Checkout Ventnor Margate and Longport Beach Watch Video
🌊 The Downbeach Corridor
Ventnor, Margate
& Longport
& Longport
South of Atlantic City on the same barrier island — three residential shore towns collectively known as “Downbeach” — offering wider, quieter beaches than the boardwalk strip, Lucy the Elephant (America’s oldest roadside attraction, a National Historic Landmark since 1881), and a genuinely local character that world visitors almost never find. Beach tags required in all three towns.
🐘 Lucy the Elephant — National Historic Landmark
🌊 Wider, Quieter Beaches Than AC
🏘️ Residential Shore — No Boardwalk Commerce
🏄 Surfing · Fishing · Island Aqua Park
📍 5–10 Min South of Atlantic City
Lucy the Elephant →
Downbeach BUZZ →
South of Atlantic City, on the same barrier island, the boardwalk ends and Downbeach begins. Ventnor, Margate, and Longport are three consecutive residential shore communities that share a continuous stretch of Atlantic Ocean beach — wider and less crowded than anything on the AC boardwalk strip, lined with homes rather than casinos, and requiring beach tags from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Locals call the whole corridor “Downbeach” and treat it as a single place with three distinct personalities: Ventnor (the transitional town with its own boardwalk extension and fishing pier), Margate (the middle child with Lucy the Elephant and a devoted local food and arts scene), and Longport (the southernmost, quietest, and most exclusive borough at the island’s tip).
For World Cup visitors, Downbeach is the answer to a simple question: what’s the best beach near Atlantic City that isn’t overrun by the casino crowd? The answer is here — five to ten minutes south of the boardwalk by car, beach tags required but affordable, and with Lucy the Elephant standing 65 feet tall on Margate’s oceanfront as one of the most genuinely surprising American roadside landmarks you’ll encounter anywhere on the East Coast.
1
Ventnor City
DIRECTLY SOUTH OF ATLANTIC CITY · BOARDWALK EXTENSION · FISHING PIER
Ventnor is where Atlantic City bleeds into quieter residential shore. The AC boardwalk technically extends into Ventnor before ending, giving the town a brief boardwalk section — but without the casino energy. The beach is wide and well-maintained, with lifeguards 10am–6pm daily. The Cambridge Avenue fishing pier is a popular spot for anglers. Beach access mats for wheelchair users at Suffolk, Dorset, Newport, Derby, Oxford, and Somerset Avenues. Sailboat registration available seasonally at Somerset Avenue beach. Dogs permitted on the beach leashed 7pm–9pm (May 16–Sep 30) and unleashed Oct 1–May 15.
Tags: $10 season (before June 1) · $20 season (June 1+) · $3.50 seniors · Active military/NJ National Guard free. Purchase: jerseycapetags.com · My Beach Mobile App · Ventnor City Hall · Badge checkers at beach entrances. Contact: (609) 823-7904.
Tags: $10 season (before June 1) · $20 season (June 1+) · $3.50 seniors · Active military/NJ National Guard free. Purchase: jerseycapetags.com · My Beach Mobile App · Ventnor City Hall · Badge checkers at beach entrances. Contact: (609) 823-7904.
2
Margate City
LUCY THE ELEPHANT · WIDE CLEAN BEACH · ISLAND AQUA PARK · SURF CAMP
Margate is the social hub of Downbeach — a wide, beautiful beach with no commercial boardwalk (“no shops along a boardwalk to create congestion, just enjoying the beach”), a thriving local dining and arts scene, and Lucy the Elephant standing watch over the oceanfront since 1881. The beach runs about 1.5 miles and is consistently praised for cleanliness and width. Island Aqua Park — an inflatable water park anchored offshore — is a summer highlight. Stacey’s Surf Camp offers surf and paddleboard lessons. The Margate Fishing Pier and Scott’s Dock bayside handle anglers. Thursday night movies on the beach at the Lucy location. Saturday farmers market. Margate Historical Society Museum.
Tags: $10 season (before June 1) · $20 season (June 1+) · $3.50 seniors (65+) · Military free. Martin Bloom Pavilion (Granville & Beach). MyBeach Mobile App · VIPLY App · Jersey Cape Tags online.
Tags: $10 season (before June 1) · $20 season (June 1+) · $3.50 seniors (65+) · Military free. Martin Bloom Pavilion (Granville & Beach). MyBeach Mobile App · VIPLY App · Jersey Cape Tags online.
🐘 Lucy the Elephant — America’s Oldest Roadside Attraction · National Historic Landmark
Built in 1881 by Philadelphia inventor James V. Lafferty Jr. as a real estate marketing stunt — a six-story, 65-foot-tall, 90-ton elephant-shaped building designed to lure property buyers to the undeveloped Margate beachfront. Constructed from nearly a million pieces of lumber covered in tin sheeting, Lucy has served as a real estate office, a tavern, and eventually a beloved landmark. She is the oldest surviving example of zoomorphic (animal-shaped) architecture in the United States, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
Visitors enter through her hind leg, climb a spiral staircase through her interior, and emerge on the howdah — the observation platform on her back — for 360° views of the Atlantic Ocean and Jersey Shore coastline. Tours run every 30 minutes and last 30–45 minutes. Recently received a $2.5 million paint job using bridge-grade paint, expected to preserve her for 300+ more years.
Tickets: $10 adults (13+) · $6 children (3–12) · $8 seniors (65+) · Free under 3 · Open year-round, 10am–5pm. lucytheelephant.org — book online or purchase at the gift shop.
Visitors enter through her hind leg, climb a spiral staircase through her interior, and emerge on the howdah — the observation platform on her back — for 360° views of the Atlantic Ocean and Jersey Shore coastline. Tours run every 30 minutes and last 30–45 minutes. Recently received a $2.5 million paint job using bridge-grade paint, expected to preserve her for 300+ more years.
Tickets: $10 adults (13+) · $6 children (3–12) · $8 seniors (65+) · Free under 3 · Open year-round, 10am–5pm. lucytheelephant.org — book online or purchase at the gift shop.
3
Longport
SOUTHERNMOST · QUIETEST · MOST EXCLUSIVE · MALIBU DOG BEACH ADJACENT
Longport is where the island ends — the southernmost and most residential borough, bordering the Ocean City–Longport Bridge. It’s the quietest stretch of Downbeach: no commercial development, no entertainment corridor, just houses, beach, and the Atlantic. The most expensive beach tags on the island and a shorter official season (last Saturday in June through Saturday after Labor Day) reflect Longport’s genuinely local-oriented character. It’s a locals’ beach — unhurried, uncrowded by Shore standards, and ideal for visitors who want the full expanse of barrier island ocean beach without any of the tourist infrastructure.
Adjacent to the Ocean City–Longport Bridge at the Egg Harbor Township end: Malibu Beach — a free, dog-friendly beach where dogs run off-leash year-round. Free parking, no tags required. A genuinely unusual find.
Tags: $20 pre-season (before June 2) · $35 season (June 2+) · $15 weekly · $5 daily · Seniors 65+: $5/$10 · Veterans: free. VIPLY App · Jersey Cape Tags online · In-person at borough beach tag office.
Adjacent to the Ocean City–Longport Bridge at the Egg Harbor Township end: Malibu Beach — a free, dog-friendly beach where dogs run off-leash year-round. Free parking, no tags required. A genuinely unusual find.
Tags: $20 pre-season (before June 2) · $35 season (June 2+) · $15 weekly · $5 daily · Seniors 65+: $5/$10 · Veterans: free. VIPLY App · Jersey Cape Tags online · In-person at borough beach tag office.
Beach Tag Pricing — All Three Towns (2026)
| Town | Pre-Season (before June 1) | In-Season | Daily / Weekly | Seniors | Military |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ventnor | $10 season | $20 season | — | $3.50 season | Free |
| Margate | $10 season | $20 season | — | $3.50 season | Free |
| Longport | $20 season | $35 season | $5 day / $15 week | $5/$10 | Free |
All tags required for ages 12+ · Memorial Day–Labor Day · Active military and NJ National Guard free with proper ID in Ventnor & Margate · Purchase via VIPLY app, MyBeach Mobile, Jersey Cape Tags online, or at town hall / beach offices.
📍 World Cup Context: The fastest Downbeach circuit for World Cup visitors: drive 5 minutes south of AC → Lucy the Elephant tour (45 min, $10/adult) → Margate beach for the afternoon → Back Bay Ale House or Tomatoes for dinner. The Lucy tour alone is worth the trip — an international visitor standing on top of a 6-story 1881 wooden elephant looking out at the Atlantic Ocean is one of those genuinely unclassifiable American experiences. Check the season tag requirement before you go — all three towns enforce them during the World Cup window.
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