The most important road to Atlantic City is the world's earliest boardwalk. It was built in 1870 to prevent people from trailing sand from the beach into seaside hotel porches and railroad parlor cars. The famed Boardwalk is six miles in length and can be explored by foot or bicycle. It can also be traveled in luxurious style in a rolling chair. A Boardwalk sojourn is incomplete without some saltwater taffy or fresh-roasted peanuts.

Arguably it is one of the best-known landmarks, Atlantic City's Boardwalk has become a popular international travel spot.

The growth and decline and the consequent development of Atlantic City and its boardwalk occurred in a significantly brief duration of time. It became an archetypal symbol for beachfronts throughout the United States and around the world.

It took 20 years before a definite road was built to Atlantic City from the mainland. During this time, most of the problems were effectively dealt with in the resort. However, the menace of sand was annoying. It became a common scourge for everyone, and it remained so until the boardwalk provided an ideal solution linking the sandy shore to the gracious buildings. It also offered an assistance to get to the beach and back and eliminated the problems that sand created.

The plan was quite effective and lasted about a decade until the pressure of city population and growth called for a new, larger and more elaborate boardwalk.

It meant that the boardwalk would have to run parallel to the town permitting entry to the beach from different city streets.