There are ten parking spaces on-site at Lucy the Elephant.  Due to this limited availability, we offer complimentary 1-hour parking on-site at Lucy the Elephant while visiting the monument and shopping in our Gift Shop.  Upon arrival, please see a parking attendant for a parking permit to be displayed in your dashboard.  At the end of your visit, we ask that you move your vehicle should you wish to visit the beach or patron any of the local establishments.  Any unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense.

There is no charge to park at Lucy the Elephant, walk the park grounds surrounding Lucy, or to go in Lucy’s Gift Shop.  If you wish to go inside the elephant, you must purchase a ticket for one of our Guided Tours.   

No.  While Lucy the Elephant is part of the National Historic Landmark Program administered by the National Park Service, the structure is not located in a National Park. 

Due to her historic nature, the interior of Lucy the Elephant is only accessible via spiral stairs located in her hind legs; however,  the grounds within the park surrounding Lucy are accessible using deck board walkways.  A ramp is also available allowing access into Lucy’s Gift Shop. 

Service animals are permitted in all publicly accessible areas within the park — on the grounds surrounding Lucy the Elephant, inside Lucy’s Gift Shop, and inside Lucy the Elephant.  We understand the need for Emotional Support Animals (or Comfort Animals); however, they are not considered Service Animals under the ADA.  Due to limited space in our Gift Shop and Lucy’s historic nature, we respectfully request that Emotional Support Animals be limited to the park grounds surrounding Lucy.

The are no public accessible bathrooms located on-site at Lucy the Elephant.  During the Summer season, beach accessible bathrooms are available to the general public across our parking lot located on Decatur Avenue.  Helpful Tip:  Look for the surfboard!  At all other times of the year, just ask and one of our Lucy staff members or volunteers would be more than happy to point you in the direction of the closest available restroom.   

Lucy the Elephant & Gift Shop accepts cash and most major credit cards in addition to Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. 

Lucy the Elephant is operated by the Save Lucy Committee, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.  Roundup is a fundraising technique where your total sale is rounded up to the nearest whole dollar with the additional change being a donation to Lucy the Elephant for her continued preservation needs.  For example:  If your total sale is $10.29 and you choose to roundup, you would be charged $11.00 –> $10.29 for the sale and $0.71 as a donation.  Participation in this program is completely voluntary.  Your cashier will ask if you wish to ’roundup’ at checkout.   

AmazonSmile is a charitable arm of Amazon where 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases is donated to a charitable organization of your choice.  The Save Lucy Committee, Inc is an approved 501(c)3 nonprofit organization through Amazon.  If you already shop on Amazon, we encourage you to use smile.amazon.com/ instead and select the Save Lucy Committee as your charitable organization of choice. 

Currently, the closest overnight accommodations to Lucy the Elephant are located just a few miles away in Atlantic City, NJ.  For deals on hotels and flights, check out this Atlantic City Travel Guide which also includes additional ideas on things to do while visiting Lucy the Elephant.

Any visitors wishing to go inside Lucy the Elephant must purchase admission tickets.  The current cost is $8.50 for adults (ages 12 and up) and $4.00 for children (ages 3-12).  There is no charge for children younger than 3; however, they must still have a ticket. The Save Lucy Committee is also proud to offer complimentary tours for members of the US Military with valid ID.  Please note that this does not extend to the military member’s family.

At this time, the Save Lucy Committee does not offer self-guided tours.  All people wishing to go inside the elephant must purchase a ticket for the guided tour.

No…. for insurance purposes, all children 12 years old and younger MUST be accompanied by an adult on the guided tour through Lucy the Elephant.

We can accommodate up to 48 people per guided tour.  There is typically no need to make reservations unless you have a larger group.  For groups of 10 people or more, please visit our Group Reservations page.   

Guided Tours through Lucy the Elephant are conducted every 45 minutes during business hours with the last tour of the day beginning a 45 minutes prior to closing.  As a courtesy to our visitors who are on tour, people who are late for the start of the tour may be asked to wait until the next schedule tour time to prevent unnecessary disruptions to the tour already in progress. 

The Guided Tour through Lucy the Elephant is approximately 20-25 minutes.  On the Guided Tour, visitors will watch a short video about Lucy’s history, have an opportunity to look out Lucy’s eyes, and climb the stairs to Lucy’s howdah (the riding carriage on her back) for a spectacular 360 degree view of the areas surrounding Margate City, NJ.   Participants in the tour will also be able to see artifacts and pieces of the fabric used in Lucy’s original construction as well as experience Lucy-themed original artwork available for purchase from local artist Jon Baker. 

We currently do not offer a AAA or Senior rate (unless you’re older than Lucy); however, $1 OFF admission ticket coupons are available in many of the Lucy the Elephant brochures which can be found displayed at rest stops located on the Garden State Parkway, the Atlantic City Expressway, and other common areas throughout New Jersey and Philadelphia.  Lucy the Elephant has also partnered with Groupon to offer discounted ticket rates which are available for purchase online through Groupon.

Guided Tours are typically conducted regardless of the weather; however, in the event of inclement weather, the howdah portion of the tour may temporarily be canceled for the safety of our guests.  Should this occur, participants in the tour will be given a rain redemption card that can be used on a future visit to Lucy the Elephant, redeemable for a FREE tour. 

Lucy the Elephant gets her toenails painted every July in preparation for her birthday celebrated on the Saturday closest to July 20th — the anniversary of the day Lucy was moved from Cedar Grove Avenue to Decatur Avenue on July 20, 1970.  Lucy’s birthday pedicure color is voted on and chosen by visitors to the site and Lucy’s online friends. 

Lucy the Elephant was originally named “Elephant Bazaar” when James V. Lafferty, Jr. built the structure in 1881.  A future owner of the elephant, Sophia Gertzen, changed the name to “Lucy” and it stuck — but Lucy is not a girl as the name suggests!  Lucy the Elephant is patterned after an Asian elephant, based on key characteristics such as the number of toes on her feet and the shape of her head.  Unlike African elephants where both male and female have tusks, in Asian elephants only some of the males develop large tusks.  Since Lucy has very prominent tusks, “she” has to be a “he”.  So, Lucy is actually a boy!   

There are differing reasons as to why there is a ‘J’ on Lucy’s toenail.  One explanation is that the ‘J’ is a tribute to her builder, James Lafferty.  Another explanation is that the ‘J’ is in honor of Josephine Harron, the woman who spearheaded the campaign to save Lucy from demolition in 1970.