Atlanta City Boardwalk

Maybe it wasn’t the best time of year to explore the boardwalk in Atlantic City, but we had just finished watching “Boardwalk Empire” and found ourselves with a free weekend. It felt like the perfect opportunity to step into that world, if only for a weekend, and experience the place where so much of that history unfolded.

Atlanta City is home to the first boardwalk in the United States, built in 1870, long before the Prohibition era would transform it into something far more complex. By the1920s, this shoreline had become a center of activity:  tourism, entertainment and behind the scenes, bootlegging and political influence that shaped the character of that city.

With limited time, we chose not to wait for better weather. High winds and steady rain followed us as we met our guide, but as we explained, this was the only time we had, so we moved forward with our plans.  

As we walked along the boardwalk, our guide brought that earlier era to life, the energy of the crowds, the undercurrent of Prohibition, and the personalities that once defined this place. Even through the rain, it was easy to imagine the rhythm of another time layered over the present.

At one point, I stepped aside and stood beneath the Miss America Statue. It marks another chapter in the city’s history: the long-standing tradition of the Miss America Pageant, which began here in 1921 as a way to extend the summer tourist season.

I can still remember watching Miss America as a family growing up. Standing there connected something personal to the larger story of this town. Atlantic City is not just one era, it is many, layered together.  

Despite the wind and rain, the experience held. A reminder to take the opportunity as it presents itself and not to wait for the “perfect” time.