January 27, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Save Lucy Committee and Airbnb have partnered up again for a Valentine's Day fundraising effort that invites a couple to spend the night at the Jersey Shore attraction for $6,500.
The famed Lucy the Elephant is still kicking at the age of 139, but efforts to preserve the legendary attraction in Margate have been stymied by the coronavirus pandemic.
This Valentine's Day, the Save Lucy Committee is teaming up again with Airbnb on an exclusive overnight offer to spend the amorous holiday inside the wooden abode, which is the oldest zoomorphic structure in the world.
Last year, the Save Lucy Committee partnered with Airbnb to offer three nights of reservations inside the Jersey Shore icon. The pandemic forced the delay of the original dates from March to September, and in the meantime, fundraising efforts for Lucy plunged 45%.
Based on the surge of interest in last year's offer — tens of thousands of people tried to book a night for $138, in honor of Lucy's age — the Save Lucy Committee has returned in 2021 with a much more ambitious fundraising initiative.
The Valentine's Day overnight stay will cost $6,500, plus taxes and fees, and comes with a bottle of Dom Perignon, flowers and candy, and a custom dinner for two prepared by renowned chef Jason Tell. In the morning, the couple will receive a continental breakfast. Under IRS guidelines, $5,000 of the fee will be tax deductible.
Lucy includes a bathroom facility with a shower. On-site security will be provided overnight on Feb. 14. The deal also comes with two souvenir Lucy the Elephant coffee mugs and two Lucy the Elephant hoodies.
"This 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to spend the night inside Lucy is one of several fundraisers planned for 2021 to overcome last year's shortfall and ensure efforts to preserve and restore Lucy can continue," the Save Lucy Committee said.
Built in 1881, Lucy the Elephant stands six stories tall and usually attracts about 100,000 visitors each year in Margate, about five miles south of Atlantic City. The elephant offers views of the ocean and the nearby city skyline.
Lucy is the last remaining elephant structure built on the East Coast by James Lafferty, a Philadelphia-based real estate developer. He built three of them.
Interested guests can book their Valentine’s Day evening at Lucy the Elephant beginning Feb. 1 at noon.
Lucy will also be open every weekend for tours in January, February and March from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It also will be open on President's Day.
