HIWAY AMERICA-THE ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK, ATLANTIC CITY N.J.

BEACHES & BOARDWALK

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Duality, Atlantic City’s 3D Lightshow at Boardwalk Hall

http://youtu.be/P6APD4x9Mb0

 THE BOARDWALK VIDEO

http://youtu.be/cp-MXQF3MYE

Atlantic City Beach: 1900 to 1910

http://youtu.be/AYBFWE1UKWo

Miss America Winners 1921-2013

The Miss America Pageant began as a marketing idea. The Businessmen’s League of Atlantic City needed to develop a plan to keep tourists on the boardwalk past Labor Day. They organized a Fall Frolic and held it on September 25, 1920. There were many events that day, but the most popular was a parade of young women being pushed along the Boardwalk in rolling chairs. Ernestine Cremona, dressed in a flowing white robe, was in charge of this event. This event was such a success that a similar one was planned for the following year, and so on. At the same time, in an effort to increase circulation, newspapers on the East Coast had begun sponsoring beauty pageants judged on photograph submissions. The Businessmen’s League of Atlantic City got ear of this and decided to capitalize on this idea. They invited the winners of these local newspaper beauty contests to the next Fall Frolic to compete in an “Inter-City Beauty” Contest. This contest had two parts—a popularity contest and a beauty contest. The winner of the beauty contest, the “Most Beautiful Bathing Girl in America”, was to be awarded the title of “Golden Mermaid”. On September 8, 1921, one hundred thousand people came to the Boardwalk to watch the contestants, a turn out much more than the Businessmen’s League of Atlantic City had expected. A panel of artists serving as judges named sixteen-year-old Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C., the winner of both contests and awarded her a $100 prize. When Gorman returned in 1922 to defend her laurels, she was draped in the American flag and called “Miss America”.

http://youtu.be/2T1vqCrtlkI

Beaches with boardwalks offer big benefits!

Sun, sand, towering resort hotels, the bustling boardwalk, the awe-inspiring Atlantic — this is one beach party you don’t want to miss. The South Jersey beaches of Atlantic City are famous, and rightly so. Everything you could possibly want is right here within walking distance, from shops to five-star restaurants to casinos, attractions and great shows — all benefits of being one of the few American beaches with boardwalks. What better way to cap a day of shopping, shows and gourmet dining than a sunset walk on the beach? And should you want to venture into the waves, you can surf, fish, parasail or embark on a relaxing cruise.

Construction on Atlantic City’s world-famous Boardwalk began in 1870, and from then on it has become an icon in America as one of the few beaches with boardwalks. Stroll along the Boardwalk and enjoy ocean views on one side and shopping on the other, ranging from high-end retail to saltwater taffy shops.

Atlantic City Beach and Boardwalk activities include surfing, kayaking, windsurfing and fishing. Explore the Boardwalk and beaches in Atlantic City here. Make Atlantic City’s beaches your destination for summer fun – start planning your trip today!

About the Atlantic City Boardwalk

The Boardwalk in Atlantic City starts at Absecon Inlet and runs along the beach for four miles to the city limit. An additional one and one half miles  of the Boardwalk extend into Ventnor City. There are many retail stores, restaurants, and amusements on the Boardwalk as well as world famous Casinos. Several piers including Morey’s Piers extend the boardwalk over the Atlantic Ocean.

HWAY AMERICA -ATLANTIC CITY N.J. PLUS AMAZING LIGHT SHOW

HIWAY AMERICA -ATLANTIC CITY N.J. AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE STATE

HIWAY AMERICA – ATLANTIC CITY N.J.

first. The area was developed in the nineteenth century as a resort and became extremely popular; its famous beaches and easy access from Northeastern cities made it one of America’s most prominent holiday destinations for over a century. After a decline in the 1960s, the introduction of gambling in 1978 allowed Atlantic City to reinvent itself and the Boardwalk to regain some of its former prominence.

Atlantic City’s Development

In the early 1850s, Dr. Jonathan Pitney, an Absecon resident, felt that the island would make a good health resort. However, he realized it would need better access. He and his partner Richard Osborn began the construction of the Camden-Atlantic City Railroad. On July 5, 1854, the first tourist train arrived from Camden, New Jersey.

The island quickly became a popular vacation spot; luxurious hotels and cheap rooming houses sprung up all over town. However, sand was a major problem: Visitors would track it everywhere, including railroad cars and the lobbies of expensive hotels.

The Boardwalk

“In 1870,” says Atlantic City Online, “Alexander Boardman, a conductor on the Atlantic City-Camden Railroad, was asked to think up a way to keep the sand out of the hotels and rail cars.”

He and hotel owner Jacob Keim presented the idea of a boardwalk to the city council. Running from the beach to the town, and costing half of Atlantic City’s 1870 tax revenue, an 8-foot-wide boardwalk was built. In 1880, it was replaced by a larger version.

National Prominence and Miss America

Atlantic City grew rapidly after the Civil War. “Lavish hotels, enormous electrical signs and rambunctious, colorful amusement piers started to hug it from both sides,” says AtlanticCityNJ.com.

A serious problem the town had, though, was that the tourism-based economy slowed massively in winter. As an attempt to keep tourists around past Labor Day, a beauty contest was held on September 8 and 9, 1921. At first called the Atlantic City Pageant, the contests quickly became nationally famous.

World War II

Convention Hall, on the Boardwalk, was made a U.S. Army training facility during the Second World War. Reports AtlanticCityNJ.com, “Squads of armed forces could be seen marching up and down the boards. Mock beachfront invasions and war bond rallies were common as well.”

In response to fears of German submarines watching along the coast, Boardwalk lamps were shaded.

1950s and 1960s

In the decades after the war, the Boardwalk was popular with celebrities. “Some famous feet to tread upon the boards,” says AtlanticCityNJ.com, “included Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Durante, Ed Sullivan, Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby. The Beatles ate the city’s world-famous subs on it. Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon opened a bowling alley” there.

Decline

The rise of cheap air travel, an increasingly sophisticated population and a general demographic shift away from the Northeast led to a sharp decline in Atlantic City’s fortunes in the late 1960s. In 1978, the first casino was opened in an attempt to reverse this decline, bringing Atlantic City back to prominence in a different form.

http://blog.achotelexperts.com/history-of-the-atlantic-city-boardwalk/

AMAZING LIGHT SHOW AT ATLANTIC CITY CONVENTION CENTER

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