Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New Jersey Margate City Lucy the Elephant

Lucy the Elephant

Step inside Lucy, the world's largest "elephant."

Margate City, New Jersey

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Lucy the Elephant   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
Lucy from the front   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
Close up of Lucy’s eye   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
Lucy’s rear   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
The interior of Lucy   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
The interior of Lucy the Elephant, looking toward the front   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
Margate Beach through Lucy’s eye   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
Lucy the Elephant   Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
A view from the beach   Jane Weinhardt
Patent Application   Public Domain
Lucy   Jack Boucher / Library of Congress / Public Domain
Lucy the Elephant   dtcdthingy / Public Domain
  User submitted
  bananachan / Atlas Obscura User
  anjohnst / Atlas Obscura User
  anjohnst / Atlas Obscura User
Stairs inside   Jane Weinhardt
Looking out Lucy’s eye   Jane Weinhardt
Main room inside Lucy   e1savage / Atlas Obscura User
2 Lucys   kayakingdog / Atlas Obscura User
View of the water tower from the top of the elephant.   e1savage / Atlas Obscura User
  e1savage / Atlas Obscura User
  bananachan / Atlas Obscura User
  bananachan / Atlas Obscura User
Lucy the Elephant   Navya Sriramaneni / CC BY-SA 4.0
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Watch out below!   tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
  Deniseg2266 / Atlas Obscura User
  Deniseg2266 / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Lucy The Elephant!   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
  Deniseg2266 / Atlas Obscura User
  jaysirignano / Atlas Obscura User
  Deniseg2266 / Atlas Obscura User
  WitchofBlackbirdPond / Atlas Obscura User
Bathroom   WitchofBlackbirdPond / Atlas Obscura User
  RedHotRutabaga / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Lucy, the world's largest "elephant," is now more than 130 years old. Built of tin and wood in 1882 by James V. Lafferty as a publicity stunt, Lucy was modeled after Jumbo, P.T. Barnum's real life "Largest Elephant on Earth." Lucy is much larger than Jumbo was, and stands 65 feet high, 60 feet long, 18 feet wide, is made of nearly one million pieces of wood, and weighs about 90 tons.

She still lives in her hometown of Margate City, New Jersey, about five miles south of Atlantic City. Inside the elephant there is a small building space, where over the years Lucy has held business offices, a restaurant, and a tavern. Today, for a small fee, tourists can enter via a spiral staircase in her leg. Inside Lucy is a small museum of her history, with old photographs and a short film. 

Lafferty designed and built three giant elephant buildings; Lucy was the first, followed by another on Coney Island, and the third one in Cape May. Lucy is the only surviving elephant, saved from demolition plans in the 1960s by a "Save Lucy" campaign.

Lucy is now a National Historic Landmark. In 2006 she was struck by lightening, which blackened her tusks, but she still stands tall. More than 100,000 visitors climb the narrow spiral staircase into the elephant every year, and a few lucky guests are able to spend the night inside the landmark. In March 2020, Lucy will be available to rent on Airbnb for $138 per night, as a nod to her age. 

Related Tags

Follies And Grottoes Elephants Places To Stay

Know Before You Go

From mid-June to Labor Day, Lucy is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Days and hours are limited at other times of the year, check the website for more information. Guided tours through Lucy the Elephant take place every 30 minutes at the top and bottom of the hour. Tickets are $8.50 for adults, $4 for children ages 3-12, and free for children under two.

There's limited free parking for one hour.

Community Contributors

Edited By

e1savage, ejhagadorn, Annetta Black, Jane Weinhardt Goldberg...

  • e1savage
  • ejhagadorn
  • Annetta Black
  • Jane Weinhardt Goldberg
  • tylercole
  • kayakingdog
  • anjohnst
  • Collector of Experiences
  • bananachan
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • RedHotRutabaga
  • blimpcaptain
  • causeiwander
  • Deniseg2266
  • WitchofBlackbirdPond
  • jaysirignano
  • DannaUSC

Published

August 23, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2162
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/3811
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/nyregion/lucy-elephant-nj-airbnb.html
Lucy the Elephant
9200 Atlantic Ave
Margate City, New Jersey, 08402
United States
39.320919, -74.511724
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Greek Temple Monument War Memorial

Atlantic City, New Jersey

miles away

Clara Glen Pet Cemetery

Linwood, New Jersey

miles away

Chef Vola's

Atlantic City, New Jersey

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New Jersey

New Jersey

United States

Places 158
Stories 33

Nearby Places

Greek Temple Monument War Memorial

Atlantic City, New Jersey

miles away

Clara Glen Pet Cemetery

Linwood, New Jersey

miles away

Chef Vola's

Atlantic City, New Jersey

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New Jersey

New Jersey

United States

Places 158
Stories 33

Related Stories and Lists

18 Great Big Things That Are Both Big and Great

world's largest

By Eric Grundhauser

Revisiting the Heyday of California's 'Crazy' Novelty Architecture

architecture

By Jessica Leigh Hester

25 Animal-Shaped Buildings from Around the World

architecture

By Allison Meier

Related Places

  • Dunmore, Scotland

    The Dunmore Pineapple House

    A giant pineapple, a symbol of hospitality, and an amazing vacation rental option.

  • Moundsville, West Virginia

    New Vrindaban Palace of Gold

    Despite its lavish ornamentation, and wholesome lifestyle of its devotees, this mountain commune has faced its share of issues.

  • Gwynedd, Wales

    Portmeirion Village

    A miniature Italianate fantasy village on the coast of Wales and the set of ITC classic "The Prisoner."

  • Edward’s Elephant from the side

    Kirkby, England

    Edward’s Elephant

    A giant earring-wearing, poker-waving elephant statue stands in a Viking longboat in Kirkby town center.

  • Annapolis, Maryland

    Governor Calvert House’s Hypocaust

    A rare 18th-century heating system tucked inside a historic colonial home.

  • Samuel Mphepo, Malawi

    Elephant Rock

    A prodigious pachyderm lurks among Malawi’s inselbergs.

  • Oquawka, Illinois

    Norma Jean Circus Elephant Monument

    A memorial dedicated to a traveling circus elephant killed by a lightning strike in 1972.

  • Charlotte, North Carolina

    Grave of John King

    An elephant is carved onto the gravestone of a man who was crushed by one.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.