As far as things to do in AC, here's a list of things to do that I put together on another thread. Some of these things are seasonal.
This is from the south-western end of the Boardwalk going north-east:
AC Hilton Beach bar. The Atlantic City Hilton was originally the Golden Nugget.
The Quarter at the Tropicana - shopping & restaurants in a Havana themed enclosure. There is an IMAX theater and a Comedy Connection at the Quarter.
Miniature golf in front of Boardwalk Hall.
The Pier at Caesars - at the ocean end of the mall there's a decent water fountain show and an observation deck that looks over the ocean and gives you a view of the shore. The fountains in the water show go up 4 stories and are choreographed to music. The Pier is home to some good restaurants and high end stores such as Tiffany's, Coach, etc.
Bally's Wild Wild West - they have some memorabilia of the old west in a corridor that runs on the Boardwalk side of the casino. The Mountain bar has a couple of trains that run around it. They have some animated things like a panhandler and donkey, buzzard, etc. - but they are in the process of removing most of them. Bally’s has recently put in a mechanical bull and a Beer Pong room.
Brighton Park - there's a Korean War memorial at Boardwalk and Park Place that's interesting; especially in the summer months when the water is running behind some of the statues. There's also a fountain in the park that has recently been renovated. This is the real intersection of Boardwalk and Park Place from Monopoly as the game was invented here.
Fralinger's or James's Salt Water Taffy. AC is where salt water taffy was created and these places (I think that they are actually one company.) are the best for it. Don't buy the taffy in the cheap souvenir shops, it's not the same.
There's a haunted house and a Ripley's Believe it or not, as well as some carnival games.
There's a go cart track and arcade on one of the piers.
There's an amusement park on the pier by the Taj Mahal.
There's the House of Blues at the Showboat.
There's also the Atlantic City Historical Museum at Garden Pier. http://www.acmuseum.org/
Besides the casinos, the Boardwalk is sprinkled with souvenir shops, pizza stands, restaurants and massage parlors. Most of the massage parlors are surprisingly good for the price. The Boardwalk also is where you can ride in the rolling chairs. http://www.rollingchairs.com/
AC's beach is one of the few if not only ocean beach in NJ that you do not need to pay to go on.
North/West of the Boardwalk:
The Walk - outlet shopping sprinkled with restaurants such as Ruby Tuesday's, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Jay Z's 40/40 Club. Stores like Coach, Izod, PacSun, Carters, Aeropostale, American Eagle.
http://www.acoutlets.com/
Also, along the Walk are plaques about the different Miss Americas from when AC hosted the show.
The White House Sub Shop - try a half of a regular. They make the best Italian cold cut sub that I've ever had. (I think that they may have opened their second location inside the Taj Mahal at this point.)
In the Marina:
Borgata is the nicest casino in AC; loaded with high-end, noted chef eateries. It has some Dale Chihuly blown glass sculptures and a small koi pond with a bridge. It also has a food court below the casino floor. A lot of designer chef restaurants and some nite clubs.
Harrah's is probably the second nicest casino in AC and has "the Pool" which is a palm tree ladened pool under a glass dome. Again, some designer restaurants and shopping. Personally, I do not like the casino floor here. But a lot of the ECLVAers do. I find the floor too cramped and the ceiling too low.
There's the Deck at Trump Marina which is like a beach bar and there's a boat cruise that goes out from the Farley Marina during the summer months. The casino and hotel need renovations, this is going to become the Golden Nugget AC later this year.
There's also the AC Aquarium in the area. http://www.acaquarium.com/
And the Absecon Lighthouse: http://www.abseconlighthouse.org/
Whale watching/cruises: http://www.atlanticcitycruises.com/
Vineyards:
Renault Winery www.renaultwinery.com
Dimatteo Vineyard
Bellview Winery
http://www.newjerseywines.com/wineries.html
Other area attractions:
Philadelphia is a little over an hour away.
Lucy the Elephant in Margate: http://www.njsouth.com/index-lucy.htm
Smithville: http://www.smithvillenj.com/
Here's some helpful links:
http://www.atlanticcityone.com - AC forum board
http://www.altanticcitynj.com - tourist bureau site.
http://atlanticcitynj.com/visit/findnearbys.aspx interactive map
http://www.njsouth.com/index-whatstodo.htm
http://www.atlanticcitysbest.com/recreation.htm
http://www.sjta.com/acairport/ground_transport.asp - ACY ground transportation information.
http://atlanticcitynj.com/visitors/thingstodo/free_thingstodo.aspx - Visitors bureau’s list of free and inexpensive things to do in AC.
AC has a fleet of mini-buses called Jitneys which are an inexpensive way to get around the city. ($2.25) They are currently in the process of replacing the entire fleet. For routes and places to buy tickets there’s this page: http://www.jitneys.net/573.html
Please note that you can pay on the jitney itself, so don’t go out of the way to buy a ticket.
