Lucy the Elephant

Lucy the Elephant is a historical landmark in Margate City. The tour is quick but informative. The tour takes place in the stomach of the elephant. Getting up to the stomach and to the top of Lucy, the stairs are very narrow. It’s one of those things you should see just to say you saw it.

We adore Lucy and wouldn’t think of not saying hi when we are down the shore. She’s history and a marvel wrapped up into one gorgeous pachyderm.

Fun for adults & kids! Lucy is a historical landmark. Tours are $ 8 per adult and $ 4 for kids under 12. There are limited parking spaces for Lucy. Tours are every 30 minutes and a guide leads you up a narrow, winding staircase to an open space where you can see artwork, artifacts from the original Lucy and watch a video. Then, you go upstairs to the top of Lucy and can see the beach, ocean & water tower with Lucy on it. Small gift shop with some cute Lucy shirts.
Fun activity for after a late breakfast!

Loved everything about Lucy! We are big fans of visiting roadside oddities and this one is top notch. It’s really cool to be cruising through the town and then just see a giant elephant rise up out of the surrounding buildings. Lucy is really well kept, the volunteers were nice and the gift shop had lots of fun items. We loved our climb to the top and the view from howdah. See if you can spot the Lucy water tower while you’re up top.

I have a love for elephants, so when this attraction was mentioned in my Moon handbook, I had to visit it while I was on vacay in Atlantic City. One of my favorite detours ever. Not only was Lucy a great sight to see, we were treated to a beautiful ocean just beside her. So, the visit was very much worth it.
There is a cute little souvenir shop behind Lucy, I ended up getting a few things to remember the place by. At least that is what I told myself (I just wanted an excuse lol), because really, who could forget seeing a six-​story elephant? Haha, not me!
You can even go inside Lucy and take a tour XD
If you’re in the area, go on and take a moment and visit Lucy!

We had weirdest convo on Sunday morning in Atlantic City.
Me: I wanna see Lucy!
Friends: who the heck is Lucy?
Me: I want peanuts!
Friends: ummmm. More drinks?
…since I was in driver’s seat, we went to see Lucy anyways…
See, Lucy is an elephant. There are peanuts in Lucy’s belly (as well as all of us once we descended few flights of stairs).
Lucy is also a building — with rooms, stairs, and even bathtub. You can see the world through Lucy’s eyes, and she is looking at the beach and the bluest sea…
Conversation continues as we walking around Lucy’s belly:
Me: where are peanuts? x10 times.
Annoyed tour guide: we getting to them, soon!
Jenn: I am hungry
Me: we all peaNuts inside Lucy.
…on the end, we indeed found those peanuts under the staircase.
And they were spectacular!
Jenn could not eat them tho.
Disclaimer: I nominate this for most bizarre review of my week.

Of all of the big stars with hype machines attached to them who have come through the Atlantic City area, it’s beyond dispute that Lucy has the most staying power. Of course it helps that she’s a giant wooden elephant but that doesn’t detract from her history.
Even seeing Lucy from the road, it’s impressive how many years this enormous creation has stood watch over the Atlantic Ocean (in two different places) for over a century. She’s had a few paint jobs and is in constant need of repair due to the conditions but basically stepping inside this sculpture, you are walking into the same historical landmark where your great-​grandparents may have wandered while on the shore.
People who don’t like winding, narrow staircases might not enjoy Lucy but you can see panoramic views of the old and the new in Atlantic City to the north and unimpeded views of the ocean to the east if you brave them.
And for any elephant lover in your life, the attached ticket sales area is an elephant gift shop which includes plushes, magnets, t-​shirts, and other elephantanalia both Lucy branded and just plain adorable.
My only objection to Lucy is that the tour feels too short for $ 8. They don’t rush you out or anything but I would love the opportunity to really just sit in the howdah and enjoy the views at my leisure. I understand the need to limit foot traffic and raise funds, but there are few persons, places, or things on the beach with all of the amazing enjoyment potential of Lucy.

A pox on anyone who comes to Atlantic City and doesn’t take a few moments out of their day to come visit Lucy.
Lucy is just one of those sites that you need to see to fully appreciate. I visited originally as a young child and she never left my memories. Kids absolutely adore this place.
I went back recently as an adult and it brought back all of those memories. Lucy never ceases to bring a smile to my face. I have no doubt it will bring a smile to yours as well.
Also — keep in mind that the survival of Lucy depends on our financial generosity. So when you visit please be sure to buy something from their gift shop and most definitely pay for the tour inside. It’s totally worth it!

How many times have you gotten to see and go inside a giant elephant that’s apparently older than the Statue of Liberty?
For $ 8 you get to climb the steep, twisting stairs right into the middle of the giant pachyderm. They play a short video on its history and you can look at lots of memorabilia from its various uses over the years. Too bad it’s not still a bar! You also get to the roof where you see great views of the beach and the AC skyline. The whole tour is guided and takes about 30 minutes.
There are a only few parking spots but I got lucky and grabbed one. They have a gift shop where they sell everything elephant related you can imagine, including a bobblehead. The staff is very friendly and I believe most are volunteers.
This is about a 20 minute drive from AC and worth checking out.

What a fun place to visit! It’s not everyday you get to climb inside an elephant. My husband, daughter and I visited last week during vacation. We were part of the first tour of the day and I had pre purchased a groupon. The tour guide was knowledgable and didn’t rush us. The view from under her canopy is great. This is a National Historic site and even though she just turned 133 she looks fabulous! Parking is very limited and getting there at 9:30am for 10:00am opening worked out great! Only a 10 min drive from AC– go see Lucy!

Very nice.. I love the view! ! My sweetheart wanted me to see this and it was very enjoyable. Right at the beach and they also have a gift shop there as well. The tour guide guy was great with explaining the history of lucy. Check it out:-)

Remember seeing Lucy on TV as a child, maybe on Ripley’s Believe it or Not, so was very excited when I saw it driving around the Atlantic City area. Lucy doesn’t disappoint. She’s fun and delightful, and the staff is very friendly and informative about her history. I Love Lucy!

I have dreamed of visiting Lucy since I saw her picture in a guide book on my first trip to America circa 1990. So finally visiting Lucy and exploring her insides was beyond thrilling to me!
The little video was interesting (the part where Lucy was all beaten-​up and sad almost made me cry;) and we got to take lots of pictures and spend as long as we liked checking out the window in her butt and peeking out of her pretty blue eyes at the ocean. It was really really cute and whimsical and wonderful.
The staff in the little gift shop were oddly intense, testy with each other and just the opposite of Lucy. I wanted to buy a souvenir but I was too scared :)

4.5 stars…
Lucy was the best thing the Atlantic City area has to offer. Technically it’s in Margate a town along the coast just a few miles south of AC. It’s a great piece of Americana that you just don’t see anymore. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s traveling became more accessible to the average person and businesses realized they needed to come up with creative ways to draw people in. In comes the 6 story tall building shaped like an elephant. Having tusks makes it a male but the name and purple nail polish suggest that this is New Jersey’s biggest transvestite.
After Lucy there were a few other elephant buildings that popped up like one in Cape May and one twice the size in Coney Island but both since have been destroyed after short life’s. Lucy is the last remaining elephant building that has gone through multiple owners, a complete renovation, and even a move down Atlantic Ave to save from being demolished. The best part is at one point the building was used as a bar, and at another point it was used as a private home. I’d certainly vote to have Lucy reinstated as a bar.
The 1881 Lucy is back to being a 65×60×18′ tourist destination, now with the designation of being a National Historical Landmark. Admission is $ 8 and I would say it’s worth it to say you’ve done it. The interior is a mini museum with photos and artifacts throughout the years as well as a short video of the history of Lucy. My tour guide had no personality and seemed as though she was just spurting off what she had memorized to say and I felt a bit rushed as we weren’t allowed much free time to just walk around as long as we wanted. So for those reasons I rounded down. There’s also a bunch of cool looking doorways that lead to closets I’m assuming but you can’t open them.
The parking is plentiful and free and the people at the giftshop were nice and they had plenty of gift options for what is considered «America’s Oldest Roadside Attraction».

AWESOME!!!
Lots of rich history and a cheap date to go on if in the area. Not too far from AC!
When I was a kid and I’d come down to my aunt’s shore house every summer I would beg her to take me to Lucy. Everything was designed a little differently back then inside and cased differently but still the same wonderful experience now.
We most recently went two November’s ago right after Hurricane Sandy and even though the snack shop in front of Lucy was ruined she still stood tall and had several visitors.
Super cool to go up top as well!
Don’t miss out!!!

What kind of person leaves less than 5 stars for a historic metal elephant that was left to rot not too long ago and restored 1000%.

I actually did the tour the last time I was in Margate. I went by myself one afternoon. The teenage boy who led the tour took his job really seriously, & it was totally endearing. We learned a little about the history of Lucy from a video, but I have already forgotten everything except that she was built in 1881 & that one summer a family lived in her. We got to go to the top, which was really cool.
I also learned that spiral staircases are a lot easier going up than going down. Or maybe that’s just me.
I remember seeing Lucy as a child. She’s different now than she is in my nostalgia. But isn’t everything?

Weird historical landmark in Margate, big elephant that you can watch a video about and then walk up steps to the top. Fun thing to do if you are tired of the beach or if you are interested in history.

Roadside Zoomorphic architecture at its best. I remember visiting it when I was in grade school. And I really liked the Boardwalk Empire scene that briefly showed a Lucy the Elephant postcard. This Saturday (July 21 2012,) Lucy celebrates her 131^st birthday.

Lucy the Elephant is the kind of roadside attraction that is awesome one of a kind cheese.
The tour starts out in the gift shop where you buy your tickets. The gift shop has some interesting Lucy/​elephant souvenirs that are not cheap but where else are you going to find a stuffed plush Lucy?
It is $ 7 for adults, $ 4 for kids under 12. and members of the military are free. There is a dollar off coupon on their brochures which are available at numerous brochure racks throughout the area.
The tour inside Lucy starts by walking up a spiral staircase inside of one of her rear legs. Once we were inside, I’m always surprised by how nice she is inside. Inside Lucy is a big hall with a hardwood floor and a raised platform at the front. You can take the stairs up to the platform and look out of Lucy’s one eye to see the ocean or look out her other eye to see the condo building that now stands where Lucy’s original home was before her big move in 1970.
After you watch a short video about Lucy, your tour guide takes you up on top of Lucy for a look around from Lucy’s howdah. After you are done up top, you head down a staircase in Lucy’s other hind leg and your tour is over. The tour only lasts about 20 minutes, but it is good old school fun.
While Lucy is not everyones idea of an interesting attraction, it is an awesome piece of living history and truly needs to be seen to be believed and appreciated.