5 Things You Didn’t Know About Atlantic City New Jersey

Most well-known for being home to several casinos, Atlantic City New Jersey is one of the most popular cities in New Jersey, and arguably one of the most popular tourist cities in the country. After all, if you live in the east coast, making a trip to Atlantic City is much more convenient than going all the way to Las Vegas. Although partying and gambling are some of the first things that come to mind when people think of Atlantic City, this flashy little town has a history that goes way deeper than most people think. In fact, Atlantic City might just be one of the most interesting places you’ve never really learned about. Here are five things you didn’t know about Atlantic City New Jersey.

Miss America

These days, there aren’t many people who remember when the Miss America pageant wasn’t around. Since 1921, this high-profile scholarship pageant has become a staple in the United States, and it has helped many contestants become household names. Well, although you may have expected this contest to have origins in a glamorous place like Los Angeles or New York, Miss America actually got its start in Atlantic City. In fact, this pageant replaced The Fall Frolic, a similar event that took place in Atlantic City in 1920.

image via bostonmagazine.com

The first boardwalk in the United States

To most people, seeing a boardwalk at a beach isn’t anything out of the ordinary. In modern times, boardwalks have become commonplace at beaches in countries all over the world. However, the boardwalk in Atlantic City became the United States’ very first boardwalk after opening in the summer of 1870. The boardwalk is still in operation today, and is home to several cool sites and attractions.

image via commons.wikimedia.org

Monopoly

Monopoly is undoubtedly one of the most popular board games. There’s something about passing go and collecting $200 that just never gets old. Sure, some people may think that Monopoly is purely a fictional game, but the original version was actually inspired by Atlantic City New Jersey. In fact, many of the street names in the game were taken directly from places in Atlantic City.

image via bgr.com

Diving horses

There’s a lot of unusual things happening these days, but the idea of horses diving into a body of water may still seem a little bizarre. Well, horse diving was actually a pretty popular thing during the 1800s. During the show, horses would dive from platforms that were sometimes as high as 60 feet in the air. However, after World War II, the shows saw a rapid decline in popularity as many people and organizations began to speak out about against the mistreatment of the horses.

image via stargazermercantile.com

Lucy the Elephant

Lucy the Elephant is one of the most well-known attractions in Atlantic City. This six-story elephant  is a hot spot for tourists, and guests can take guided tours all throughout Lucy’s ‘body.’ However, there is much more to Lucy than meets the eye. At more than 100 years old, Lucy the Elephant is older than both the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

image via philly.com

lead image via www.atlanticcitynj.com