Iconic Rolling Chairs Keep Visitors Moving
November 25, 2016
What began as a whimsical way to enjoy its seaside location and has since grown into a unique mode of transportation, Atlantic City’s “Rolling Chairs” have been an option for Boardwalk travel since July 11, 1887.
Vacationers have been “Doing AC” in style since the 1800’s when the chairs were first introduced at a convention in 1876.
The original chairs were fashioned after wheelchairs and, unlike other vehicles, were allowed on the Boardwalk. At one time only used by handicapped persons, other individuals pretended to need the chairs, and the practice grew to include visitors wishing to use this leisurely form of transportation along the bustling Boardwalk. Fashion grew in the following years and people appeared on the Boardwalk dressed in their finest. The Rolling Chairs became a dignified and preferred mode of Boardwalk transportation, a tradition that continues to this day.
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the rolling chair, a reenactment was done on June 11, 2012 on the world famous Boardwalk with two antique rolling chairs being pushed and utilized by actors in circa 1800 period clothing. Commemorative buttons and souvenir information cards of the famous Rolling Chairs were also distributed.
