If you visit Atlantic City, N.J., Orange Loop is one of the first places its many champions are likely to suggest you go—it’s a lively district that’s a short walk from the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
Taking inspiration for its name from the boardgame Monopoly, the Orange Loop is the home of popular eateries like Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, a gastro pub known for its extensive menu of draft beers; Rhythm & Spirits, a brunch and craft cocktail spot known for its dance parties, comedy shows and themed events like the Sinatra Supper; and Cuzzie’s Pizzeria Kitchen, a local mom-and-pop favorite.
Within walking distance is Bar 32 Chocolate & Cocktails—New Jersey’s only “bean-to-bar” chocolate producer—where you can experience rich desserts like the banana pudding and Outdated on Main Street Flourless Chocolate Cake handmade on the premises by Nicole “Mama Chocolate” Callazzo and hand-crafted cocktails like the vodka drink Death by Chocolate and the Intense Orange, Chocolate Old Fashioned.
And for those looking for other ways to relax, the offerings include Tennessee Avenue Tobacco Company and The Leadership Studio, a yoga school offering donation-based classes throughout the day. Airbnbers have taken note, transforming some of the local housing stock into six-bedroom rentals that go for a premium in peak season.
“We built something here that was nowhere else,” Scott Cronick, the proprietor of Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, said during a media tour in early September hosted by Visit Atlantic City and Caesars Entertainment.
A journalist, podcaster, community activist and event planner, Cronick co-owns Tennesee Avenue Beer Hall with business partner developer Mark Callazzo, co-owner of five businesses in the Orange Loop (and the husband of Bar 32’s Nicole Callazzo). Cronick is also an event planner who organizes the Atlantic City Wing Fest, a sold-out event held at the Golden Nugget in February.
Atlantic City, known for casinos that bring 27 million visitors into the city, is on the move with many in the business community—from grassroots builders to giant casinos—working together to attract meetings, conferences and events to the city.
“We all try to help each other,” Cronick said.
Growth, investments in the future
And there is money flowing in to support their efforts. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved the creation of the Atlantic City Revitalization Grant Program in December 2023. The $19,650,000 pilot program fuels capital projects in Atlantic City that support downtown vitality and small businesses, along with job and office space creation. The program also addresses food insecurity, along with cleanliness and safety, and has funded both non-profit and for-profit organizations responsible for overseeing a real estate development project in Atlantic City (with awards ranging from $1 million to $10 million).
With funds flowing and developers flocking, the historic Boardwalk is undergoing a $20 million renovation between New Jersey and Tennessee Avenues, near the Casino Hotel, Showboat Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The newly renovated Atlantic City Aquarium is scheduled to reopen this month after shutting its doors during the pandemic.
And other projects are fueling the local economy. Earlier this year, Atlantic Cape Community College began Global Wind Organization Basic Safety (Onshore) Training classes at its new 1,700-square-foot training center, which broke ground in 2021. And Stockton University, a well-regarded public university headquartered in Galloway, N.J., opened a campus on the waterfront in 2018 with housing for 900 students.
But even before all of these projects are realized, there are many options for meeting organizers to consider when it comes to lodging, dining and entertainment.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa MGM Tower and Meeting Space, which celebrated its 21st birthday last summer, offers nearly 11,000 square feet of event space, with 29 rooms and a 3,500-person capacity at its largest space. The hotel has invested in a $55 million makeover over its Water Club Tower, renamed the MGM Tower, and is now partnering with Marriott Bonvoy to allow guests to redeem and earn points at Marriott for stays at MGM Resorts destinations. Borgata invested $4 million alone into two of its residences for high rollers.
Caesars Atlantic City has invested $240 million in upgrades such as the recent opening of Nobu Hotel Atlantic City within Caesars Atlantic City and a new arrival experience; renovated hotel lobby; and The Pool at Caesars, a rooftop pool above the Boardwalk with views of the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the company’s $400 million master plan investment in Atlantic City that includes Caesars, Harrah’s Resort and Tropicana Atlantic City, which is bringing remodeled room towers, new interior design elements, enhanced gaming floors, new dining concepts and other changes.
One new announcement has been the rollout of its Caesars Entertainment’s wellness offerings at Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Atlantic City and Tropicana Atlantic City. The company is introducing a new roster of keynote speakers, workers and activities such as beachfront yoga that are focused on wellness-related themes. It is also embracing a signature wellness menu that includes items like the Vegan Tower and kelp salad.
“We’re trying to get away from processed foods and will go out of our way to do something special,” said Chef George Galati. “It creates experiences at conventions that help enhance the experience.
That focus is making it easier to address special diets, with many items available in two-ounce portions. Signature dishes, like filet mignon, are available in a a cabernet reduction that includes gluten-free rice rather than wheat flour, and with no dairy.
When it comes to entertainment, one unique local attraction is the pipe organ tour at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, home of the largest musical instrument in the world. Among the guides is Scott Banks, the membership and events coordinator for the Historic Organ Restoration Committee, who knows every nook and cranny of the building and is an expert on the history of the Midmer-Losh pipe organ, built in 1932 and designed by Emerson L. Richards, a New Jersey state senator with a passion for organs.
The giant arcade and go-kart racing attraction Lucky Snake, located at the 872-room Showboat Hotel, has been attracting meeting organizers looking for interactive team-building events. Meanwhile, the Island Waterpark at Showboat with 11 water slides, four restaurants and three bars, offers another splash of diversion. For those looking to take in a show, The Hook at Spiegelworld, an adults-only spectacular hosted by Dick Marlin at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, offers a zany, off-color and acrobatic-studded nod to the live entertainment of the past. There’s “backstage” dining at Superfrico restaurant, decorated in “Italian American psychedelic.
More traditional dining options include Cardinal, owned by Chef Michael Brennan—who has worked at Philadelphia Le Bec Fin and Lacroix at The Rittenhouse Hotel; Dock’s Oyster House, a four-generation enterprise founded in 1897; Hell’s Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino and Nobu Atlantic City.
And there’s more redevelopment on the horizon. In the Orange Loop, Tenn Ave AC has been approved for 1,400 Pacific Avenue. The project will bring entertainment, community spaces and hydroponic farming and food storage to the area in both traditional brick-and-mortar buildings and renovated shipping containers. There are plans underway for art installations, stores for local merchants and vendors and classrooms and community space.
As Cronick puts it, “We wanted to create a little paradise.” And if the many architects of Atlantic City’s new future continue to make progress, that could bode very well for meetings in Atlantic City.
Photos: Nobu Hotel Atlantic City, Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, Bar 32 Chocolate & Cocktails, Showboat Hotel, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, The Hook at Spiegelworld. Courtesy Visit Atlantic City.
