Lucy the Elephant

Lucy the Elephant

Lucy was in such bad shape in the 1960's that she was scheduled for demolition, but the "Save Lucy" campaign raised enough money to have her restored and moved to her present location. She became a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

Built in 1882, Lucy was the first of several giant elephants built by James V. Lafferty. Lucy is six stories tall and it is an example of zoomorphic architecture. That means she is shaped like an animal.

The structure has been a restaurant, an office, a cottage and a tavern, but never a hotel as is popularly believed.

Lucy's head and ears are that of an Asian Elephant. Lucy also has tusks, which are only found on male Asian Elephants.

Location

Margate, New Jersey
USA

Getting There

Lucy the Elephant is located in Margate, New Jersey and can be reached by public transportation. The nearest major airport is Atlantic City International Airport, which is about a 30-minute drive away. From there, you can take a taxi, ride-sharing service, or public transportation to reach Margate.

There are several bus routes that serve the area, including NJ Transit bus routes 502 and 504, which run from Atlantic City to Margate. You can also take the Atlantic City Rail Line, which runs between Atlantic City and Philadelphia, and get off at the Absecon station. From there, you can transfer to a NJ Transit bus to Margate.

Once you arrive in Margate, you can take a short walk or ride a bike to Lucy the Elephant. The landmark is located on the beachfront at 9200 Atlantic Avenue.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in New Jersey that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.