5 Tips To Escape The Tourist Crowds In Atlantic City NJ

In the height of summer, Atlantic City is absolutely packed to the gills with tourists. On these weekends, it can be tough to get a dinner reservation or an affordable hotel room, and even tougher to enjoy a relaxing vacation with so many crowds around. These tips will help you evade the tourist rush and have the laid-back weekend of your dreams.

Get up early

There’s no way around it: Atlantic City is a party town. It’s not exactly the city that never sleeps – it’s just the city that goes to bed really, really late. But that means early morning crowds are almost non-existent, so if you’re looking to spend a couple of hours relaxing by the pool, trying to grab a great spot on the sand, or just want to have breakfast in peace, the best way to do it is to start your day before 10 am. You’ll have the city to yourself while everyone else sleeps off the previous night.

Get out of AC

Get a history lesson

The city’s most popular restaurants, dance clubs, and casino floors will be packed, yes, but there’s a whole lot more to Atlantic City than the party scene. Head to the Absecon Lighthouse or AC’s Civil Rights Memorial Park to get a firsthand look at the role Atlantic City played in America’s history. These are definitely family-friendly activities, and there almost definitely won’t be a line.

The Absecon Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in NJ

Get out on the water

Atlantic City is a beach town, after all, which means the fishing just off the coast is incredible. No matter what’s in season (we catch flounder, striper, tuna, swordfish and more in these waters) there’s nothing better than a day spent drifting and reeling. There are tons of charter companies who’ll take you out for the day, many of whom even provide rods, reels, and bait. Or, if you’d rather cast from dry land, head over to Brigantine and join the locals who fish off the jetty.

Get wild

Wildlife, that is. The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge sits on more than 43,000 acres just outside AC, and it’s a wildlife-lover’s paradise. There are more than 275 types of bird living in the refuge, including some very rare species. An incredible number of plants and other animals also call the refuge home. Take a long, leisurely stroll on miles and miles of paths cut through the refuge. On the right day, you might not even encounter a single other person, let alone a crowd of tourists. When you’re out in the middle of the refuge, it’s easy to imagine Atlantic City as it was a couple centuries ago, before anyone ever called it “Little Las Vegas.”

Colorful wood ducks are a common sight along the refuge’s Songbird Trail

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.