The first casino opened its doors in May 1978. This was Resorts International, on the famous boardwalk where most of the other casinos would soon be built. A few casinos would appear in the Marina area of Atlantic City, beyond walking distance from the boardwalk but easily accessible from the Atlantic City Expressway. Each casino offers entertainment in keeping with its own theme, but most offer multiple dining options, pools, spas, fitness centers, shows, many gambling opportunities and around 1,000 guest rooms.
Atlantic City's six-mile long boardwalk remains the centerpiece of the city. It acts as a thoroughfare between shopping, eating, lodging and gambling venues with rolling chairs available for hire. With the Atlantic Ocean beach on one side and the casinos and businesses on the other, this is a great place to grab a bench to people-watch. Steel Pier opened in 1898 and offered unique entertainment such as diving horses. More recently, it has been made into a traditional amusement pier. Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as Convention Hall, is famous for hosting the Miss America Pageant until recently, along with sporting events, shows and festivals.
Atlantic City features six miles of beach for sunning, swimming, kite-flying and walking. Unlike many other Jersey Shore towns, Atlantic City's beaches are free, and access is easy from almost any street.
Besides the kitschy stores and upscale malls on the boardwalk, and the Pier Shops at Caesar's, Atlantic City features its own outlet mall along Michigan Avenue. Between the Boardwalk and the new convention center, Michigan Avenue is lined with outlets filled with bargains. Just around the corner on Arctic Avenue is the White House Sub Shop, an Atlantic City tradition. It's a tiny place usually with a line out the door, but locals, tourists and famous people love it. Check out the myriad autographed photos on the walls. Salt water taffy, a popular seashore souvenir, was invented in Atlantic City: Overnight, a giant wave crashed over a candy stand and got its taffy all wet. The owner sarcastically called it salt water taffy the next day, and the name stuck. The candy was popularized and developed, and today the James' Candy Company thrives in Atlantic City and other Jersey Shore towns.
