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Atlantic City, New Jersey City Guide

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Atlantic City Meeting Planning

Atlantic City Skyline

Atlantic City is a small city with a big soul, attracting over 34 million visitors each year. Thanks to Atlantic City's prime location in the mid-Atlantic and great concentration of luxurious resort casinos, it's not hard to understand the attraction. The city is less than a five-hour drive of roughly one-third of the U.S. population, including the major metropolitan areas of Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore and Washington, DCWashington, DC
Washington, DC. It is easily accessible by car or coach bus via the Atlantic City Expressway and the recently expanded Atlantic City International Airport. Direct train service from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station to the boardwalk is also available.

Thanks in great part to its blossoming event and convention facilities, Atlantic City has been experiencing a renaissance, enticing diverse groups of people from all around the country to rediscover this dynamic and fun city. In 2007, Atlantic City hosted over 150 conventions and meetings, a nearly 50 percent increase over the total number of meetings held in the previous year. Leading the way in the revival is the Atlantic City Convention CenterAtlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City Convention Center, one of the largest convention facilities on the East Coast. Located along the boardwalk, this modern 486,000-square-foot convention center is a hub for east coast conventions and events, hosting 60 events and approximately 240,000 people in 2007.

As a destination widely known for resurrecting the gaming industry on the East Coast, Atlantic City offers meeting planners the convenience of 12 world-famous resort casinos and places numerous hotels at their fingertips, often at significantly lower prices than similar venues in gaming towns such as Las Vegas. Together, casinos and hotels offer over 17,000 rooms and suites with numerous meeting rooms, ballrooms and multi-use facilities on-site.

Harrahs Atlantic City

The numbers of accommodations and meeting spaces continue to rise with an abundance of expansion projects in the works for 2008. Harrah's Atlantic City is adding 964 additional rooms and the Trump Taj Mahal is expanding with a 782-room tower. Additionally, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is constructing the $400 million Water Club Hotel, which adds approximately 800 more rooms and 18,000 square feet of meeting space to Atlantic City's newest casino complex. Entirely new casino developments are also expected, most notably the MGM Grand, which will be the largest and tallest casino in the city to date. It is slated to break ground in 2008 with a completion date in 2012.

Most of the city's major attractions, dining, hotels and convention areas can be found along the historic Boardwalk, allowing guests to enjoy the sites and sounds of Atlantic City while taking in spectacular ocean views. Visitors may particularly enjoy dining at the Continental Restaurant, which overlooks the Atlantic and can seat up to 30 guests in its Fire Pit room or 38 guests in its private Vegas-style room. Other popular attractions along the boardwalk include Atlantic City Historical Museum, the Atlantic City Art Museum,
  Ripley's Believe it or Not!Ripley's Believe it or Not!
Ripley's Believe it or Not!, the New Jersey Korean War Memorial, the Atlantic City Boardwalk Arcade & Speedway and Steel PierSteel Pier
Steel Pier. Though many of these locations are within walking distance of each other, the famous Atlantic City Jitneys are available for easy transportation 24/7 along the strip.

Accommodation and food service is the area's largest industry, generating approximately $4.5 billion per year in revenue and employing roughly 48,000 people. With hospitality as one of the city's main economic staples, visitors can rest assured that any trip to Atlantic City will be an unforgettable experience.

Key Statistics

Atlantic City / Additional Info

Atlantic City Beach

Located on Absecon Island, Atlantic City's prime seaside location and white sandy beaches have been enticing visitors for over 150 years, beginning with the construction of the first boardwalk in 1870. At one time extending seven miles, the boardwalk opened as a way to keep sand from the beach out of the growing number of hotels and train-cars. By the turn of the 20th century, the attractions springing up along the boardwalk transformed Atlantic City into a major East Coast tourist destination, with grand hotels such as the Traymore and Malborough-eim, amusemeBlenhnt parks at Ocean Pier, and trademark saltwater taffy, which was "discovered" in 1883 when storm waters flooded a boardwalk candy shop. Beachgoers, including many prominent Philadelphians, flocked in from the nearby cities to relax in this extravagant resort town.

Today, the inspiration for the board game Monopoly is a thriving city of nearly 40,000 residents. Visitors can find 12 famous casinos along the strip, such as Bally's Atlantic City and the Tropicana Casino and Resort. Not just for gamers, the casinos are home to numerous entertainment options, fine dining, retail centers and spas. Enjoy a show at Hilton Casino Resort, which has hosted the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Trisha Yearwood and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Sip a chilly cocktail severed in glasses made of solid ice at 32 degrees bar at the Tropicana, or take a dip at the Pool at Harrah's Casino, a glass-enclosed structure housing a pool, hot tubs, cabanas and a bar, offering guests a tropical paradise no matter what time of year.

Atlantic City Boardwalk

Guests can find plenty of activities off of the gaming floors as well. Visit the historic Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey, for spectacular views of the coastline. Stroll the Boardwalk for a bargain at the Atlantic City Outlets or a splurge at the high-end Pier Shops at Caesars. Take in all the sights on a guided sightseeing trolley tour, stopping in both the historic town of Smithville and Cape May. Or simply soak up the sun at the city's beaches, often just a short walk outside your door. At less than 20 square miles in size, Atlantic City has all the action of a major resort city coupled with small town coastal charm that people have been falling in love with for decades.