Big Milestone For Lucy The Elephant In Margate, New Jersey

Lucy The Elephant In Margate, New Jersey, is officially recognized as the oldest roadside attraction in America. That is very cool.

Happy 145th Birthday To Lucy The Elephant

From near ruination to now vibrant and 145 years old, what a wild ride it has been for this iconic, giant (65-foot tall) pachyderm.

The elephant was the dream of a real estate developer named James Lafferty, Jr, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lafferty had a dream that if he built a colossal wooden Elephant, which people would actually be able to walk inside of and observe the surrounding area from 65 feet above the ground it would help attract potential customers for his real estate holdings that were for sale in the region.

What Lafferty probably didn't know at the time was that he would be creating one of the great structural marvels of the 19th Century, which has now gone on to become a fully registered historical national landmark.

Saturday, July 18, 2026

There will be a celebration in recognition of Lucy's 145th birthday, which is also the 50th Anniversary of Lucy being designated as a National Historic landmark.

It will be a red, white and blue themed celebration.

When:

Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 8;00 p.m.

Where:

Lucy the Elephant, located on Atlantic Avenue, behind Lucy's behind. FYI., Lucy's Gift Shop remains in its temporary spot at the Corner of Washington & Atlantic Avenues.

We are so grateful to the City of Margate, its police department and public works department for closing Atlantic Avenue for our elephant-sized party. Atlantic Avenue will be closed to east bound traffic from 7am thru 10pm on Saturday said Lucy's Executive Director, Richard Helfant.

The Festivities

22' double lane Stars & Stripes water slide.
fire dog belly bounce.
carnival smash.
a money grab machine.
The Lucy Express Trackless Train ride.
9-hole mini-golf course.
Jersey shore favorites such as hot dogs, French fries, Philly Hot pretzels, Mexican street corn from the Byrdcage in Atlantic City, patriotic colored cones and sodas will be available.

NOTE: At 3pm, they will sing Happy Birthday to Lucy and hand out birthday donuts.