Your Guide to Atlantic City: Summer 2026 Through A Local's Eyes

An Atlantic City guide to where to eat, wander, sip, and settle into the city during the Everyday Celebrity Conference (or whenever you're visiting!)

This Atlantic City guide starts with a confession: the city has always had a flair for contradiction.

It is old and new, polished and weathered, glamorous and a little unruly. It carries ocean air, casino carpet, bay sunsets, boardwalk pizza, dark dining rooms, bright cocktails, old family businesses, and a layer of local history that still hums beneath the noise if you know where to stand.

For everyone coming to the Everyday Celebrity Conference, I want you to experience Atlantic City beyond the conference room. Part of being here is letting yourself feel the city itself: the salt air, the lights, the boardwalk, the restaurants, the water, the small discoveries that turn a professional trip into something you actually remember.

So here it is: my personal, very biased, deeply lived-in Atlantic City guide to a few of my favorite places in and around town.

One note before you start making plans: make reservations where you can. This is summer in Atlantic City, and the city gets busy. The best version of your night is usually the one you thought about before you were standing in a hotel lobby, hungry, dressed beautifully, and suddenly considering room-service fries as a life strategy.

Where to Start: Boardwalk, Beach & Dinner

If the weather is doing what summer weather should do, start outside.

MAYA on the Atlantic City Boardwalk at Resorts Casino Hotel is one of the easiest places to begin. It has coastal cocktails, boardwalk energy, and an outdoor setting that feels instantly celebratory. Order anything with their guacamole, and take a photo on the swing while you are there. It is breezy, pretty, and slightly cinematic, which is exactly the point.

Wonder Bar is another favorite, especially for bay views. Their sunsets are genuinely extraordinary, and I say that as someone who lives near the water and has standards. Go for the view, stay for the relaxed local energy, and order the Local Favorite even if you are only in town for the weekend. Certain places let you feel briefly absorbed into the rhythm of the city. Wonder Bar does that beautifully.

If you want oceanfront vacation energy without a complicated plan, Resorts also gives you LandShark Bar & Grill and Margaritaville, both right in the Boardwalk orbit. LandShark is casual, beachy, and easy, with ocean views and live music when the season is in motion. Margaritaville leans more tropical, with a tiki bar, live entertainment, and a Boardwalk deck made for a low-pressure drink after a full day of being very on.

And then there is Caesars Beach Club, brand-new for summer 2026, which brings a more elevated day-to-night feel to the oceanfront. Think cocktails, coastal dining, DJs, rooftop views, and VIP cabanas. Go when you want the conference trip to feel a little more glamorous without building an entire vacation itinerary around it.

For a fancier dinner, I love Kuro at Hard Rock and Amada at Ocean.

Kuro is the move when you want Japanese dining with polish: beautiful plates, sushi, robata, wagyu, and a room that understands lighting as part of the experience. It is inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, and Chef Leslie Daniel is an absolute legend. He has been seen on TV for good reason. When someone brings that much talent and presence into a kitchen, let the menu take the lead.

Amada at Ocean Casino Resort is perfect for tapas, especially for a group dinner. Shared plates give the table momentum. People try things, pass things, develop opinions about the next round, and somehow the conversation gets better. The room is warm and elevated, the food is beautiful, and the espresso martini is excellent.

Rainy-Day Backup Plans

Now, because this is Atlantic City and the weather occasionally likes to become part of the plot, let’s talk rain plans.

The Lobby Bar at Hard Rock is always a solid choice. It sits in the center of the hotel, with casino and lobby views, crafted cocktails, and live music happening regularly. It works for a casual meet-up, a post-conference drink, people-watching, or the simple pleasure of being indoors while the humidity handles its business outside.

Dougherty’s Steakhouse & Raw Bar at Resorts is another great rainy-day option, especially if you want something classic and reliable. The Dougherty family is part of Atlantic City dining history, and I have a special affection for them because growing up I worked for the family as their occasional babysitter and later as a manager at one of their restaurants. So yes, I am biased - and I am also comfortable standing by the recommendation.

I am now allergic to shellfish, which still feels like an unnecessary plot twist, so if you enjoy the raw bar, please enjoy it on my behalf.

Ocean’s 18 Mini Golf & Bar at Ocean is the rainy-day move when you still want to do something playful. It is indoor mini golf with immersive visuals and bar energy, perfect for grown adults who want to pretend they are not competitive until the second hole. I almost beat my husband on this course, which means I will remember it with unreasonable specificity for the rest of my life.

Beyond the Boardwalk: Ventnor

If you have time to explore beyond the main conference orbit, go to Ventnor Social.

Ventnor has its own personality: softer, more neighborhood, a little more “locals know.” Ventnor Social has coastal sports bar energy, good food, cocktails, and an easy atmosphere that gets you out of the casino corridor for a bit. Order the orange crush. That is the move. (They make a killer mojito mocktail too if you're alcohol free and still want a vibe.)

On the Water: Boat Tours & Cruises

And if you want to turn your Atlantic City trip into something that feels like a miniature vacation, get on the water.

Atlantic City Cruises runs out of Historic Gardner’s Basin and offers dolphin watching, sightseeing cruises, and other boat trips. I had my Sweet 16 on the dolphin watching boat, and then my 40th birthday there too, because apparently some places stay with you across decades. It is a must.

The Atlantic City Tiki Boat, also out of Gardner’s Basin, is exactly what it sounds like: a tiki boat, on the water, with music, drinks, and back bay views. I also bartended on the tiki boat and did the social media for years, so when I say it is a fun way to experience the city, I am saying that with some behind-the-bar authority.

Quick, No-Fuss Lunch in Atlantic City

For a quick lunch, do not overcomplicate it.

Tony Boloney’s is bold, creative, deeply Atlantic City, and the place to go when you want something memorable. Get the Cheesesteak Olé. Tony Boloney’s has been featured across major food television, and owner Mike Hauke recently appeared on Shark Tank with Mad Mutz, which feels very aligned with the spirit of the place: inventive, slightly outrageous, and fully committed.

Or keep it classic and grab a Boardwalk slice of pizza with lemonade. Some things do not need to be reinvented. A hot slice, a cold lemonade, and the Boardwalk under your feet will always have its own kind of glamour.

And if you want to step back in time, visit my family’s bookstore, Princeton Antiques & Books on Atlantic Avenue. Not bothering to link a website here, because it's literally from like 1993 and the importance of a digital footprint is a battle I'm not winning with the owner of an antique bookstore. I digress.

It has been part of Atlantic City’s Chelsea neighborhood since 1966 and is filled with rare and out-of-print books, antiques, old Atlantic City photographs, postcards, and local history you will not find by scrolling from a hotel room. Walking in feels like Atlantic City opened an old drawer and decided to show you what it kept.

There is also a chance you will meet my son or my brothers if you stop in. Tell them Leslie sent you. They will either smile or immediately question what I have gotten them involved in, and either reaction feels appropriate.

Speaking of old Atlantic City lore, every once in a while when I tell people I am from Atlantic City, a very specific few will mention the Disney movie Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. That is when I get to do my little hair toss and say, “Yes, I met the real Sonora Webster Carver before she died.”

Sonora was the legendary diving-horse rider whose story inspired the film, and the infamous Steel Pier belonged to that larger-than-life Atlantic City era. Which is also why I love that we are using that same Steel Pier as our meeting spot for morning movement and networking with Laura Smestad on conference days. Casual, historic, slightly cinematic, and very Atlantic City.

And because I want you to enjoy this city properly, here are two practical notes.

1. If you are doing a beach day, rent the beach chairs and umbrellas. Pricing can vary depending on the beach area, hotel, and season, so check before you go, but the point stands: make it easy on yourself. Sit under the umbrella. Let the ocean do what it does.

2. If you plan on spending any time in the casinos, register for a players card. Even if you are not a big gambler. Even if you are just wandering, eating, shopping, or putting $20 into a slot machine for the story. Casino rewards programs often come with promos, discounts, offers, or small perks, and it is worth taking the extra few minutes.

   
   

Mostly, I want you to give yourself permission to enjoy being here. I've traveled to too many conferences in cities I've wanted to explore and ended up only seeing the inside of my hotel room, uber car, and conference ballroom. It's summer at the beach. Go play!

Atlantic City is a lot.

That is exactly why I love her.

Leslie’s Atlantic City Guide: The Screenshot List

MAYA Atlantic City

Resorts Casino Hotel, Boardwalk Website: mayaatlanticcity.com Instagram: @maya.atlanticcity

Wonder Bar

3701 Sunset Avenue Website: wonderbaracnj.com Instagram: @wonderbar_ac

LandShark Bar & Grill

Resorts Casino Hotel, on the beach Website: atlanticcity.landsharkbarandgrill.com Instagram: @landsharkbargrillatlanticcity

Margaritaville Atlantic City

Resorts Casino Hotel Website: margaritavilleatlanticcity.com

Caesars Beach Club

Caesars Atlantic City Website: caesars.com/caesars-ac/things-to-do/nightlife/caesars-beach-club

Kuro

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City Website: casino.hardrock.com/atlantic-city/restaurants/fine-dining/kuro

Amada

Ocean Casino Resort Website: theoceanac.com/restaurants/amada

The Lobby Bar

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City Website: casino.hardrock.com/atlantic-city/nightlife/the-lobby-bar

Dougherty’s Steakhouse & Raw Bar

Resorts Casino Hotel Website: doughertyssteak.com Instagram: @doughertyssteak

Ocean’s 18 Mini Golf & Bar

Ocean Casino Resort Website: theoceanac.com/experience/oceans-18-mini-golf-bar

Ventnor Social

6417 Ventnor Avenue, Ventnor Website: ventnorsocial.com Instagram: @ventnor_social

Atlantic City Cruises

Historic Gardner’s Basin Website: atlanticcitycruises.com

Atlantic City Tiki Boat

Historic Gardner’s Basin Website: actikiboat.com Instagram: @actikiboat

Tony Boloney’s

300 Oriental Avenue Website: tonyboloneys.com Instagram: @tonyboloneys

Classic Boardwalk Slice + Lemonade

Anywhere along the boardwalk!

Princeton Antiques & Books

2917 Atlantic Avenue Website: princetonantiques.com Instagram: @princetonantiquesandbooks (but they don't use it lol)

Steel Pier

Boardwalk Leslie’s note: morning movement and networking meeting spot with Laura Smestad on conference days - meet at 8:45am.