The original inhabitants of Absecon Island were the Lenni-Lenape natives. They would frequently travel over the five-mile Old Indian Trail from the mainland to the island to spend the summer months. There they would live on the bounty of the ocean and the bay.

The first recorded owner of Absecon Island was Thomas Budd, an Englishman who arrived in Atlantic County in the late 1670s. However, the first official residents were Jeremiah Leeds and his family, who built the first permanent structure on the island in 1785. The Leeds family home and farm was called Leeds Plantation and they raised cattle and grew corn and rye. Tourists began to invade the island after Dr. Jonathan Pitney and Richard Osborne brought the Camden-Atlantic City Railroad to town in 1854. Atlantic City was also fast becoming a bustling seaport. Today, the Atlantic City Lighthouse is a historical landmark and favored tourist destination. It was built, unfortunately, after a tragic accident that saw the death of more than 300 German immigrants aboard the Powhatten, a sailing vessel that sank off the coast of Atlantic City in 1854. In addition to the magnificent casinos along the famous Boardwalk in Atlantic City, there are also numerous exciting historical and cultural destinations to visit. The newly renovated Dante Hall Theater of the Arts presents a wide variety of theatrical performances. The Stockton Performing Arts Center features Broadway-type musicals, children’s theater, classical ballet and more. Of course, the most widely known venue is the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, home of the Miss America Pageant and the Boardwalk Bullies minor league hockey team.

History buffs will enjoy the Atlantic City Historical Museum, the Civil Rights Garden on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Chicken Bone Beach, a national symbol of unity that originated from segregation. Children and adults alike should experience the PassPort Voyage of Discovery, beginning with The Walk in Atlantic City to the “Pathway to Freedom” in the Time Elevator and finally a journey in the Oceanarium.