Atlantic City Vacations

Visitors hoping for a true beach vacation along Atlantic City’s famed shores should book a trip for summer months, when low temperatures averaging at the mid 80’s make this area a sunny paradise. However, Atlantic City’s exciting summer beaches, which are populated heavily by young people in particular, might not appeal to Atlantic City vacationers hoping for quieter getaways. That said, temperatures are also famously delightful during fall months in Atlantic City, and great beach weather along with operating hours for some of the area’s prime attractions maintain year round.

Hired guides can push visitors along the famed Boardwalk in a shadowed rolling chair if their feet get tired.

Visitors can board the Atlantic City Jitney, a local minibus service, and visit the many casinos along Pacific Avenue.

The Thunder Over the Boardwalk air show occurs annually in August, primetime for an Atlantic City vacation.

Visitors should get tickets for a sightseeing cruise tour around the city when booking travel plans for an Atlantic City vacation.

The White House Sub Shop famously prepares authentic made-from-scratch hoagies baked on fresh bread.

Vacationers in Atlantic City can explore the city’s wide variety of museums and tours, as well as amusement parks, sublime landscapes, and peformance theatres. The city is also home to a free concert series during summer months, as well as sprawling beaches, gardens, and exciting markets. While Atlantic City is perhaps most famous for its casinos, even Caesars and Harrah’s themselves offer entertainment aside from slot machines that will cap off any Atlantic Cit vacation, such as the Water Show and the Family Fun Center.

The Atlantic City Boardwalk, also called the Steel Pier, provides visitors with one-of-a-kind thrill rides, carnival games, and inimitable food vendors.

Visitors unafraid of heights can climb the 228 steps of New Jersey’s Absecon Lighthouse and enjoy aerial views of the entire shore.

The Atlantic City Aquarium features a great sample of the many species of native marine and animal life living off the shores of Atlantic City.

The one-and-only Storybook Land is an outdoor amusement park compiled of rides based on classic nursery rhymes and stories.

The city’s beaches provide vacationers with prime surfing, shell collecting, swimming, as well as fishing and beach volleyball.

Ripley’s Believe It, or Not Odditorium, is an indoor museum of truly unforgettable and odd exhibits collected from all over the world.

Caesars at Atlantic City features one of the largest gambling facilities in the area and also features five-star hotel accommodations and live concerts.

Golfers can enjoy a world-class round at the Harbor Pines Golf Club, one of the most popular attractions in the area.

The Trump Taj Mahal Casino and Hotel offers a full-service spa, a slots floor, and live performances from famous musicians, actors, and comics.

The Pier Shops at Caesars boast topnotch designers such as Gucci and Tiffany & Co.

From concerts by the hottest stars on tour to old-fashioned nightclub acts, Atlantic City has plenty to do once the sun sets. Historic Boardwalk Hall, fresh from a $90 million renovation, hosts classical musicians, rock stars, ice shows, wrestling, boxing, circuses, midget car races and more. Disco back to the '70s at Boogie Nights, laugh it up at The Borgata Comedy Club, or salsa dance at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar. And of course, many of the big resorts like Trump, Harrah's and Caesars have nightclubs with DJs.

Seafood, of course, reigns supreme. But a taste of Atlantic City can be as varied as a Vietnamese rice dish, a submarine sandwich or a five-course gourmet dinner. Many of the hotels now have destination restaurants. The Borgata alone boasts 11 - all featuring fresh, seasonal produce grown especially for the hotel. Buddakan, the trendy, upscale Asian restaurant popular in New York, has a location at The Pier Shops at Caesars. If you have a taste for Italian, Capriccio serves seafood and pasta specialties with an ocean view. If you're looking for something a bit more casual, White House Sub Shop has really large sandwiches, and a clientele that includes presidents and celebrities.

From tacky souvenirs to high fashion, shoppers can find just about anything in Atlantic City. For bargains, Atlantic City Outlets - The Walk features stores like Brooks Brothers, Coach, H&M and Nike. If you're budget is bigger, you'll find Armani, Louis Vuitton and more at The Pier Shops at Caesars. The Quarter at Tropicana has restaurants, entertainment and national retailers like Brookstone and White House/Black Market. And there's no shortage of shops selling T-shirts and other Atlantic City memorabilia.

Though it’s sometimes referred to as New Jersey’s answer to Las Vegas, Atlantic City was the original “adult playground,” serving up backroom drinks and gambling through the Prohibition era of the 1920s, a decade before the first casino in Vegas opened. Still, Atlantic City was a family destination through the early half of the 20th-century, with its Miss America pageants, sunny beaches and saltwater taffy. Casino gambling became legal in Atlantic City in the 1970s, in an effort to revitalize to the then-downtrodden city. By the ‘80s, the Boardwalk was lined with glitzy casinos, Donald Trump hosted hugely popular heavyweight boxing matches here and visitors arrived by the busload. An Atlantic City vacation offers all of the bright lights and glitter one would expect from a casino city, plus the fun and relaxation of the South Jersey shore. If you stay at any of the casino resorts, including Bally’s AC, The Borgata and the Trump Taj Mahal, you’re staying just feet from the Atlantic Ocean. Like Vegas, Atlantic City keeps getting bigger and better, especially now that it’s competing with casinos in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. The result is a modern fantasy escape with old-fashioned Boardwalk charm.

AOL Travel’s Atlantic City Guide

AOL Travel's Best Atlantic City Hotels