Atlantic City makes a great family vacation spot From sun and sand to wildlife and fun activities, there's a world of kid-friendly rewards in the gambling mecca By Michael Shoule / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, July 15, 2012, 6:00 AM The Steel Pier, originally opened in 1898, offers rides, games and carnival food. Rolling chairs are a restful way to go up and down the Boardwalk. No trip to Atlantic City is complete without saltwater taffy. Emma Shoule enjoys beach toys offered by the casino-less Chelsea hotel. Lucy the Elephant, in nearby Margate, celebrate its 130th birthday July 20 with a weekend of activities. Climb to the top of Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest in New Jersey, for unparalleled views. The Atlantic City Aquarium at Gardiner’s Basin. When most people think of Atlantic City, they don’t automatically think it’s a place to take the little ones. Rather, the city’s reputation as a gambling mecca for the rich and poor has held fast, even as casino profits have sunk. It’s also gained some popularity with the twenty- and thirtysomethings looking for a fun weekend of clubbing. But New Jersey’s version of Sin City is finally doing what its Nevada sibling is also — focusing on kid- friendly activities. And it’s staking its future on it. Atlantic City’s new campaign slogan, “Do AC,” encouraged my wife and me to bring our two kids to the Shore for a few days of wholesome fun. We stayed on the Boardwalk at the Chelsea (thechelsea-ac.com), one of the hotels to recently open without a casino. On the weekends, a well-heeled crowd can be found at its acclaimed rooftop bar, luxurious Sea Spa and signature restaurant, Chelsea Prime. Since we went midweek, there was less of a scene and more of a family-friendly atmosphere. We started with a dip in the hotel’s saltwater pool before hitting the surf. The Chelsea pampers its guests with the only full beach service in the city, offering towels, lounge chairs and umbrellas along with beach toys, which our children — ages 5 and 4 — took full advantage of. The kids had to be dragged off the beach that first day kicking, but the screaming was reserved for the thrills they had at the Rainforest Cafe (rainforestcafe.com), a short walk up the Boardwalk at Trump Plaza. While the food was good, most eyes were focused on the waterfall, the simulated gorilla, elephant and monkey actions, and the beautiful fish tanks. After dinner, we headed farther up the Boardwalk to the Pier Shops at Caesars, where we ended up in the giant candy store It’Sugar (itsugar.com/stores). Thankfully, the mall’s fantastic water show was about to start, and we got out of the store before cavities set in. From there, it was off to the Steel Pier (steelpier.com), which originally opened in 1898 and is A.C.’s version of our beloved Coney Island, complete with rides, games and carnival food. The kids were passing out by the time we left, so we hopped into a rolling chair for a ride down the Boardwalk to our hotel. The rolling chairs rates are by the block but are definitely negotiable. The next morning, we drove 10 minutes to the Atlantic City Aquarium (oceanlifecenter.com; $8 adult, $5 children), where you can pet bamboo sharks, sea urchins and horseshoe crabs. The staff was well-versed in assisting the children at each of the petting tanks, but the highlight for my kids was feeding the stingrays. After frolicking with the fishies, we browsed the local handicrafts as we walked over to Scales Grill & Deck Bar (scalesgrill.com), one of three restaurants in historic Gardiner’s Basin. Nearby at Gardiner’s Bay, those wanting to continue their fish adventures can board Atlantic City Cruises (atlanticcitycruises.com; $34 adult, $18 children) to go dolphin watching. We decided to get a bird’s-eye view instead and took a short drive to Absecon Lighthouse (abseconlighthouse.org; $7 adults, $4 children), the tallest in New Jersey. We climbed the 228 steps to the top and were rewarded with a spectacular 360-degree view of Atlantic City and beyond. Since the kids were in a climbing mood, we made the 15-minute drive to Margate City to scale another historic landmark — Lucy the Elephant (lucytheelephant.org; $7 adults, $4 children). The six-story structure, built in 1882 as a way to attract tourists, celebrates its birthday every July 20 with fun-filled activities. Our exhausting day ended with cheese steaks and meatball heros at White House Sub Shop on Arctic Ave. The White House, which opened in 1946, is renowned not just for what’s inside the 2-foot-long sandwich but for its fresh bread — and the walls sport framed pictures of famous customers from Frank Sinatra to George Clooney. The final day of our vacation began with a 20-minute drive to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville (fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/visit.html; entrance fee $4 per vehicle). Although hoping to spot a peregrine falcon or bald eagle, we were all thrilled to see one of the many ospreys fly by at close range with a freshly caught fish in its talons. There also is an excellent 8-mile Wildlife Drive on an unpaved road for bird viewing and numerous hiking paths where one can spot toads, deer, red fox and other wildlife. On our way back, we enjoyed a nice lunch at an old-fashioned family-run restaurant and deli in Absecon named the Sunryser (sunryser.com), whose crinkle fries and homemade potato salad were delicious sides for our sandwiches. The kids won the final coin toss that afternoon between going shopping and seeing a movie — to my wife’s chagrin. So it was off to South Jersey’s only 3-D IMAX theater (tropicana.net/entertainment/imax-theatre; $15.50 per ticket), which was around the corner from the Chelsea, rather than going to The Walk, A.C.’s Tanger Outlets. We had to save the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum (ripleys.com/atlanticcity; $16 adult, $10 children) for our next visit, but could not pass up a box of the famous Fralinger’s saltwater taffy and peanut butter chews (jamescandy.com/our-history/fralingers) for the car ride back to Queens. As my wife and I compared this family trip to a previous weekend we had spent as a couple in Atlantic City, we realized the key to “Do AC” is to do it with kids. The only dice we rolled were on the Monopoly board, the money we spent was all for fun activities instead of donations to the casinos, and we finally got a chance to “own” Boardwalk — for a couple of days at least. Michael Shoule is the author of the children’s book “My Daddy Loves Boston College Football.” .