That was the case with Lucy the Elephant. Lucy was built in 1881 in South Atlantic City (now Margate) as a roadside attraction. The original owner built the 65-foot elephant about 100 feet away from where she currently stands as a way to sell beachfront property. Prospective owners would pay a penny to climb to the top and from the howdah look out and point to where they wanted to live. At the time there was no easy way to reach Lucy as the rail line ended a few miles north in Atlantic City, and the road had not yet been built. Therefore, it was not an easy sale.
Postcards used to refer to Lucy as "the elephant hotel of Atlantic City," but until March 2020, it was never actually a hotel. In March 2020 airbnb.com ran a contest where four couples were allowed to stay in Lucy each for a night (seems they squeezed this in just before COVID struck). It was a very successful contest!
The building fell into disrepair. It has been fixed over the years as being that close to ocean damages his skin (despite the girly name, elephants with tusks are all males). A week after our visit in September 2021, it was scheduled to be closed until Memorial Day weekend 2022, and hidden under a cover that entire time.
You can read about the history HERE.
The day we drove down the weather was beautiful. The NJ Ironman was happening in nearby Atlantic City, but other than seeing some runners on the boardwalk, we were not impacted by the extra traffic.
Tours happen every 45 minutes. Of course we arrived 7 minutes after one started. We walked to the beach and around Lucy and scoped out a place for lunch. After being in the car for nearly two hours, it felt good to walk.
Ticket booth where people
in the 19th century bought
tickets to go inside Lucy.
Bathtub, but no toilet. 
Some artifacts from the area
Our tour guide shared some tidbits about Lucy's life. We went inside with about 15 other people, including 4 small children who were humoring their moms. We had to climb a spiral staircase inside on of her hind legs. Spoiler alert -- we climbed back out again down the other hind leg, never did see what was inside the other two legs or the trunk.
The upstairs was not what I expected. It is pure Victorian splendor. Most of the wood has been replaced over the years. I later learned a friend from library school was married inside Lucy.
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| View from inside her eye |
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| Giant peanuts in her stomach -- what else would you expect? |
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| Us in the howdah |
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| Lucy moved from where the giant building is to where she is now (view from the howdah) |
I hope we can return next summer with Ashley so she can see Lucy.
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