I am all about having weekends worth bragging about. We all work so hard during the week, why not go all out come Friday night? Exactly. But playing hard usually comes with a price that can wring your wallet dry. So why not stay local and be a tourist in your own state?

Atlantic City is within an hours drive from most of the state and is a fantastic place to spend the day – or the weekend – and there is always something to do. Here’s a list of the things that have made my weekends in Atlantic City brag-worthy.

Staying at the Borgata and getting a room with an awesome view:

Hanging around in the gorgeous lobbies of the hotels/casinos – this is Borgata too 🙂

Finding your inner parrot-head while hanging out at the brand new Landshark Bar &Grill.

Celebrating Resorts‘ fantastic taste in dining and drinking!

Wasting away again at Margaritaville!

Enjoying amazing frozen cocktails right on the boardwalk, within sight of the Atlantic Ocean. You can also get these cute little blender cups to take home with you!

Eating these ridiculous nachos! (They could seriously feed a group of at least 6!)

What about a cheeseburger in paradise? 🙂

And you never know who might show up… A free Jimmy Buffett concert on the beach!

Getting back to Borgata – the Savor Borgata Culinary Series has been absolutely fantastic! For less than $40 per person, you can watch cooking demonstrations by well-known culinary stars! Here is Bobby Flay’s demonstration:

And a meet and greet and book signing with Bobby Flay!

My favorite demonstration was from Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. Not only is he as classy as he looks, but he is such a nice guy!

And he personally thanked Bobby Flay’s mom for coming to his demonstration.

He looks like a serious guy, but he took the time to talk to each person in line for his book signing!

The Music Box in the Borgata is one of my favorite little venues. (Yes, I am totally biased towards Borgata. It’s my favorite hotel and casino in Atlantic City!) Every seat is a great seat and the chairs are spacious and comfortable. Show prices are usually reasonable. I took my mom to see John Pinette last year for Mother’s Day, and this year she took me to see Jo Koy! To my surprise he stayed to do a meet and greet with every one of his fans! (Do you see why I love Borgata yet?)

And last of not least, you can always get a little bit silly, have some laughs with families and friends, and make a weekend worth bragging about!

Aloha!