Historic SitesFeatured

Lucy the Elephant

Margate · 30-45 minutes

Walk through America's oldest roadside attraction! 6-story elephant built in 1881, a National Historic Landmark since 1976, with ocean views from the howdah.

Visit Website Call 609-823-6473

About Lucy the Elephant

Lucy the Elephant is a six-story elephant-shaped building and one of the oldest surviving roadside attractions in America. Built in 1881 by inventor James V. Lafferty Jr. as a real estate gimmick, she's now a National Historic Landmark and the only elephant you can walk through at the Jersey Shore. Tours take you inside Lucy's belly, up her spiral staircase through exhibits on her 140+ year history, and onto the howdah observation deck with panoramic ocean views where visitors often spot dolphins in summer.

Highlights

✓National Historic Landmark since 1976
✓65 feet tall (6 stories), weighing 90 tons
✓Only surviving elephant building of 3 built by Lafferty
✓Howdah observation deck with 360° ocean views
✓Saved from demolition in 1970 by grassroots campaign
✓$2 million restoration completed in 2022
✓Nearly 1 million pieces of lumber in construction
✓America's oldest surviving roadside attraction

Insider Tips

Arrive 10-15 minutes before your tour time to check in at the gift shop
Best photos from across Atlantic Avenue in the morning light
Climb to the howdah for 360-degree ocean views
Check for special events like Sunrise Yoga and Lucy Lights (winter)
Combine with free Margate beach right next door
The spiral staircase has 22 steps - wear comfortable shoes
Sunset tours offer spectacular views from the observation deck
Bring binoculars to spot dolphins from the howdah
The gift shop has unique Lucy souvenirs found nowhere else

Features & Amenities

guided toursobservation deckgift shopphoto opportunitieshistoric landmarkocean viewsspiral staircasevictorian architecturebeach adjacentdolphin watching