The Orange Loop

The Orange Loop is a neighborhood near the beach in downtown Atlantic City with a focus on restaurants such as Cardinal, bars, coffee such as Hayday, public art, and live music establishments such as indie rock venue Anchor Rock Club^[1]and Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall.^[2][3][4][5]

1935 promotional poster by Edward M. Eggleston

Location

St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church on the Orange Loop.

The loop runs perpendicular from the boardwalk inland roughly to St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, and includes the three beach blocks of New York Avenue, St. James Place, and Tennessee Avenue.^[6][7] It is bounded by Tennessee Avenue, New York Avenue, Pacific Avenue and the boardwalk (with St. James Place running down the center) and derives its name from the orange color of those three beach blocks on a traditional Monopoly gameboard.^[8][9][10]

History

1925 pageant poster, Atlantic City

Historically, Tennessee Avenue was a shopping and dining district in the city, prior to urban blight.^[11] The vicinity of New York Avenue on the loop and what was then Snake Alley (now Schultz-Hill Boulevard) one block over was once known as a bustling 1970s-era gay neighborhood and nightlife district.^[12] Venues like the Saratoga Club (now the site of Cardinal at 201 S. New York Ave), the Chez, the Rendezvous, the underground club Pukalani and the Chester Inn contributed to the culture and nightlife of the area.^{[13] [14][15][16][17][18]} In the late 2010s, a number of investors began efforts to revamp properties in the area with the aim of attracting back and growing more walkable dining and nightlife in the neighborhood along with residents and the arts.^{[19][20][21] [22][23]}

Establishments and events

The outdoor Orange Loop Amphitheater hosted the Frantic City punk and indie rock music festival on the loop in 2022, emceed by Fred Armisen.^[24] The inaugural Orange Loop Rock Festival, with rock acts from the 1980s and 1990s, took place in 2022 at the Showboat Festival Grounds (several blocks east of the actual district).^[25][26] A number of venues on the loop hosted shows during the North to Shore Festival in 2023.^[27][28][4]

See also

• New Jersey music venues by capacity
• LGBT history in Atlantic City
• Dante Hall Theater
• Noyes Arts Garage
• Nightclubs in Atlantic City
• Stockton University's Atlantic City campus