Atlantic City is well placed for day trips up and down the mid-Atlantic coast. Philadelphia, an hour's drive west, has Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Barnes Foundation and one of the best art museums in the country. Cape May, 45 minutes south, is a famously well-preserved Victorian seaside town and a world-class bird-watching destination during the autumn migration. Ocean City, halfway between them, is the family-friendly alcohol-free alternative. New York City is doable as a long day out — around 2.5 hours by car, or 2 hours 15 on the NJ Transit Atlantic City Express — and Washington, D.C. is about 3.5 hours south by road.
