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Have you always wanted to see what it's like inside Lucy the Elephant? Stop by and take the tour! Only $9 for a history of Lucy plus pretty views. Our tour guide Lorraine was super knowledgeable and entertained us with stories from her childhood growing up in the AC area. Did you know Lucy is the only surviving pachyderm from the 3 that were built? Or that she is older than the statue of liberty?
My family and I loved our visit on 3/14/2026. We walked across the street to the gift shop to purchase tickets. The gentleman who helped us was super friendly and inquired if there were any military in the group. Military get free entry. We took the 11:00 am tour with Cayden who was super knowledgeable about the history of Lucy. Looking from the outside I am not sure what I expected to be inside but it wasn't what I saw. It was beautiful old wood, staircases and some shadowboxes containing some items from her history. We got to walk all the way to the top for a few minutes before receiving a card with a coupon for some other local attractions. I would definitely recommended stopping by if you haven't before. It is free to walk around her but $9.00 for an adult to take the tour. Worth it in my opinion especially when you realize all of the funds go to her upkeep which takes a lot of work!
An original road side attraction! If you are in Margate, Ventnor or Atlantic City, Lucy is a must see. It's also worth a detour if you're on your way to any shore points. What's not to like about a giant elephant?! Originally built as a hotel, you can now take a tour to see the inside and learn about the history. You can also go into the viewing area to see Margate and the ocean too. A gift shop is across the street with restrooms and fun souvenirs. If you buy a vintage postcard, the money helps to restore the archives. A snack shop is and a restaurant are next to Lucy. Other restaurants and shops are about a block away in closing Margate Burger and Dairy Bar.
This review is a little late, since my boyfriend (who wanted to show me Lucy since we started dating), and I visited Lucy - sometimes in the summer of 2024. Lucy the Elephant is located in Margate City, about 20 minutes from Atlantic City. We went on the weekend, and the limited parking wasn't available, but we ended up finding a spot across the street. You can purchase tickets in the gift shop located right next to Lucy, which are only $8.50 per adult. The guided tours run every 45mins, but even though we came in the middle of one, we just walked around took pictures and looked at souvenirs to pass the time until it was our turn. The gift shop is loaded with all different type of Lucy memorabilia. I was in heaven! Got a pin for my collection, a mini Lucy the Elephant replica and the book on Lucy's history. On tour, you enter Lucy via a spiral staircase in one of her legs into her belly. Once upstairs, you are shown a quick movie about Lucy's history and can look at different related objects from it's history and through it's eyes! After about 15mins, we went up to the howdah, the riding carriage, from where you have 360 views of the beach and Margot City. It also has a glass floor, which made it a little scary for us - as a pair already afraid of heights, but we overcame it. Haha. I really enjoyed Lucy and plan on going again when in the neighborhood. Also if you can, please consider donating. Lucy's rich history should be preserved. Also, it's very fun to drive by a giant elephant you can walk into.
Honestly , this was the highlight of our spring break. We absolutely loved it. Our tour guide Ms Loretta was so kind and so passionate about Lucy. Her stories about Lucy's past were captivating and very engaging. Kids were so uplifted and inspired future the tour. Thank you so very much.
7/5/24 Cute! Surprisingly big in her belly. Just $8.5 for the tour, history and visit the top for a beautiful view. Cute little gift shop. Only comment is the history is told via a video, I prefer a live person to interact with.
Lucy the Elephant is a roadside attraction that was completed in Margate City, New Jersey in 1882. The six-story elephant-shaped wood frame and tin clad building was built by inventor James V. Lafferty. At the time, Margate City was called 'South Atlantic City' and "Lucy" was referred to as the "Elephant Bazaar". Lafferty had constructed the gigantic pachyderm for the purpose of promoting real estate sales and attracting tourists to the area. Lafferty also built two 'siblings' for Lucy: the "Light of Asia" in Cape May in 1884 (torn down in 1900), and the "Elephantine Colossus" at Coney Island in 1885 (burned down in 1896). Lucy was sold to Anton Gertzen in 1887 and she remained in his family until 1970. It was Anton's daughter Sophia who dubbed the structure "Lucy". Today, she stands as the most popular non-gaming attraction in the greater Atlantic City region and is considered to be the oldest surviving roadside attraction in America. My family and I visited Lucy the Elephant this past summer while we were on a road trip. My wife and I were looking for fun family-themed things to do in the Atlantic City area and we soon learned about Lucy. We had a lot of fun visiting! Our two sons were both mesmerized at how large she is. There's also a small museum/gift shop where we learned more about Lucy's history. In 2020, Lucy was briefly listed on Airbnb. Visitors could spend the night inside her for $138 a night. Tours are also conducted where paying visitors can go inside and climb a narrow spiral staircase into her belly. Unfortunately, we arrived later in the day and had missed the last tour. We still had fun regardless. If you're looking for a fun family activity in the Atlantic City area, then you definitely need to see Lucy!
Arrived at about 1pm on a Saturday and it was fairly empty. Unfortunately we were time constrained and couldn't wait around for the next 30-minute tour. I was told visitors are welcome to walk the ground which I did. Would love to return in the future and take the tour, which gives you access to o inside. All staff were very nice and friendly. Parking (street) can be rough in the area.
This place was so cool! You can go inside and take a tour. You get a history lesson about Lucy and can purchase gifts in the little gift shop. It's small but definitely a cute activity
After visiting the nearby Lighthouse we got a card that would give us $1 off our tour admission at Lucy, so we decided to go! Our tour guide was very kind and knowledgeable. The history of the elephant is amazing. Definitely worth your time and dollar. I recommend if you are looking for something to do in/around Atlantic City! Very inexpensive.
Still a beautiful site to behold. South of Atlantic City it is always a pleasure to stop by an admire the workmanship and well kept area surrounding her.
Lucy gets 5 stars for surviving more than 100 years. It's a silly but fun tourist attraction. I've visited her for decades, and she looks great for her age. I love looking back from the shoreline and seeing her creepin' on the beachgoers. My husband has an I Love Lucy shirt that is sort of silly but also endearing: two very old-timey references. Not much else to say. If you are in the area, you should visit Lucy. If you live in NJ, you need to see it at least once.
Wasn't able to gain access to the inside, but from the outside she is a beauty. Can only imagine the history within Lucy
1 year ago
Not gonna lie, this was the main attraction and reason for my visit to the region. It was the one thing I wanted to see and made sure it was the last thing I saw on my way out of town. I have been obsessing over Lucy for a bit and needed to make a visit. Guess we can go over the history a bit. Built in 1882, this stands as the oldest roadside attraction in the country. Novelty architecture was used to model this building after Jumbo, the famous elephant from Barnum and Bailey's. Also, to note, Lucy is a boy. Lucy was first known as 'Elephant Bazaar' and used for real estate advertising. When Lucy changed hands around 1887, it went through changes of business type. 1902 brought the Lucy moniker. Through the 20th century Lucy served as a restaurant, business office, and tavern on the business side of things. Supposedly during prohibition the 'eyes' of Lucy would let patrons know if they were open or being raided. It also served as a way to get items into the building without detection. Lucy also served as a home for a time. You can see evidence of this when you visit. There are markings on the walls inside that would tell you they added a floor to add rooms. You can also look into an area that is one of the legs where they added a bathtub. Small, but pretty cool. In the 1960s Lucy started to fall into disrepair. Because of this Lucy was slated for demolition, but in 1970 they fought and saved the building. In fact, Lucy had to be moved from its original spot to its current spot. Then fundraising started to restore the building. Speed up to today. I stopped by on my way out of the area for my visit. I got here early and was worried that I might be ticketed or towed if I had stayed parked in the spots immediately in front of Lucy. I decided to park on the street, plenty of parking there without the threat of towing. Currently you have to visit a building across the street to purchase a ticket for admission and this is where the gift shop is. Tours of the inside happen roughly every 45 minutes starting at opening. You go up as a group and get a guided tour. Take it from me, a tour from a local is better than one you might get from part time employee that is a teenager. Our tour guide was amazing and gave us so much interesting information. They give you the details about the time it was a residence and the prohibition thing. Once you see the inside and get all the lowdown on it, you get to venture up to the howdah. This is the carriage portion of Lucy. From here you get some great views of the area. You see the beach and ocean, water tower with Lucy on it, and the condo building that necessitated the move of Lucy. You are basically walking on glass up here too. Although you cannot see through the glass. There is so much care in this building. They recently finished recladding the exterior of the building and plan to do more here in the coming months and years. Give Lucy a visit if you are in the area and explore and very unique building. With that, review 4,100! read more
7 months ago
I've heard of Lucy the Elephant for years, she has a lot of History and has been around since the 20th Century. I didn't know she was so close to Atlantic City about 5 miles. She was closed today so we couldn't take the tour. But I got some nice outside pictures. She's big and colorful and stands out amongst the Neighborhood. read more
Have you always wanted to see what it's like inside Lucy the Elephant? Stop by and take the tour! Only $9 for a history of Lucy plus pretty views. Our tour guide Lorraine was super knowledgeable and entertained us with stories from her childhood growing up in the AC area. Did you know Lucy is the only surviving pachyderm from the 3 that were built? Or that she is older than the statue of liberty? read more
My family and I loved our visit on 3/14/2026. We walked across the street to the gift shop to purchase tickets. The gentleman who helped us was super friendly and inquired if there were any military in the group. Military get free entry. We took the 11:00 am tour with Cayden who was super knowledgeable about the history of Lucy. Looking from the outside I am not sure what I expected to be inside but it wasn't what I saw. It was beautiful old wood, staircases and some shadowboxes containing some items from her history. We got to walk all the way to the top for a few minutes before receiving a card with a coupon for some other local attractions. I would definitely recommended stopping by if you haven't before. It is free to walk around her but $9.00 for an adult to take the tour. Worth it in my opinion especially when you realize all of the funds go to her upkeep which takes a lot of work! read more
3 months ago
1 year ago
An original road side attraction! If you are in Margate, Ventnor or Atlantic City, Lucy is a must see. It's also worth a detour if you're on your way to any shore points. What's not to like about a giant elephant?! Originally built as a hotel, you can now take a tour to see the inside and learn about the history. You can also go into the viewing area to see Margate and the ocean too. A gift shop is across the street with restrooms and fun souvenirs. If you buy a vintage postcard, the money helps to restore the archives. A snack shop is and a restaurant are next to Lucy. Other restaurants and shops are about a block away in closing Margate Burger and Dairy Bar. read more
1 year ago
This review is a little late, since my boyfriend (who wanted to show me Lucy since we started dating), and I visited Lucy - sometimes in the summer of 2024. Lucy the Elephant is located in Margate City, about 20 minutes from Atlantic City. We went on the weekend, and the limited parking wasn't available, but we ended up finding a spot across the street. You can purchase tickets in the gift shop located right next to Lucy, which are only $8.50 per adult. The guided tours run every 45mins, but even though we came in the middle of one, we just walked around took pictures and looked at souvenirs to pass the time until it was our turn. The gift shop is loaded with all different type of Lucy memorabilia. I was in heaven! Got a pin for my collection, a mini Lucy the Elephant replica and the book on Lucy's history. On tour, you enter Lucy via a spiral staircase in one of her legs into her belly. Once upstairs, you are shown a quick movie about Lucy's history and can look at different related objects from it's history and through it's eyes! After about 15mins, we went up to the howdah, the riding carriage, from where you have 360 views of the beach and Margot City. It also has a glass floor, which made it a little scary for us - as a pair already afraid of heights, but we overcame it. Haha. I really enjoyed Lucy and plan on going again when in the neighborhood. Also if you can, please consider donating. Lucy's rich history should be preserved. Also, it's very fun to drive by a giant elephant you can walk into. read more
Honestly , this was the highlight of our spring break. We absolutely loved it. Our tour guide Ms Loretta was so kind and so passionate about Lucy. Her stories about Lucy's past were captivating and very engaging. Kids were so uplifted and inspired future the tour. Thank you so very much. read more
7/5/24 Cute! Surprisingly big in her belly. Just $8.5 for the tour, history and visit the top for a beautiful view. Cute little gift shop. Only comment is the history is told via a video, I prefer a live person to interact with. read more
2 years ago
Lucy the Elephant is a roadside attraction that was completed in Margate City, New Jersey in 1882. The six-story elephant-shaped wood frame and tin clad building was built by inventor James V. Lafferty. At the time, Margate City was called 'South Atlantic City' and "Lucy" was referred to as the "Elephant Bazaar". Lafferty had constructed the gigantic pachyderm for the purpose of promoting real estate sales and attracting tourists to the area. Lafferty also built two 'siblings' for Lucy: the "Light of Asia" in Cape May in 1884 (torn down in 1900), and the "Elephantine Colossus" at Coney Island in 1885 (burned down in 1896). Lucy was sold to Anton Gertzen in 1887 and she remained in his family until 1970. It was Anton's daughter Sophia who dubbed the structure "Lucy". Today, she stands as the most popular non-gaming attraction in the greater Atlantic City region and is considered to be the oldest surviving roadside attraction in America. My family and I visited Lucy the Elephant this past summer while we were on a road trip. My wife and I were looking for fun family-themed things to do in the Atlantic City area and we soon learned about Lucy. We had a lot of fun visiting! Our two sons were both mesmerized at how large she is. There's also a small museum/gift shop where we learned more about Lucy's history. In 2020, Lucy was briefly listed on Airbnb. Visitors could spend the night inside her for $138 a night. Tours are also conducted where paying visitors can go inside and climb a narrow spiral staircase into her belly. Unfortunately, we arrived later in the day and had missed the last tour. We still had fun regardless. If you're looking for a fun family activity in the Atlantic City area, then you definitely need to see Lucy! read more
Arrived at about 1pm on a Saturday and it was fairly empty. Unfortunately we were time constrained and couldn't wait around for the next 30-minute tour. I was told visitors are welcome to walk the ground which I did. Would love to return in the future and take the tour, which gives you access to o inside. All staff were very nice and friendly. Parking (street) can be rough in the area. read more
3 months ago
1 year ago
After visiting the nearby Lighthouse we got a card that would give us $1 off our tour admission at Lucy, so we decided to go! Our tour guide was very kind and knowledgeable. The history of the elephant is amazing. Definitely worth your time and dollar. I recommend if you are looking for something to do in/around Atlantic City! Very inexpensive. read more
Lucy gets 5 stars for surviving more than 100 years. It's a silly but fun tourist attraction. I've visited her for decades, and she looks great for her age. I love looking back from the shoreline and seeing her creepin' on the beachgoers. My husband has an I Love Lucy shirt that is sort of silly but also endearing: two very old-timey references. Not much else to say. If you are in the area, you should visit Lucy. If you live in NJ, you need to see it at least once. read more
2 years ago
Wasn't able to gain access to the inside, but from the outside she is a beauty. Can only imagine the history within Lucy read more
4 years ago
Alright, one more update for the hell of it. As many know, self included, who wanted to visit Lucy last year she was closed for a scheduled renovation that according to our guide took much longer than anticipated due to them finding more outer wood rot which had to be replaced. Fortunately, all of that was dealt with and things are fully reopened (although it was mentioned that work to repair some inner water damage is planned for late this year or early next year). A few notes: As many have mentioned, parking here is tight. Lucy only has a few spaces for parking and if you get a busy/full set of tours it can be a bit of PIA as to where to go especially in season. Lucy's website design is very smart. All pertinent information from prices to operating days to exact tour times are all here: lucytheelephant.org/visiting/ Our most recent visit last month had two new wrinkles we had never experienced here before. One was the video they show regarding Lucy's history wasn't running and it was snowing/sleeting/raining which made me wonder if they would have the outside howdah open. The lack of a video was mostly overcome by our excellent guide who had to also work with a tour that had close to thirty people and was really loud. She did her best and overall made the most of the situation. We were also lucky in that we were the last tour of the day she was letting go outside as the glass floor was getting very slippery to the point of being almost icy. The tour is the tour and neither it nor the information provided changes but it's still great fun to experience something as bizarre and interesting as a 141 year old giant tourable elephant at the beach. 100% must do every time in Margate year round. read more
MARGATE CITY: Lucy the Elephant Just a couple of girls hanging out. Actually, believe it or not, Lucy is a BOY, as he is an Asian elephant and only the males have tusks! And Lucy has some impressive tusks! Lucy is a National Historic Landmark and is quite a sight to see! Lucy is an elephant-shaped structure six stories high and big enough to have a museum inside and host parties. Leashed dogs are allowed on the property (not inside the structure) to take selfies of the awe-inspiring "world's greatest elephant". It is free to enter the grounds. Check the interesting history on their website or by visiting! We met Jason, a member of the board and special events coordinator, who was so friendly and honestly, has the best job ever. Lucy turns 142 years old this year! Lucy is right next to the beach for a quick peak at the ocean and Atlantic City skyline (beach is not dog friendly). read more
3 years ago
This is one of the coolest roadside attractions I've ever seen. The gift shop is small, but full of wonderful artifacts and things for you to purchase if it's cold or windy, wear a jacket. The spiral staircase is not for the week. They are wooden, and there are plenty of handrails. I have a hard time walking sometime, but it was fine for me. You get to the top and you see the beautiful sites of the city. I work tour guide was a young lady. Her name escapes me, but she was absolutely wonderful very informative. Let us have time to wander around after she's shown an amazing presentation. Lucy certainly has quite the history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_the_Elephant Even if you can't make the stairs, the gift shop is very informative as are the employees read more
3 years ago
We were able to visit Lucy the Elephant today. There was a tour at 12:30 which lasted just over 30 minutes. Mortimer gave the tour and tons of interesting information about Lucy and the history of what happened to save and restore her. Initially I was hoping just to climb the elephant and leave but I'm glad that the tour was required. I definitely recommend visiting this National Landmark. read more
4 years ago
5 years ago
Tour runs every 45 mins. Swung by at 11am and barely made it so we had to wait until the next showing. If you come with two people I suggest purchasing your ticket through Groupon! You save 23% off, through Groupon two tickets cost you $13 for adults whereas if you purchase on site at the gift shop it is $8 per adult. In the tour you will be guided up the entrance through one of Lucy's legs, watch a 5-10 min video about his history (our tour guide mentioned Lucy is actually male), walk up to the 2nd floor and enjoy the view from the top, then come back down. There's informational posters and some memorabilia inside but not much else so a bit underwhelming inside. Nevertheless this elephant has a lot of history and I'm happy to support this structure in anyway. If you're passing through or it's on the way then it's a good stop but not a final destination attraction. read more
5 years ago
There's a little museum and souvenir shop inside Lucy the Elephant. In order to enter Lucy, you have to do the tour which runs every 45 minutes. This structure has so much history and it is said to be 6 stories tall. It has amazing view of Jersey Shore from the top, with ample free parking on the ground level. read more
6 years ago
Indulged in a little NJ history. While trying to have a getaway with my family we stopped over to see Lucy on a beautiful day. We paid for the tour, which is worth it just for the 360 degree views on its own. Lucy has been maintained beautifully and offers overnight stays here and there. The tour guide of course was knowledgeable, but made the experience better. While starting outside, the tour goes up one leg and mainly in the belly then to the top. Back down the out of another leg. It says she is 6 stories (two sets of stair walking) up so no strollers. The stairs are indeed steep and spiral. My size 11 boots were kind of scary but I made it. The view of the shore through the eyes of Lucy was pretty cool. You will get a history lesson for sure due to her age and why she is important. I recommend this tour or stop over. While it's a photo op from the outside. It's definitely worth the fee and half an hour to go inside. There is a gift shop too. read more
Cool, historic building. I didn't get to go inside because the last tour of the day had just departed, but it was still a neat experience. It is only 15 min (approx.) from Atlantic City. Great spot to snap a few photos. A must see for anyone who likes... -Elephants -Historic Buildings -Weird Roadside Attractions read more
Nice 'Little' (not) Lucy, a local national historic landmark minutes away from the lights of AC in the beach community of Margate, NJ. If you are looking for a break away from the casino tables, this is a good spot to check out a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean in NJ. Always had an Elephant ride on the bucket travel list of things to do, now can loosely say I have at least climbed on top of the world's largest elephant Lucy! 6 stories high, she is an achievable short walk up a spiral staircase (within her leg I believe) to a nice open view area. Wish a similar structure that was in Coney Island at one point was still there to compare, but hey, that was just a learning point during short tour. If you like to every once in awhile stop at a scenic overlook on a road trip...then a short road trip to see Lucy could be worth your while. A nice break spot in any day. read more
5 years ago
Such a beautiful piece of history in New Jersey that everyone needs to see.It was so incredible to tour this amazing elephant.Amazing view of the shore from the top. Theres even a souvenir shop to buy lucy merchandise. read more
5 years ago
Such an amazing structure to visit and tour, so much history.This should be a must on everyone's list while visiting jersey.Beautiful view from the top inside is bigger than expected.There is also a gift shop to purchase all your Lucy souvenirs. read more
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. read more
8 years ago
Lucy is sooo sweet and has such a vast history. Once you arrive at the feet of Lucy, go into the gift shop, pay for your tour, and they will provide you with the next tour time. Built it 1881, she is cared for daily by the staff to ensure she is around for many more years. Respect to those who built her; our tour guide advised that she was built resembling an upside-down ship. Lucy is able to sway side to side in torrential weather. Throughout all the devastation NJ has suffered due to nature, Lucy still stands. Inside Lucy's belly is where parties and events took place in the early 1900s. A video of her history was shown while in the belly; you can just feel the joy Lucy has brought over the years. You are able to look through her right eye and see the beach while on the top of the elephant you have a prime view of Margate Beach. The steps going up and coming down are narrow and winding.. while this is fine going up, it's a different experience coming down :) read more
7 years ago
What a fun historical landmark! We met my little bro here and enjoyed the 3 hour tour. (SIKE! it was only like a half hour) amazing feat of engineering and creativity. I'm sure in summer it gets super busy there. Thanks to all the volunteers and people that cared enough to maintain and preserve this piece of history! By the way, no bathrooms but you can use the tiny ones next door at the restaurant! read more
6 years ago
Great little tourist attraction. With a lot of history. Take a guided tour through the inside of her body. read more
4 years ago
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