lucy was created from wood by James V. Lafferty. Standing at 65 feet high, she weighs around 90 tonnes and was created for nothing more than a publicity stunt.
The elephant was one of three built and is the only one left standing. This was despite plans to demolish her in the sixties, and at one point she was hit by lightning. Over the years her insides have been used as a restaurant, an office space, a pub, and in true modern traditions, an Airbnb.
If you want to experience how Atlantic City was in the past, then Chef Vola’s is a great place to start. It has no website, no phone numbers, and no email address. It was once a prohibition-era speakeasy.
Owned by Joe and Pina Vola, they would cook food and sell forbidden goods to people in the basement. Patrons are said to include the infamous Enoch “Nucky” Johnson, once both a sheriff and crime boss in the area. If you can find it, then you should be warned that despite having 65 seats, you need to book months in advance. To do that, you need to visit in person.
Atlantic City is a great place, but don't just visit the standard tourist sites. Travel a little further, especially to towns like Margate, and see some of the quaint sites the history of this area has to offer.
