Atlantic City's revival began in 2003, when the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa opened its doors. The 2,000-room luxury casino-hotel was the first new Atlantic City hotel property in 13 years. The MGM Mirage and Boyd Gaming joint venture has 2,000 guest rooms and suites. With its new addition, the Borgata Water Club, the facility now boasts seven upscale restaurants, including a Bobby Flay steakhouse. The Borgata's event center is also rebuilding the city's reputation by helping attract top talent, with the venue hosting acts such as Aretha Franklin, Chris Rock and The Killers.

For more information: Borgata

As labor and health-regulation controversies struck the Tropicana hotel and casino in recent years, its new shopping, entertainment and nightlife complex have helped the aging hotel and casino find its second wind. Just a block from the Boardwalk, The Quarter has an Old Havana-themed décor and high ceilings highlighted by palm trees that reach to the third floor. It features more than 30 stores, ranging from a boutique for dogs to the high-end Swarovski and Brooks Brothers stores. There are 21 casual fare restaurants, including the dimly lit Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar. The Quarter is home to Atlantic City's most eclectic nightlife mix: pubs, dance clubs and a karaoke lounge. The complex—part of a 502-room hotel tower extension—opened in November 2004 and cost $225 million to build.

For more information: Tropicana

This new tower, in the city's Marina District, was the first significant hotel expansion in the wake of the Borgata's success. The 47-story tower is the tallest hotel casino in Atlantic City and adds 964 rooms, bringing the hotel's total to roughly 2,600. The tower's centerpiece is the 23,000-square-foot indoor pool, the largest of its kind in Atlantic City. Enclosed beneath a 90-foot-high glass dome, the pool—along with its swim-up bar, cabanas and seven Jacuzzis—doubles as a nightclub. The price tag for this addition? Roughly $550 million.

For more information: Harrah's

It's no accident that the Pier Shops at Caesars bear a striking resemblance to the Forum Shops in Las Vegas—the same company designed both. Opened for business in 2007, the $175 million complex features a signature music and light show fountain, much like its predecessor's animatronic Greek theater performance. The Pier Shops has 90 stores, including Tiffany & Co., Burberry and Gucci. There are two pubs, the Bistro Lounge Sonsie and the Zen garden-like atmosphere of Stephen Starr's Buddakan. When you're tired of shopping, grab a seat in the third floor's sand-filled Boardwalk viewing area.

For more information: The Pier Shops at Caesars

Caesars is one of the leaders of the old-guard casino renovations. It refurbished 680 luxury and premium guest rooms in the Century Tower. Among the upgrades performed this summer, each room was equipped with a custom wood headboard and bathroom mirrors with built-in televisions. The casino-hotel has also invested in a $9.5 million overhaul of its Circus Maximus Theater, hoping to attract more top celebrity talent. The flagship of the Caesars Atlantic City face-lift, though, is the Qua Baths and Spa. Modeled after the Las Vegas branch spa, the facility has a rooftop pool, tearoom and in-house tea sommelier, and a $5,000 signature massage involving five masseuses.

For more information: Harrah's

The Water Club at the Borgata builds on the success of the Borgata Hotel and Casino & Spa, one of Atlantic City's most financially lucrative casinos since it opened in 2003. Adjacent to its predecessor, the $400 million, 43-story Water Club features 800 lush guest rooms and suites with flat-screen TVs and a two-story 36,000-square-foot spa. It has five indoor and outdoor swimming pools, though they're not quite as expansive as one might expect from a place named The Water Club. The service is unmatched—hotel management prides itself on having a one-to-one ratio of staff members per room.

For more information: Borgata Water Club

Unlike anything else in Atlantic City, this funky, non-gaming hotel is the first such boutique built on the Boardwalk since the 1960s. It is a leap into Atlantic City's hip future— one that pays tribute to the Atlantic City of old. The designers gutted the existing Howard Johnson's and Holiday Inn properties, and outfitted the interior and 331 rooms with a retro-chic décor that includes white parrot lamps that stand guard on every night table. The Beatrice Inn-associated lounge, two signature Stephen Starr restaurants, lively outdoor pool area, saltwater-inspired spa and full-service beach make this one of the most unique and stylish destinations in town.

For more information: The Chelsea

There are many new projects in the works, including a $100 million Boardwalk Façade program. But the biggest new planned construction is the Revel Entertainment Casino. The "mega casino" will be built on a 20-acre lot by the Boardwalk, next to the Showboat Casino. The casino-hotel is expected to start dealing cards in 2010 and have two sloping towers, each illuminated by Luxor-inspired lights aimed at the sky. There will be roughly 3,800 rooms, 150,000 square feet of casino space, a 5,000-seat event center and a wedding chapel. The sprawling base will bear an ocean theme and consist of rolling edges that mirror the Atlantic's waves. Scheduled to break ground late in 2008, the Revel is expected to have a $2 billion price tag.

For more information: Revel Entertainment Casino

The standard food courts and buffets are still there, of course, but fine restaurants have sprouted up all over Atlantic City: The Trump Taj Mahal's Italian restaurant, Il Mulino, is scheduled to open this fall; Stephen Starr's Chelsea Prime will heat up its ovens soon at The Chelsea; and Izakaya, the city's most unique new restaurant, recently started serving customers at the Borgata's Water Club. Izakaya is a modern Japanese pub with a grill anchoring the restaurant. There are black chandeliers and orange-lit designs inset within the dark walls. Celebrity chef Michael Schulson serves creatively designed share plates that range from spicy tuna cracker to shiso lamb loin. Don't miss the edamame dumplings.

The Trump Taj Mahal's Chairman Tower is poised to be the new flagship of the struggling, Atlantic City Trump-brand casinos. The 39-story tower has 786 guest rooms and cost roughly $250 million to build. Some of the other major Trump renovations include the addition of new entertainment systems to 800 Taj Mahal rooms, seven new Taj Mahal penthouses and Spice Road, a $25 million new retail and dining promenade at the Taj Mahal.

For more information: Trump Taj Mahal