"Lucy is the world's largest elephant, and the only one in America designated as a National Historic Landmark. She was built in 1881 by James V. Lafferty, a real estate developer with a knack for promotion," the Roadside America reports.

"Standing six stories tall, weighing 90 tons, covered with 12,000 square feet of sheet tin, Lucy was more than an object of awe -- she was a functioning building, serving first as a real estate office, then as a hotel, a summer home, even briefly as a tavern, until unruly drunks nearly burned her down. She also gave people a reason to come to Margate City while Lafferty gave his real estate pitch.

"Lucy proved very useful. Jim L. made a bundle and went on to build other elephants in Cape May and Coney Island. Sadly, only Lucy has survived. For a small admission fee, the adventuresome can tour Lucy's innards, entering via a spiral staircase in one of her hind legs. See a video and some photographic displays of Lucy history. The tour climaxes with a stop in the open-air "howdah" atop Lucy's back. From here, one is offered a breathtaking view of neighboring high-rise condos, the parking lot, and the Atlantic Ocean."

"First up on this grand tour is a stop in Margate City to see a fan favorite: the world’s largest elephant, Lucy the Elephant. At six stories tall (or 65 feet) and a weight of about 90 tons, this mammoth is a sight to behold, and she’s made up of 1 million pieces of wood, nails and 12,000 square feet of tin," the Jersey's Best reports.

"The “novelty architecture” structure was built in 1881 by real estate investor James V. Lafferty and is known as America’s oldest roadside attraction.

"After a series of uses, including a business office and a tavern, Lucy fell into dilapidation by the 1960s. She was restored and moved to a city lot by the citizens of Margate on July 20, 1970 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976, during the United States Bicentennial celebration. Today, Lucy stands tall, and this quirky landmark is even available for an overnight stay on occasion through Airbnb."

"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," the Atlas Obscura reports.

"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.

"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."

"Lucy the Elephant was built by real estate developer, James Lafferty, in 1881, as a gimmick to attract potential buyers to his land holdings along the coast of South Atlantic City (now Margate). Eventually, a popular hotel business was built around Lucy. Presidents and royalty came from around the world to stay at the neighboring Elephant Hotel and climb the stairs to Lucy's howdah," the Atlantic City NJ reports.

"During her history, Lucy has survived hurricanes, ocean floods, and even a fire accidentally started by some inebriated party-goers when she served as a tavern. However, by the 1960's it became apparent there was one disaster Lucy could not overcome - neglect. By that time, the once proud jewel of the South Jersey coast had become an almost hopeless, wretched wreck. Then in 1970, a developer purchased Lucy's land and intended to build a condominium building on the site. The beach and the ocean could stay - but the elephant had to go!

"To the rescue came the Save Lucy Committee. Within weeks, this small concerned group of ordinary citizens had raised enough money to move the entire decaying structure two blocks away to a new site owned by the city. Thirty years and over 1.5 million dollars later, Lucy was completely restored to her original splendor, inside and out. In 1976, Lucy was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States government as the oldest surviving example of a unique form of "zoomorphic" architecture, and the oldest "roadside" attraction in America. Today, she stands as the most popular non-gaming attraction in the greater Atlantic City region. She has brought fame to Margate City and is known all over the globe as "The World's Largest Elephant."

"Lucy the Elephant is a six-story elephant-shaped example of novelty architecture, constructed of wood and tin sheeting in 1881 by James V. Lafferty in Margate City, New Jersey, approximately five miles (8 km) south of Atlantic City. Originally named Elephant Bazaar, Lucy was built to promote real estate sales and attract tourists. Today, Lucy is the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in America.

"In 1881, the U.S. Patent Office granted James V. Lafferty a patent giving him the exclusive right to make, use or sell animal-shaped buildings for a duration of seventeen years. Lafferty funded the design and construction of his first elephant-shaped building at South Atlantic City, now called Margate. He employed Philadelphia architects William Free and J. Mason Kirby for the design. Lucy was modeled after Jumbo, the famous elephant with Barnum and Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, and constructed at a cost of $25,000 - $38,000.

"Initially named "Elephant Bazaar", the structure stands at 65 feet (19.7 m) in height, 60 feet (18.3 m) in length, and 18 feet (5.5 m) in width and weighs about 90 tons. It is listed as the 12th tallest statue in the United States. Lucy was constructed with nearly one million pieces of wood, and required 200 kegs of nails, 4 tons of bolts and iron bars; 12,000 square feet of tin covers the exterior. There are 22 windows placed throughout the structure." (Wikipedia)

"Lucy the Elephant is located along the beach in Josephine Harron Park (named for our co-founder) in Margate, New Jersey. She is six stories high and is listed on the National Park Registry of Historical Landmarks. Our park is fenced and contained, making child supervision easy. Picnic tables are also on site for eating out-of-doors," says the official website.

"Visiting Lucy the Elephant is a must for any visitor to the Jersey Shore. It’s a unique piece of Americana and roadside attraction history that has stood the test of time (and weather!) to delight visitors to this day. Don’t just stand outside and take photos, take the tour! It’s a short and inexpensive tour but it really is worth it to say you were inside and on top of Lucy!"

"Good piece of history associated with the statue. View of the beach from top with breeze was good."

"Visiting Lucy was fun. The area is small but kept clean. Lucy is steps away from the beach. This is a fun thing for visitor's at any age. There is a restaurant/bar next door."

"This was such a cool place. Not a long visit, but worth it. I went with 13/9 year olds and they enjoyed the tour. Beautiful view from top."

"The tour is very nice but you do have to climb very narrow and windy stairs, so keep that in mind. It is a large and very cute attraction. Parking is limited but free for the tour."

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