Photo by StangGT

I am always happy to hear about trains that allow pets onboard, so you can imagine how pleased I was to hear about the ACES trains that take weekenders to Atlantic City. Trains run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. They travel between New York’s Penn Station and Atlantic City’s Rail Terminal, and stop only once (at Newark’s Penn Station). Total trip time? Just under three hours.

Pet dogs are allowed on ACES trains “free of charge when carried by passengers in well-secured containers designed for transporting animals. The containers may not block aisles and must be moved off seats for customers.”

And once you get there? The Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority issued a really useful press release last spring that lists pet-friendly hotels, beaches and attractions in the Atlantic City area, and an offManhattan post I mentioned in March suggests staying at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel not only because of its “Love That Dog” program but also because the hotel has the world’s largest collection of Miss America pageant memorabilia. Check out BringFido and Go Pet Friendly for dog-friendly restaurant suggestions — and keep in mind that it’s always a good idea to confirm that a restaurant’s policy hasn’t changed since it was listed.

One quick note: You won’t be able to board the jitney buses that trundle around town with a pet dog (even with a small dog in a carrier, the customer service representative told me). Your remaining choices include walking, taking a taxi (if the taxi driver likes the look of your pooch), or taking a NJ Transit bus (a customer service representative re-confirmed that small dogs in carriers are allowed on NJ Transit trains and buses). You may also take a small dog in a carrier on the sightseeing trolleys operated by the Great American Trolley Company — the same company also runs trolleys around the downtown areas of nearby, smaller resorts including Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Avalon/Stone Harbor, Cape May and Wildwood.