The Victorian era has been charmingly reborn in Cape May, which bills itself as the oldest seaside resort town in America. It’s certainly one of the country’s best-known Victorian towns, and one of only four restored Victorian seaports, along with Mendocino, California, Port Townsend, Washington, and Galveston, Texas. Cape May sits at New Jersey’s southernmost tip, on a peninsula nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. The region is known as the Jersey Cape and is part of Cape May County, which stretches north to Ocean City, just below Absecon Island and Atlantic City. The historic district actually sits on a little island cut off from the rest of the peninsula by the Cape May Canal.
The entire town is a national historic landmark; with more than 600 authentically restored homes and buildings—most built between 1850 and 1910—it has one of the most extensive collections of late-19th-century structures in the United States. People come from around the world to see this virtual treasure trove of Victorian architectural richness, wander the lovely gas-lit historic streets, eat at some of the top gourmet restaurants on the East Coast, and spend the night in one of the many old mansions converted into quaint bed & breakfasts, luxurious inns, and grand hotels. A visit to Cape May is a trip to a long-gone era of elegance, charm, and romance, which is perhaps why visitors find it so appealing and return year after year.
Cape May earned the prestigious “One of America’s Prettiest Places” designation twice in recent years—the only place in the country to do so. Once the town received national landmark status in the 1980s, restoration efforts reached a feverish pitch. Victorians all over town underwent painstakingly meticulous restorations, and many of the newly polished gems became inns, guesthouses, and B&Bs. Not surprisingly, Cape May is one of the most popular locations for destination weddings in the country. These historic lodgings mix old-time elegance and charm with modern amenities like air-conditioning and private baths. You can book a luxury suite at a grand 19th-century hotel, sip afternoon tea on the wraparound veranda of a stately inn, or lounge in one of Cape May’s ubiquitous wicker rocking chairs on the front porch of a gingerbread house sporting a bold multihued color scheme.
Cape May is the epicenter of gourmet fine dining for New Jersey’s entire southern shore. And since Cape May Harbor is one of the largest commercial fishing ports on the East Coast, naturally there’s lots of fresh seafood, from traditional lobster dinners to blue claw crabs, and just about every restaurant has its own special recipe for crabcakes. Even though Cape May is considered the Restaurant Capital of New Jersey, some of the best restaurants are open only on weekends during the off-season, while others close altogether from Thanksgiving to spring. If you visit Cape May in the quiet season with a particular restaurant in mind, it’s wise to phone ahead to avoid disappointment.
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In the 1600s the only ones summering here were the Lenni-Lenape, the local Algonquin Indians who set up seasonal camps and hunted and fished along the shore; the Lenape’s Kechemeche tribe inhabited the peninsula until the mid-18th century. Henry Hudson anchored his Half Moon off Cape May Point in 1609, but the famous English navigator continued his journey up the Delaware River without starting a settlement at Cape May. Dutch sea captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey sailed along the coast in 1621 while exploring the region for the Dutch East India Company. He named the desolate land of sand dunes and thickly wooded rolling hills Cape Mey; the spelling would change as English settlers arrived later to be close to the region’s busy whaling routes. Many who came for a piece of the profitable whale oil trade were Mayflower descendants from New England. They created the first whaling settlement on the cape around 1685 on the banks of the Delaware River, which is now the Townbank area of North Cape May. Many of the residents were laid to rest in the cemetery at “Old Brick,” the historic Cold Spring Presbyterian Church; excepting Massachusetts, more Mayflower descendants are buried in Old Brick than elsewhere in the country.
Cape May was known as America’s First Seashore Resort when it was discovered by wealthy Philadelphians who summered here as early as the 1700s, persuaded by their physicians that the salt air and pleasant weather would cure a variety of ailments. The first waves of vacationers came to Cape May, then known as Cape Island, by steamship, stagecoach, and private schooner in the 1800s. The Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Line began shuttling passengers here in 1879. Several U.S. presidents who vacationed in Cape May used Congress Hall as a summer White House, while dozens of hotels and inns catered to illustrious guests like Henry Ford, Louisa May Alcott, John Philip Sousa, and circus impresario P. T. Barnum. A devastating fire in 1878 destroyed most of the seaside resort, and the homes that rose from the ashes were bedecked in gingerbread trim, ornate latticework, and daring color schemes. The Victorian era had arrived, and it gave Cape May an identity that would define it for more than a century to come.
Today the entire resort is a nod to the era when Queen Victoria reigned and homes were adorned with magnificent wraparound verandas, stained-glass windows, turrets, gables, and all manner of fanciful fretwork and curlicue trim and painted in a showy palette of cheerful colors. Cape May’s famous “Painted Ladies” line main thoroughfares like Jackson Street and Beach Drive, but it’s even more rewarding to stroll the picturesque neighborhoods, like Hughes and Gurney streets, where the fairy-tale-like Victorian homes reside in quiet splendor as they have for more than a century.
The Emlen Physick Estate, an authentically restored 18-room Victorian mansion built in the 1880s, is Cape May’s only Victorian house museum, a fact that surprises many first-time visitors, who expect to find such places on every corner. It’s a fine museum with period furnishings and lots of seasonal events; it’s also home to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, or MAC, an active local arts organization that runs everything from the Cape May Lighthouse and the annual music festivals to the old-fashioned trolley tours that run through town.
Travel writers and vacationers have been raving about Cape May for decades, and perhaps that’s why it has become a year-round resort. This small town of 4,200 residents hosts half a million or so visitors every year, mostly between June and August, when families arrive for summer vacation. Summertime sunset parades are held at the Coast Guard Training Center, a training facility and active search-and-rescue center in Cape May Harbor. The former World War II–era naval base is the only Coast Guard training center in the country. Cape May Stage performs dramas, comedies, and holiday productions, and the East Lynne Theater Company stages revivals of classic American plays and literary works. Autumn’s glorious Indian summers lure beachgoers well past Labor Day, when couples take romantic weekend escapes and music lovers come to hear world-class entertainers headline the Cape May Jazz Festival. Victoriana reaches its zenith every October during Victorian Week, with house tours, dancing, mystery dinners, lectures, and other activities celebrating Cape May’s famous heritage. The Christmas season bustles with tours of gaily decorated inns and homes, horse-drawn carriages sporting jingle bells, a hugely popular Christmas parade, and merry wassail parties. Springtime brings the Cape May Music Festival, 6 weeks of music performances—jazz, folk, chamber music, pop music, and other styles—in venues around town. No matter what season it is, you’ll need at least a full day or two to explore the town and experience a worthwhile share of all Cape May has to offer.
Cape May has 2 miles of public beaches and a boardwalk lined with arcades, stores, eateries, and souvenir shops. Here it’s called the Promenade, not world-famous like those in Atlantic City and Wildwood, but a pleasant place to stroll along the ocean or ride a bike in the early-morning hours. At the southern tip is a lovely gazebo; from there, postcard views include St. Mary’s by the Sea, the Cape May Lighthouse, and a beach where you can watch the sunrise at dawn and return at the end of the day to witness an equally spectacular sunset. Cape May’s beaches are small—erosion is unfortunately diminishing them even further—but popular with sunbathers, surfers, and families. Offshore, you can take an excursion by boat to spot schools of bottlenose dolphins as well as whales, harbor seals, and other marine animals.
Many visitors never leave Cape May’s historic district, but those who do are justly rewarded with quiet bayside beaches, lovely parks and gardens, wineries, historic sites, and a diverse collection of unspoiled natural areas well worth finding. Active visitors take advantage of the first-rate golf, fishing, and kayaking. Historic Cold Spring Village is a re-created 19th-century South Jersey farming community with seasonal festivals, military encampments, concerts, and other special events. Leaming’s Run Botanical Gardens is one of the best-known public gardens in the East, and its 25 uniquely themed gardens boast the largest display of annuals in the country. The Cape May County Park and Zoo—open daily and free of charge—is home to more than 400 exotic animals, from monkeys to camels, and even zebras and lions roaming a natural setting that simulates the savanna of eastern Africa. Cape May Court House, as its name suggests, is the county seat; and its historic courthouse and centuries-old homes and churches are national historic landmarks. The 18th-century John Holmes House contains the Cape May County Historical Museum, with relics and artifacts spanning centuries of local history.
Cape May Point is a tiny community of less than 300 year-round residents that was founded in 1875 as a religious retreat. There are no places to eat or stay, but visitors come to see its tiny 19th-century gingerbread church, the 1859 Cape May Lighthouse, and some of the finest sunsets in New Jersey. The bayside beaches face west, and Sunset Beach naturally draws crowds that gather along the water to watch the day’s-end spectacle. During the summer, a flag-lowering ceremony is held here at sunset to honor the wreckage of the SS Atlantus, a World War I–era concrete ship that broke loose from its moorings and ran aground off the beach in 1926. Its decaying hull still protrudes from the surface, a permanent reminder of the U.S. government’s experimental “Concrete Fleet,” an unsuccessful and rather odd solution to the country’s wartime steel shortage. Children comb Sunset Beach for “Cape May diamonds,” tiny gemlike nuggets of quartz that sparkle in the sand. West Cape May has earned the distinction of Lima Bean Capital of the World, and hosts a lighthearted autumn festival devoted to the broad, flat legume, which features food, contests, songs, and the crowning of the Lima Bean Queen.
The Cape May peninsula is known as the Birding Migration Capital of North America, and birding enthusiasts from around the world come to watch as hundreds of thousands of raptors, shorebirds, and songbirds pass through Cape May during spring and fall migrations. The peninsula is home to the country’s second-highest concentration of shorebirds and is an important stopover for the migratory species—some 400 of them—that rest and feed here before winging their way across the 13-mile expanse of Delaware Bay and beyond to their wintering grounds.
Famous birding locations like the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, Cape May Point State Park, and the Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area protect thousands of acres of pristine salt marsh, tidal creeks, and coastal forest that attract waves of songbirds and shorebirds in the spring, and waterfowl, seabirds, and raptors in the fall. Dragonflies, bats, and monarch butterflies also pass through. Reeds Beach and Kimbles Beach are well worth a stop in late May and early June, when female horseshoe crabs come ashore to lay up to 80,000 eggs in shallow pits in the sand. The enormous flocks of seabirds that descend on the beach to feast on the protein-rich eggs are indeed a sight to behold.
Entries in this section are arranged in roughly geographic order.
AREA CODE 609.
GUIDANCE Cape May Region Welcome Center (609-624-0918), at the Ocean View Service Plaza at mile marker 18 on the Garden State Parkway. Open year-round, daily 9–5. A full-service visitors center staffed by the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce is stocked with brochures, menus, maps, and information on lodgings, restaurants, attractions, and events.
Cape May County Chamber of Commerce (609-465-7181; www.capemaycountychamber.com), 13 Crest Haven Rd. (Garden State Parkway Exit 11), Cape May Court House. The information center is open mid-Apr.–mid-Oct., daily 9–5; and mid-Oct.–mid-Apr., Mon.–Fri. 9–5.
Cape May County Department of Tourism (609-463-6415; 800-227-2297; www.thejerseycape.net) can provide information on the Cape May region and will send a vacation planning package, on request.
GETTING THERE By air: Atlantic City International Airport (609-645-7895; www.acairport.com), Exit 9 off the Atlantic City Expressway, Egg Harbor Township. Spirit Airlines (800-772-7117; www.spiritair.com) has direct and connecting service from points around the country.
By bus: New Jersey Transit (973-275-5555; www.njtransit.com) buses connect the region to bus terminals in Philadelphia and New York City, and provide regularly scheduled bus service from Philadelphia and Atlantic City with stops in Cape May, North Cape May, Villas, and Rio Grande.
By car: Cape May is at the southern end of the Garden State Parkway, 3 hours south of New York City and about an hour east of Philadelphia. A more scenic alternative is Cape May County’s Ocean Drive, which follows the Atlantic Ocean along a series of barrier islands linked by five toll bridges. The 40-mile route is marked with Flight of the Gull signposts from Atlantic City to Cape May.
By ferry: Cape May–Lewes Ferry (800-643-3779; www.capemaylewesferry.com) connects Lewes, Delaware, to North Cape May, New Jersey—close to the Garden State Parkway. The ferry accepts both car and foot passengers; the one-way trip takes about 70 minutes. Reservations are recommended when traveling during peak summertime periods, especially Friday afternoon and evening, Saturday morning, and Sunday afternoon and evening.
TROLLEY TOURS OF CAPE MAY’S HISTORIC DISTRICT, U.S. COAST GUARD BASE, AND THE BEACHFRONT ARE OFFERED YEAR-ROUND BY THE MID-ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS.
Photo courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts
GETTING AROUND The best way to explore Cape May is on foot or by bicycle. There is a metered municipal parking lot on Jackson and Perry streets, and metered parking around town. There are many ways to explore the historic district, from trolley tours and horse-drawn carriages to self-guided walking tours; stop in at one of the information centers for guidance.
Five Mile Beach Electric Railway Company (609-884-5230; 800-422-8366; www.gatrolley.com) shuttles visitors around Cape May and Rio Grande via an old-fashioned open-air trolley. Call or see Web site for a schedule.
Taxis: Aart’s Cape May Taxi (609-898-7433); AA Plus Cab (609-889-9595); and Villas Taxi (609-889-8799) all serve the Cape May region.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY Cape Regional Medical Center (609-463-2000; www.caperegional.com), 2 Stone Harbor Blvd. (at Rt. 9), Cape May Court House. The emergency number is 609-463-2138.
For marine emergencies, contact the U.S. Coast Guard—Cape May at 609-884-3491.
To SeeHISTORIC HOMES AND SITES Emlen Physick Estate (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278; www.capemaymac.org), 1048 Washington St., Cape May. Open year-round, daily 10–5. Adults $10; children $5. Cape May’s only Victorian house museum is the headquarters of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, an extremely active local arts organization that organizes everything from Victorian heritage celebrations to seasonal festivals and sightseeing tours. Renowned architect Frank Furness designed this elegant Stick-style 18-room mansion in 1879 for Philadelphia doctor Emlen Physick. Today it’s authentically restored and open for guided tours. You might see Dr. Physick’s Model T Ford parked on the front lawn. The Carriage House Gallery mounts changing exhibits on Victorian history and culture; it’s also home to the Carriage House Tearoom & Café, where you can have a spot of tea in high Victorian style (see Where to Eat—Coffee and Tea), then browse the gift shop for tea and specialty tea items.
The Colonial House (609-884-9100; www.capemayhistory.org), 653 Washington St., Cape May. Open mid-June–mid-Sept., Mon.–Sat. 10–2; closed Sun. Admission by donation. This preserved circa-1775 house behind City Hall is the oldest structure in Cape May and the only colonial-era house in Cape May open to the public for tours. Memucan Hughes built this austere clapboard house in the days before the American Revolution, on what was then known as Cape Island. Today it’s the headquarters of the Greater Cape May Historical Society, which mounts changing exhibits.
Cold Spring Presbyterian Church (609-884-4065; www.oldbrickpresbyterian.com), 780 Seashore Rd. (across from Historic Cold Spring Village), Cape May. Tours are led of both the church and the historic cemetery during the summer. A stately 1823 church, affectionately nicknamed Old Brick for its crimson brick exterior, is one of the oldest churches in America and on the National Register of Historic Places. The site dates to 1718, when a log structure served as the first church before it was replaced by a frame meetinghouse in 1762. The headstones in a centuries-old cemetery by the church tell the story of Cape May’s early history. The oldest grave dates to 1742, and many of the dead are descendants of the Pilgrims who arrived in New England on the Mayflower. They were lured here in the 1600s by tales of whaling riches; in fact, more Mayflower descendants are buried in the Cape May region than anyplace else outside Massachusetts. A marker in the cemetery is a haunting memorial to the local residents who died during the global cholera epidemic in 1832 and were buried at night in unmarked graves.
THE EMLEN PHYSICK ESTATE IS CAPE MAY’S ONLY VICTORIAN HOUSE MUSEUM, AND HOME TO THE MID-ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS.
Photo courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts
(609-898-2300; www.hcsv.org), 720 Seashore Rd. (Rt. 9), Cape May. Open Memorial Day–mid-June, Sat.–Sun. 10–4:30; mid-June–Labor Day, Tues.–Sun. 10–4:30; Labor Day–mid-Sept., Sat.–Sun. 10–4:30; closed mid-Sept.–Memorial Day. Adults $8; seniors $7; children 3–12, $6; children 2 and under, free. A unique open-air living-history museum that depicts life in an 1850s South Jersey farming community. Stop first at the welcome center, where there’s an exhibit on Cape May County history and a short orientation video about the village. The 25 restored antique buildings were moved to this 22-acre wooded site from places all over Cape May County. There’s a country store with a bakery and restaurant, a county jail, barns, a pottery store, train stations, shops, and historic homes. You can talk with historical interpreters dressed in period garb, from innkeepers and blacksmiths to farmers and schoolmasters. Watch crafts- and tradespeople demonstrate their skills—basketry, decoy carving, spinning, open-hearth cooking, and many other arts—using traditional tools and methods from the era when everything was made by hand. Every weekend brings Revolutionary War encampments, festivals, holiday candlelight walks, concerts, and other events (see Entertainment—Music and Special Events).
Battery 223 and Fire Control Tower No. 23 (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278; www.capemaymac.org), Sunset Blvd., Cape May. There were eleven concrete fire control towers on the Delaware side of the bay and four in New Jersey, constructed for World War II homeland defense. Fire Control Tower No. 23 is the only surviving New Jersey tower. Now fully restored, visitors can ascend to the 6th floor spotting gallery to relive the era. The ground floor of the tower is fully accessible. Hours vary. Adults, $6; children (ages 3–12), $2.50.
LIGHTHOUSE Cape May Lighthouse (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278), Cape May Point State Park, Lighthouse Ave., Cape May Point. The tower is open from Apr.–Nov. for self-guided tours, daily 9 AM–8 PM; weekends only during the rest of the year. Phone ahead when visiting during the off-season. Free admission. The Cape May Lighthouse was built at the southernmost tip of New Jersey in 1859 and restored late in the 20th century, when the 157-foot structure was repainted in its original color scheme—a crimson lantern room atop a beige tower. This is where the Atlantic Ocean meets Delaware Bay, and the automated beacon reaches 24 miles out to sea to guide ships that rely on the light, as mariners have done for close to 150 years. Climb the 199 steps up a cast-iron spiral staircase to the Watch Room Gallery for a panoramic view of the ocean and the bay. From the top you can see the decaying remains of the SS Atlantus, a concrete ship that sunk offshore in 1926, and the gun emplacements that were part of New Jersey’s World War II–era coastal defense system. The restored Oil House has a visitors orientation center and a museum shop with nautical gifts and memorabilia. The lighthouse is maintained by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, which offers guided beach walks, educational programs, and special tours like Stairway to the Stars, which includes a narrated trolley ride from Cape May and a nighttime climb to the lantern room for a panoramic view of the night sky. This is one of Cape May’s most historic landmarks; more than 100,000 visitors a year climb up for the view.
MUSEUMS Cape May County Historical Museum (609-465-3535; www.cmcmuseum.org), in the John Holmes House, 504 Rt. 9, Cape May Court House. Open June–Sept., Tues.–Sat. 10–3; Oct.–May, Fri., 10–2, Sat. 10–3. Free admission. A fine museum run by the Cape May County Historical and Genealogical Society in a historic house that was built before the Revolutionary War. The grand white-clapboard house looks like it was plucked out of New England; it’s one of the oldest buildings in Cape May County. The collection of artifacts and documents tells the story of three centuries of Cape May County history, from the early Lenni-Lenape to the European settlers who lived in fishing communities along the Delaware Bay and later filled Cape May with Victorian mansions. The extensive collection includes costumes, furnishings, decorative and utilitarian objects from the 17th to the 20th centuries, and special marine, toy, and medical exhibits. Authentic period rooms include a Victorian sitting room and an 18th-century kitchen and bedroom. Guns, uniforms, and swords fill the Military Room; vintage carriages, including a peddler’s wagon and a stagecoach, are on display in a 19th-century barn. Museum gift shop.
THE 1859 CAPE MAY LIGHTHOUSE AT CAPE MAY POINT STATE PARK TOWERS 157 FEET ABOVE THE SOUTHERNMOST TIP OF THE CAPE MAY PENINSULA. VISITORS CAN CLIMB THE 199 STEPS FOR A PANORAMIC VIEW THAT INCLUDES THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AND DELAWARE BAY.
Carriage House Gallery (609-884-5404), Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Gallery hours vary; phone ahead. A restored 1876 carriage house is a lovely setting for a full schedule of changing exhibits at Cape May’s only Victorian house museum (see Emlen Physick Estate under To See—Historic Homes and Sites). Past exhibits have featured Victorian costumes and household objects, Cape May history, art, and local historic figures, including Dr. Physick himself.
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum (609-886-8787; usnasw.org), Cape May County Airport, 500 Forrestal Rd., Rio Grande. Open daily Apr.–Sept. 9–5; Oct.–Nov. 9–4; Dec.–Mar. 9–4, Mon.–Fri. Adults $6; children 3–12, $4; children 2 and under, free. A nostalgic collection of vintage aircraft and military memorabilia dedicated to the 38 airmen who lost their lives while training at the air station during World War II, when it was used to train dive-bomber squadrons. At its peak in 1944, there were more than 200 planes stationed here, and nearly 17,000 training flights a month. Special year-round events include dances, veterans’ ceremonies, historical lectures, and fly-ins. Vintage aircraft are on display in a historic hangar, including Vietnam War–era helicopters, jet trainers, a navy Sky-hawk jet, a Coast Guard helicopter, a World War II–era biplane, a World War II–era fighter-bomber, and a Korean War–era Russian fighter plane. The historic all-wooden hangar, on the National Register of Historic Places, contains military memorabilia, jet engines and helicopter engines, and aviation artifacts. The county airport is still active, but open only to private planes.
WINERIES Cape May Winery and Vineyard (609-884-1169; www.capemaywinery.com), 709 Townbank Rd., Cape May. The tasting room is open daily year-round June–Sept. noon–6; Oct.–May noon–5. Established in 1995, this is New Jersey’s southernmost winery, whose sandy soil and location between the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay provide ideal conditions for growing pinot grigio, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and other vinifera grapes.
Turdo Vineyards and Winery (609-884-5591; www.turdovineyards.com), 3911 Bayshore Rd., North Cape May. Open year-round. Tastings Jan.–Mar., Fri.–Sun. 12–4; mid-Apr.–Dec., Fri.–Sun. 1–5. Owner and winemaker Sal Turdo started making wine in Italy many years ago and was crafting wine at home for decades before he planted more than 5,000 acres of vineyards in North Cape May. The vinifera grapes benefit from the perfect combination of sandy soil, breezes off Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and the peninsula’s long growing season. The winery produces a dozen varieties—pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and merlot are among the Turdo wines that have won awards.
CAPE MAY COUNTY PARK AND ZOO
(609-465-5271; www.capemayzoo.org), Rt. 9 and Crest Haven Rd., Cape May Court House. Open summer, Thurs.–Tues. 10–4:45; Wed. 10–6:45; winter, daily 10–3:30. Free admission. Nearly 400 mammals, birds, and reptiles—some 180 species—live in this 85-acre county zoo surrounded by a 128-acre woodland park. Between the park and the zoo, a family can easily spend an afternoon here. Take the boardwalk through the forest to see the vast 57-acre African savanna, where zebras, ostriches, and a giraffe roam in a natural setting. The Reptile House has Asian turtles, anacondas, pythons, and other reptiles and amphibians from around the globe. Snowy owls, flamingos, and 75 other species of exotic and native birds reside in the aviary. It’s an interesting place to be during feeding time, and the antics of the monkeys are always amusing. The barnyard is home to ducks, pigs, goats, and other domesticated animals that can be fed. The park is laced with tree-lined paths that lead to picnic pavilions and barbecue grills as well as ball fields, a playground, and a freshwater fishing pond.
To DoBICYCLING Cape May offers some of the flattest terrain in New Jersey, ideal for those who want to leisurely glide along the Atlantic or pedal down tree-lined side streets to check out Victorian mansions. The historic district’s easy-to-navigate streets make for a good outing, but if you really want to explore, get on Sunset Blvd. The straight-as-an-arrow street—also called Rt. 606—links Cape May to Cape May Point. Other options include the bike path following Seashore Rd. (Rt. 626) from West Cape May to the Cape May Canal, and a paved bike lane that stretches from Rio Grande to Historic Cold Spring Village. Of course, there’s Cape May’s 2-mile-long Promenade, which is open to cyclists May–Oct. every morning until 10 AM.
A host of shops rents cruising bicycles, children’s bikes, tandems, even surreys for the whole family. They include Village Bicycle Shop (609-884-8500), 605 Lafayette St., Cape May; Shields Bike Rentals (609-884-2453; 609-898-1818), 11 Gurney St., Cape May; and Cape Island Bicycle Center (609-884-8011; reservations: 609-898-7368), at Howard St. at Beach Ave. and 135 Sunset Blvd. in West Cape May.
BIRDING The Cape May peninsula is one of the top 10 birding hot spots in North America. Vast undisturbed tracts of saltwater wetlands, coastal woods, marshes, and upland meadows are an important stopover for more than 400 species of migrating shorebirds, raptors, waterfowl, and songbirds. The best viewing times are spring and fall, when waves of birds—sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands—pass through on their way to and from their wintering grounds far to the south. Thousands of novice birders and experienced spotters from around the country come to Cape May in May and September for the World Series of Birding, a 24-hour birding contest sponsored by the New Jersey Audubon Society (see Special Events). There are numerous prime bird-watching sites around the cape, including the ones listed below. Most of these facilities offer guided bird walks, workshops, tours, and bird-watching programs. To accommodate all the birders who descend on Cape May during the annual migrations, the Audubon Society runs the Cape May Birding Hotline (609-884-2736), a 24-hour information line with up-to-the-minute news on avian activity in the region.
Cape May Bird Observatory: Northwood Center (609-884-2736; www.birdcapemay.org), 701 E. Lake Dr. (off Sunset Blvd.), Cape May Point. Open daily Apr.–May and Sept.–Nov. 9:30–4:30; June–Aug. and Dec.–Mar., Wed.–Mon. 9:30–4:30, closed Tues. This chapter of the New Jersey Audubon Society at the northern end of Lily Lake offers a popular series of birding and nature workshops and programs for adults and families. There are guided walks along beaches, and through coastal woods and wetlands, that focus on wildflowers, butterflies, and birding. They also host the World Series of Birding, a 24-hour birding contest in May and September. The raised viewing platforms perched above swamps are ideal for spotting the hundreds of species that nest here during the summer. The nature shop has gifts, books, and birding equipment; the research center has information on birding, nature, and travel.
Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (609-628-2103), north of Sunset Beach off Bayshore Rd. (Rt. 607), Cape May. Open daily, dawn to dusk. A half-mile stretch of undisturbed beach on Delaware Bay hosts a springtime natural spectacle of dramatic proportions. In late May, horseshoe crabs come in on the high tide and lay their eggs on the beach. When the tide goes out and the eggs are exposed, shorebirds descend and the feast begins; birders come from around the country to witness the event. Spring is also a good time to spot ruby-throated hummingbirds, cardinals, warblers, and indigo buntings. A marked dune trail with observation platforms winds through the dunes, bayberry thickets, brushy fields, and a rare coastal dune forest of cedar, holly, and beach plum. The freshwater marsh and ponds, dense forest, and hardwood swamp form a rich habitat for many species of migrating birds and butterflies.
Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge (609-861-0600), at Cape May Point State Park, Cape May Point. Open daily from dawn to dusk. A 180-acre nature wildlife refuge on the Atlantic Ocean with a nature museum, trails, and birding programs. Many species live at the refuge, and many others rest and feed here during their annual journey south. Some of the oft-spotted species include shorebirds, songbirds, and waterfowl (spring and fall) and ducks, loons, songbirds, and hawks (fall and winter). Tens of thousands of raptors and more than a million seabirds fly over the refuge.
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge (609-463-0994), headquarters: 24 Kimbles Beach Rd., Cape May Court House. This undeveloped refuge is open year-round, daily from dawn until dusk; the headquarters is open Mon.–Fri. 8–4:30. This is one of the newest refuges—established in 1989—in the national wildlife refuge system. The Delaware Bay Division is an undisturbed tract of coastal forest, dunes, salt meadows, tidal marsh, and beach that supports more than 300 native and migratory bird species. Viewing areas at Kimbles Beach and Reeds Beach are good vantage points for spotting huge concentrations of shorebirds and gulls. The best time to visit is mid-May, when horseshoe crabs come ashore to lay their eggs, attracting thousands of migrating shorebirds as well as laughing gulls, red knots, and ruddy turnstones that feast on the protein-rich eggs.
BOAT EXCURSIONS Cape May–Lewes Ferry (800-643-3779; www.capemaylewesferry.com). Cape May terminal: Sandman Blvd. and Lincoln Dr., North Cape May. Call or see Web site for prices. The ferry operates daily, year-round; shuttles run daily from mid-June to September, and weekends from May to mid-June and in October. Sure, it’s a practical means of transportation between Lewes, Delaware, and Cape May, New Jersey, but the 3-hour round-trip across the mouth of Delaware Bay is also a fun excursion. Along the way you can relax in an indoor salon, or find a spot on the open deck and watch for dolphins. Some people bring their bikes to the opposite shore, while others take the seasonal shuttles that run to stores, restaurants, and attractions in the historic seaside resorts.
THE CAPE MAY HAWK-WATCH
(609-884-2159), Cape May Point State Park, Lighthouse Avenue, Cape May Point. The hawk-watch platform is open year-round daily from dawn to dusk, but most people come in the fall, when some 16 raptor species—including peregrine falcons, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, ospreys, vultures, and American kestrels—migrate through Cape May. Thousands of hawks ride the prevailing westerly winds toward the East Coast and down the length of the peninsula. They rest here before making the long crossing over Delaware Bay on their annual winter journey south. From September through November the viewing platform is staffed everyday from 9 to 5, and receives more than 100,000 visitors. Spotters maintain a daily raptor tally and help novice birders with their spotting skills.
(609-884-5404; 800-786-5445; www.capemaywhalewatcher.com), Miss Chris Marina, Second Ave. and Wilson Dr., Cape May. Trips run mid-May–mid-Oct. Reservations are recommended; call for a schedule and pricing. The popular Lighthouse Adventure cruise heads up the Delaware Bay to see half a dozen historic lighthouses built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most are built on offshore pedestals and are visible only from the water. They are still active aids-to-navigation for boaters making their way through the bay’s treacherous channel. A narrated tour includes interesting facts about the history and lore of the bay.
Harbor Safari (609-884-3100; www.skimmer.com) Dolphin Cove Marina, Ocean Dr., Cape May. Two trips daily from spring to fall; three in summer. Reservations are recommended. Salt marsh safaris aboard The Skimmer, a stable 40-foot catamaran that carries 41 passengers. Explore the vast back bays and coastal salt marshes surrounding Cape May for an up-close look at resident wildlife, from ospreys, peregrine falcons, and horseshoe crabs to terns, egrets, and herons. The springtime bald eagle cruises are also a good opportunity to spot loons as they prepare to migrate north after spending the winter in the marshes. The trips are popular with birders, nature enthusiasts, and families.
DOLPHIN- AND WHALE-WATCHING The Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center (609-898-0055; www.capemaywhalewatch.com), 1286 Wilson Dr., Cape May. Trips daily, mid-Apr.–mid-Nov. Reservations are accepted; call or see Web site for prices. This is the only research facility in the state that takes the public to sea on its vessels. An onboard naturalist answers questions and helps with spotting techniques as cruises head into the Atlantic to look for frolicking dolphins, breaching whales, and other marine life. You’ll watch for humpback whales, and Nubby, Tippy, and other bottlenose dolphins. There’s a variety of trips lasting 2 to 3 hours, from breakfast and dolphin excursions at sunset to offshore whale trips and a unique trip that looks for birds, dolphins, and whales.
Cape May Whale Watcher (609-884-5445; 800-786-5445; www.capemaywhalewatcher.com), Miss Chris Marina, Second Ave. and Wilson Dr., Cape May. Two trips a day, weekend late-Mar.–mid-Apr., daily from mid-Apr.–Oct., weekends Nov.–Dec. Call or see Web site for prices. Two- and 3-hour excursions for bottlenose dolphins and the finback and humpback whales that are common in the Cape May region. Finbacks—baleen whales once hunted for the oil in their thick blubber—are known as the Greyhounds of the Sea for their cruising speed, which can reach 30 miles an hour. The distinctive red 290-passenger boat is the largest and fastest whale-watcher in southern New Jersey. There’s seating outside on the upper deck and inside in the main salon, where there’s a snack bar.
FISHING Many charter boats and party boats depart from Cape May’s docks and marinas. Anglers head offshore for trophy fish like shark, marlin, and tuna; they fish closer to shore for mackerel, weakfish, bluefish, flounder, and other species. The Cape May Rips at the southernmost tip of the peninsula is a world-renowned fishing spot. It’s the land’s end where the Atlantic Ocean meets Delaware Bay, and winds and tides clash where the powerful, deep tidal waters hit the calm shallows of the bay. The strong currents deposit an ever-changing series of sandbars during the twice-daily tides. The area is especially known for its striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish. The powerful currents and irregular sea bottom make for treacherous conditions, so it’s best to fish here with an experienced guide.
South Jersey Sport Fishing Marina (609-884-3800; www.southjerseymarina.com), 1231 US 109, Cape May. This marina offers a wide variety of half- and full-day and nighttime inshore and offshore deep-sea fishing trips.
Other marinas in Cape May with party boats and charter boats include Miss Chris Marina (609-884-3351), Third Ave. and Wilson Dr.; Utsch’s Marina (609-884-2051; www.capemayharbor.com), 1121 Rt. 109; and Bree Zee Lee Marina (609-884-4849) on Ocean Dr.
For surf fishing, anglers head to Cape May Point State Park (609-884-2159) in Cape May Point for striped bass, flounder, bluefish, and weakfish. The park is open year-round, daily from dawn until dusk. Surf fishing is also permitted from October through March at the Two Mile Beach Unit of the Cape May Wetlands Wildlife Management Area.
GOLF Southern New Jersey is world-renowned for its golf courses, which are considered among the best on the East Coast. Golf Magazine designated Cape May and Atlantic counties as one of the country’s best golf destinations, and many of the courses here are open to the public. See “The Pinelands Region” in “Central New Jersey,” and the rest of “The Southern Shore,” for other golf courses in this region. The Greater Atlantic City Golf Association (800-465-3222; www.acgolfvacations.com) will help arrange golf-hotel packages and can book tee times.
The Pines at Clermont (609-624-0100; www.pinesatclermont.com), 358 Kings Hwy., Clermont. A nine-hole course in northern Cape May County featuring sand traps, pleasantly rolling greens, bunkers, and water areas. This is an ideal course for novices or those looking for a short practice session.
Sand Barrens Golf Club (609-465-3555; www.sandbarrensgolf.com), 1765 Rt. 9 North, Swainton. Ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top courses in New Jersey. There are three sets of nine 36-par holes on tree-lined fairways and greens with challenging scrub bunkers.
Avalon Golf Club (609-465-4653; www.avalongolfclub.net), 1510 Rt. 9, Swainton. The 18-hole course—one of the most popular in the region—is in a lovely setting dotted with several lakes and ponds. Amenities include a driving range, a putting green, and a clubhouse with pro shop, snack bar, and restaurant.
Cape May National Golf Club (609-884-1563; www.cmngc.com), Rt. 9 and Florence Ave., Cold Spring. Close to the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, 2 miles outside Cape May. This award-winning golf course is called The Natural for its pristine landscape of ponds, woodlands, natural grasses, and expansive wetlands, designed around a private 50-acre bird sanctuary. Golf Digest has called it one of the “top 50 places to play in America.”
Cape May Par 3 Golf Course and Driving Range (609-889-2600; www.capemaypar3.com), Fulling Mill Rd., Rio Grande. Open daily, year-round. A family-friendly 18-hole links-style course that’s ideal for expert and novice players, a good place to learn the subtleties of the game.
HIKING Cape May Point State Park (609-884-2159), Lighthouse Rd. (off Rt. 606), Cape May Point. Open year-round, daily from dawn to dusk. A small and scenic state park at the tip of the Cape May peninsula that offers marked hiking trails through a variety of habitats, from salt marsh and coastal dunes to forest, beach, and ponds. Several observation areas and wildlife blinds are found along the way for viewing ducks, swans, and wading birds in the ponds, and shorebirds along the beach and dunes. The peninsula is a significant migratory route for birds and monarch butterflies, and one of the top birding destinations in North America. Shorebirds and songbirds fly through in spring; monarch butterflies rest here in late summer before journeying across Delaware Bay; and raptors pass through in the fall. Many other species nest and feed here throughout the year. Ask about a schedule of guided nature walks.
KAYAKING Aqua Trails Kayak Nature Tours (609-884-5600; www.aquatrails.com), 1600 Delaware Ave., Cape May. Reservations are suggested. Guided tours leave twice daily, May–Sept. Guided kayaking tours explore the inland salt marshes around Cape May. A 1.5-hour paddle cuts through the salt marshes and narrow waterways surrounding Cape May, a natural sanctuary for hundreds of wildlife species, including egrets, gulls, turtles, and ospreys. Special excursions, such as sunset tours and full-moon trips. They also rent single-, double-, and surf kayaks.
PARASAILING East Coast Parasail (609-884-8359; www.eastcoastparasail.com), South Jersey Marina, 1121 Rt. 109, Cape May. Reservations are required. Trips leave every 90 minutes, in-season, starting at 8 AM. The entire boat trip is about an hour and a half; passengers parasail for about 10 minutes, when they’re treated to a bird’s-eye panorama of Cape May and the Atlantic Ocean.
SIGHTSEEING EXCURSIONS The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278; www.capemaymac.org), offers a variety of year-round narrated tours by trolley and boat on Cape May’s Victorian history, architecture, and heritage. MAC’s newest tour, the World War II Trolley Tour, explores the war’s impact on the Cape area, visiting coastal fortifications at Battery 223 and Fire Control Tower No. 23, the Cape May Canal, and the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, Hangar #1. Other tours include a Cape May Family Treasure Hunt, the Cape May by Moonlight, and the Artists and Studios Tour.
Great American Trolley Company (609-884-5230; 800-487-6559; www.gatrolley.com). Victorian Gingerbread of Cape May tours leave from various hotels and locations in Atlantic City. Learn about the history and grandeur of Cape May and its vibrant turn-of-the-20th-century architecture. Award-winning narrated sightseeing trolley rides connect Atlantic City to Cape May, where passengers can stroll through the historic streets and shop at the outdoor Washington Street Mall.
Cape May Carriage Company (609-884-4466; www.capemaycarriage.com). The carriage stop is at the Washington Street Mall on Ocean St., Cape May. Open daily, June–Sept.; open Apr.–May, Oct.–Nov., Fri.–Sun. Tickets can be purchased at the carriage stop; phone reservations are not accepted for tours; call or see Web site for rates. Nostalgic horse-drawn carriage tours through Cape May’s charming historic streets, day or night.
Haunted Cape May Tours (609-463-8984; www.hauntednewjersey.com), Cape May. Tours meet on the Promenade across from the Hotel Macomber, 727 Beach Dr., at 7 and 9 PM (in Nov. at 7 PM only). Tours are offered May–Nov.; nightly in summer; reduced schedule in the off-season. A ghost walking-tour featuring extensively researched true tales of paranormal phenomena in Cape May’s past.
Fisherman’s Wharf (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278; www.capemaymac.org), Schellenger’s Rd., Cape May. Call or see Web site for schedule. Tickets are sold 15 minutes before the start of the tour. Adults $10, children 3–12, $7. The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts offers 45-minute guided tours of Cape May’s famous Lobster House Restaurant dock and fish-packing plant. Cape May is one of the busiest fishing ports on the East Coast, and Fisherman’s Wharf is home to Cape May’s commercial fishing fleet.
SWIMMING (See Green Space—Beaches.)
TENNIS The Cape May Tennis Center (609-884-8986; www.capemaytennisclub.com), 1020 Washington St., Cape May. There are 14 hard-turf and 2 all-weather courts that are open to the public (for a fee) daily 8 AM–dusk.
Green SpaceBEACHES There are 2 miles of public beaches in Cape May on the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. Beach tags (609-884-9525) are required for adults and children ages 12 and older from Memorial Day weekend to mid-Sept. every day from 10–5. Daily, weekly, and seasonal tags are sold at various locations around town, including the city hall information desk at 643 Washington St., the information center at the Washington Street Mall on Ocean St., the Cape May Convention Hall on Beach Dr., and at all beach entrances. Ask about beach wheelchairs, which are available at no charge.
In Cape May (609-884-9520), lifeguards are on duty daily in-season from 10–5:30. Day pass $4; weekly tag $11; seasonal beach tag $17. The Promenade is a 2-mile-long beachfront walkway lined with shops, arcades, and eateries. Surfing is allowed at Colonial Beach and Jefferson Beach. Cove Beach is known for its view of the Cape May Lighthouse.
Cape May Point Beach (609-884-8468) is at the southernmost tip of the Cape May peninsula, where the Atlantic Ocean meets Delaware Bay in Cape May Point. Day pass $5; weekly tag $10; seasonal tag $17. Lifeguards are on duty in-season daily from 10 to 5. This town beach should not be confused with the beach at Cape May Point State Park, where swimming is not allowed.
On Delaware Bay, Sunset Beach is a pretty little stretch of sand, the southernmost of Cape May’s bayside beaches. Swimming is not permitted; instead, people come here to watch the sun dip below the horizon at sunset and to search the sand for Cape May “diamonds.” The cloudy nuggets of quartz resemble milky stones, and when they’re polished up they glitter like diamonds, and are often made into rings and pendants. Just a few yards offshore are the hulking remains of the SS Atlantus, a World War I–era concrete ship that broke loose from its moorings during a storm and ran aground in 1926. The 250-foot freighter was one of 12 experimental concrete ships made by the federal government—their solution to a wartime shortage of steel. During the summer, a patriotic flag-lowering ceremony takes place on the beach every evening at sunset, and includes the playing of taps and other patriotic American music. The flag ceremony is more than 40 years old and held daily, May through September.
GARDENS Leaming’s Run Botanical Gardens (609-465-5871; www.leamingsrungardens.com), 1845 Rt. 9, Swainton. Open mid-May–mid-Oct., daily 9:30–5. Adults $8, children 7–14, $4; children 6 and under, free. This is the largest annuals garden in America and one of the top public gardens in the East, planted on property once owned by Christopher Leaming, one of Cape May County’s founding fathers. From late spring to fall, 30 acres of magnificent gardens attract nature lovers, world-renowned horticulturalists, and fledgling gardeners who come for inspiration or quiet reflection. A walking path across lawns, over bridges, and around ponds connects 25 individually designed lush gardens. Birds and butterflies are often seen hovering around the drifts of bright color; in August, ruby-throated hummingbirds come to the gardens to feed in preparation for their annual migration south. You’ll regret not bringing a camera here. In addition to the showy annuals, there’s a small re-created farm site planted with crops like cotton and tobacco that grew here in the 18th century. A re-created one-room log cabin is typical of the ones 17th-century whalers lived in alongshore; next to it is a historic herb and vegetable garden. The property also boasts the last remaining uncut forest in Cape May County, a holly forest, and an extensive collection of cinnamon ferns.
NATURAL AREAS Cape May National Wildlife Refuge (609-463-0994), headquarters: 24 Kimbles Beach Rd., Cape May Court House. This undeveloped refuge is open year-round, daily from dawn until dusk; the headquarters is open Mon.–Fri. 8–4:30. This wild and beautiful tract of salt marsh, maritime forest, grassland, forested wetland, and other unique habitats, is one of the newest refuges in the national wildlife refuge system. Since it was established in 1989, the refuge (which comprises many tracts of land around the Cape May peninsula, each with a unique habitat) has protected thousands of acres, and is still growing. The Delaware Bay Division protects a string of Delaware Bay beaches, where shorebirds feast on horseshoe crab eggs every spring. Rare stands of Atlantic white cedar fill the 5,000-acre Great Cedar Swamp Division. The foot trails are good spots for observing birds and other wildlife, especially in spring and fall.
Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area (856-629-0090), Jake’s Landing Rd. (off Rt. 47), North Dennis. Open year-round, daily from dawn to dusk. A vast expanse of undisturbed marsh grasses, reeds, and tidal creeks that’s home to herons, egrets, and wintering hawks, eagles, and other raptors. Anglers go to the freshwater lake to fish for sunfish and perch (a New Jersey fishing license is required). There’s a parking area and boat ramp on Dennis Creek.
NATURE CENTERS Nature Center of Cape May (609-898-8848), 1600 Delaware Ave., Cape May. Open Mar.–May, Tues.–Sat. 10–3; June–Aug., daily 9–4; Sept.–Nov., Tues.–Sat. 10–3; Dec.–Feb., Tues.–Sat. 10–1. This center run by the New Jersey Audubon Society in Cape May Harbor comprises 18 acres of meadow, marshland, and beach. The focus is on environmental education, with exhibits on Cape May ecology and lots of programs for children, adults, and families, from beachcombing at low tide, winter duck-watches along the harbor to nature crafts and drawing workshops. Classrooms, themed display gardens, and a nature store with nature books, T-shirts, and children’s items.
Cape May Bird Observatory: Center for Research and Education (609-861-0700), 600 Rt. 47, Goshen. Open year-round, daily 9–4:30. A New Jersey Audubon Society center whose focus is on backyard bird-watching and natural landscaping. There’s a full schedule of nature programs, tours, bird-watching programs, workshops, and lectures. The center has an observation deck and demonstration models of backyard habitats (a good place to spot birds and butterflies) surrounded by 26 acres of salt marsh and upland. Inside there’s a wildlife art gallery and a nature shop stocked with bird feeders and supplies, nature books, and binoculars and other optics.
PARK Cape May Point State Park (609-884-2159), Lighthouse Ave. (off Rt. 606), Cape May Point. Open year-round, daily from dawn to dusk. Free admission. Most visitors come to this small state park to see the Cape May Lighthouse (see To See—Lighthouse), but it’s worth spending time exploring the pristine natural surroundings. Freshwater coastal marsh, dunes, ponds, shoreline, and wooded uplands are a haven to resident wildlife and thousands of migratory birds, butterflies, and raptors in spring and fall. There’s a hawk-viewing platform, 3 miles of hiking trails, guided nature walks, and aquatic wildlife shows and talks for children. The beach is a good place for surf fishing, but swimming is not allowed.
The park’s stone tower was once part of the Harbor Defense Project of 1942, a World War II–era coastal defense system that included 15 such towers along the southern New Jersey coast, built to protect Delaware Bay from enemy attack. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and has recently been opened to the public. The submerged concrete bunker was once 900 feet inland, surrounded by earth and covered by sod; from the sea or air it once looked as if it were a hill. Today it’s in the water—thanks to erosion—but at low tide you can still see the gun turrets at the front of the bunker.
LodgingCape May has more than 80 bed & breakfasts, not to mention a host of motels, hotels, inns, and guesthouses. Finding a place to fit your needs and budget shouldn’t be a problem, but arrangements should be made well in advance, especially in summer, on spring and fall weekends, or during major events like the Cape May Music Festival, the World Series of Birding, or Victorian Week. If you arrive in town without a reservation, or want to plan a spur-of-the-moment visit, there are a few lodging services you can turn to. Historic Accommodations of Cape May (hotline: 609-884-0080; www.capemaylodging.com), P.O. Box 83, Cape May 08204, is an association of more than 70 guest apartments, guesthouses, and bed & breakfast inns that can help with last-minute reservations. The hotline is available daily, 11 AM–7 PM. The Greater Cape May Chamber of Commerce (609-884-5508; www.capemaychamber.com) maintains an up-to-date online listing of lodging vacancies. Cape May Reservation Service (800-729-7778), 1382 Lafayette St., Cape May 08204, has a helpful staff that will provide information and guidance. Most lodgings are smoke-free—especially inns and B&Bs—but many allow guests to smoke outside on their porches. Keep in mind that while some B&Bs allow young children, many do not. Innkeepers are virtual treasure troves of information for planning activities, and many will gladly arrange dinner reservations, on request. Many lodgings offer special packages that might include gourmet dinners, spa treatments, or sightseeing tours.
Hotel Alcott (609-884-5868; 800-272-3004; www.hotelalcott.com), 107–113 Grant St. Open year-round. Cape May’s second-oldest operating hotel has been welcoming guests since 1878, when it was known as the Arlington House. It was eventually renamed in honor of frequent visitor and icon of American literature Louisa May Alcott. At the turn of the 20th century, this grand Italianate villa-style hotel bustled with vacationers arriving by train—as most did then—from the rail station that once stood across the street. An extensive restoration has preserved many of the hotel’s original historic features, from the dramatic hanging staircase to the chestnut-paneled lobby and elegant dining room. Today it offers the amenities found in a full-service hotel combined with the charm of a historic inn. There are 31 custom-decorated guest rooms and suites. Standard rooms are small but nicely furnished; suites are more spacious. All have TV, Wi-Fi, phone, individual climate control, wireless Internet, and private baths done in granite and tile. A complimentary continental breakfast and afternoon refreshments are included. Guest like to savor the views from the breezy second-floor veranda, relax in the lush fountain courtyard, or claim a rocking chair on the handsome rambling porch. La Verandah restaurant offers fine dining outdoors and in an elegant high-ceilinged 19th-century dining room. Complimentary afternoon refreshments and continental breakfast. $100–340.
Carroll Villa B&B Hotel (609-884-9619; 877-275-8452; www.carrollvilla.com), 19 Jackson St. Open year-round. A warm and friendly family-owned and family-operated B&B hotel offering reasonably priced accommodations at the heart of the historic district. The circa-1882 national historic landmark structure was built as a seaside villa for vacationing families. Today it is one of only a small handful of Victorian hotels remaining in Cape May. The 22 guest rooms are comfortable and nicely decorated with floral wallpaper and Victorian antiques. The rooms are on the small side—many have just one double bed—but they retain a homey rather than a cramped feel. All have private bath (some are in the hallway), air-conditioning, free Internet access, TV/VCR, phones, and ceiling fans. Guests have use of the warm and cozy Victorian parlor. The Mad Batter restaurant serves innovative gourmet cuisine at three meals, but the breakfasts are legendary (see Dining Out). The beach, ocean, and promenade are a convenient half block away. $75–215.
The Virginia Hotel (609-884-5700; 800-732-4236; www.virginiahotel.com), 25 Jackson St. Open year-round. An elegant Victorian-era mansion transformed into a stylish boutique hotel with the amenities and attentive service of a full-service luxury facility and the personal touches found in an intimate B&B. The 24 custom-furnished guest rooms are tastefully appointed, and all have private baths, air-conditioning, phones, TVs/VCRs, CD players, complimentary wireless hi-speed Internet, plush robes, and down comforters. Some have private balconies overlooking historic Jackson Street. Guests can relax in the bar, in the intimate library lounge complete with fireplace and baby grand piano, or on the cozy front porch. The highly acclaimed Ebbitt Room (see Dining Out) is one of the hottest dining spots in town. Continental breakfast is served on the front veranda or delivered to your room; complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas, and the daily New York Times, are among the thoughtful extras. $89–455.
The Queen’s Hotel (609-884-1613), 601 Columbia Ave. Open year-round. This charming hotel occupies two meticulously restored Victorian buildings. The 1876 hotel used to house a gambling casino; today it has guest rooms with Victorian décor and modern amenities. The Queen’s Cottage is a fanciful multi-hued gingerbread Victorian with two romantic and private guest rooms overlooking a lovely perennial garden. The nine guest rooms and three suites come with private baths and amenities like TV, telephone, and a mini-refrigerator and coffeemaker, plus luxurious touches like duvets, custom window treatments, whirlpool tubs for two, and private balconies that overlook the ocean or Cape May’s historic streets. Guests often congregate on the porches and balconies, which are filled with rockers and boast views of the ocean. Bikes are available for guests to pedal around town. Complimentary refreshments and continental breakfast. $75–270.
CONGRESS HALL
(609-884-8421; 888-944-1816; www.congresshall.com), 251 Beach Ave. at Perry St., Cape May 08204. Open year-round. This 19th-century white-pillared Cape May landmark underwent an impressive $25 million overhaul that returned the stately beachfront hotel to its original grandeur. Today, the hotel’s common areas and 109 guest rooms and suites boast custom furnishings, luxurious amenities, and modern upgrades combined with the old-fashioned ambiance and hospitality it was known for when it premiered in 1816. U.S. president Benjamin Harrison used Congress Hall as his summer White House in the 1890s; he was one of four presidents to vacation here while they ran the country. Composer John Philip Sousa stayed here, too. The lobby is classic and elegant, with dark wicker furniture, white columns, buttery yellow walls, a grand staircase, and the original black-and-white tile floor. The guest rooms are bright and airy, spruced up with simple-yet-stylish furnishings and updated bathrooms, and filled with an eclectic blend of antiques and family heirlooms. The five suites have private sitting areas and offer lovely ocean views; all rooms have a private bath, a flat-screen TV, hi-speed wireless Internet access, two phones, a daily newspaper, and twice-daily housekeeping service. Some accommodations have upgraded luxuries like soaking tubs and private balconies. Amenities include a spa, an outdoor pool, a fitness room, a lounge, a nightclub, and shops. The Blue Pig Tavern serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (see Dining Out). $115–395.
The Chalfonte Hotel (609-884-8409; 888-411-1998; www.chalfonte.com), 301 Howard St. Open Memorial Day–Columbus Day. The Chalfonte has been taking in guests since 1876, making it the oldest continually operating hotel in Cape May. It’s certainly a hard-to-miss landmark—the rambling white building is dressed in ornate gingerbread trim, an Italianate cupola, and close to 200 shutters. Comfortable rocking chairs line a long front porch shaded by a snazzy green-and-white-striped awning. The old-fashioned lobby is furnished with antiques, as are many of the guest rooms, which occupy the main building and three cottages. Guest rooms are simply furnished and do without modern amenities like TV, phone, and air-conditioning. Many have shared baths, which are either adjacent to the room or down the hall. The setup gets mixed reviews—where some guests see old-fashioned charm, others see outdated sparseness. The Magnolia Room serves authentic Southern-style cuisine (see Dining Out), and the King Edward Bar has a warm, pubby feel. Kids can eat breakfast and dinner in the supervised Children’s Activity Room. The hotel’s popular summertime cultural series features art exhibits, cabaret, and the Concerts by Candlelight classical concert series, all open to the public. $130–499.
Hotel Macomber (609-884-3020; www.hotelmacomber.com), 727 Beach Ave. Open Apr.–Dec.; closed Jan.–Mar. A landmark shingle-style hotel on the Atlantic Ocean offering clean and comfortable accommodations at bargain prices. Longtime patrons come back for the old-fashioned charm and the friendly and helpful staff. Families especially like the laid-back homey feel. The charming wraparound front porch is a favorite with guests, who flock to the rockers to watch the sunrise and the superb ocean view. Of the 36 guest rooms, the oceanfront units are the largest, and many have balconies. Other rooms are smaller but cozy and bright, with white wicker furnishings and standard amenities. There is no air-conditioning, and some rooms have shared baths. The Union Park Dining Room offers gourmet dining (see Dining Out). $65–275.
Inn at 22 Jackson (609-884-2226; 800-452-8177; www.innat22jackson.com), 22 Jackson St. Open year-round. This 1899 Queen Anne–style Victorian is a charming and romantic inn on the most historic street in town. The four tastefully decorated suites boast a variety of amenities that might include a claw-foot tub, fireplace, or private porch. Each suite has a private bath, a TV, a wet bar, air-conditioning, and a ceiling fan. There’s also a cottage that’s ideal for families with children. At night the inn’s twinkling lights put on a festive display. Guests can use the complimentary bikes and beach chairs, or relax on one of the three verandas that overlook Jackson Street. Refreshments and home-baked snacks in the afternoon, and a full buffet breakfast in the morning. Suites $175–400; inquire about cottage rates.
Peter Shields Inn (609-884-9090; www.petershieldsinn.com), 1301 Beach Dr. Open year-round. This elegant Georgian Revival–style mansion with soaring white columns and rambling screened porch is a real gem of an inn, tucked into a quiet neighborhood a block from the ocean. Each of the nine guest rooms is furnished in tastefully chosen period antiques and comes with private bath, TV, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning; some have working fireplaces. The Restaurant serves top-notch gourmet American cuisine in five oceanfront dining rooms. Guests can take the inn’s bikes around town, or take their beach chairs, umbrellas, and towels to the sand. Complimentary tea and snacks are offered in the afternoon, wine and cheese in the evening, and a full breakfast. $99–395.
Inn of Cape May (609-884-5555; reservations: 800-583-5933; www.innofcapemay.com), 7 Ocean St. Open daily Apr.–mid-Oct; weekends, mid-Oct–mid-Dec.; closed mid-Dec.–Mar. Built in 1894, this family-run grand white landmark hotel sits across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. Guest accommodations come in a variety of sizes, from small rooms with one double bed to suites with bedrooms and sitting rooms; many face the ocean. All are individually furnished with antiques or wicker décor; all have private bath, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, and TV; VCR/DVD players are available for guests to use. Rooms do not have phones. The original elevator is still in use and staffed around the clock. Aleathea’s Restaurant serves traditional American cuisine in a charming Victorian parlor and on the inn’s front porch. Outdoor pool, antiques shop, and live piano music nightly during the summer. Full breakfast. $115–380.
Leith Hall Historic Seashore Inn (609-884-1934; 877-884-1400; www.leithhall.com), 22 Ocean St. Open year-round. A nicely restored 1884 Victorian a half block from the beach, the guest rooms and common areas boast elegant Victorian touches, from carefully chosen antiques to Oriental rugs and lace curtains. There are eight stylishly furnished and uniquely themed guest rooms and generously sized suites, all with private baths and air-conditioning, some with refrigerators, whirlpool tubs, fireplaces, and lovely ocean views. Common areas include the wraparound porch and beautifully restored parlor and library. Afternoon English tea and a full breakfast are served on antique china and silver. $165–275.
Queen Victoria (609-884-8702; www.queenvictoria.com), 102 Ocean St. Open year-round. This lovely inn occupies two restored 1880s Victorian homes surrounded by a fanciful wrought-iron fence and lovely perennial borders. The 32 well-appointed rooms and six suites are furnished with period antiques and handmade quilts. All have air-conditioning, TVs, mini-refrigerators, and private baths; some have a gas fireplace, a whirlpool tub, or both. There is a staggering collection of some 50 rocking chairs on the porches and in the gardens. Guest can use the inn’s bicycles and beach chairs. Afternoon tea and refreshments, and a full buffet breakfast. $115–460.
Poor Richard’s Inn (609-884-3536; www.poorrichardsinn.com), 17 Jackson St. Open all year. Innkeeper Harriett Sosson’s 1882 colorful Second Empire–style gingerbread house is a charming and inviting retreat located a mere quarter of a block from the beach. Guest rooms and common areas are filled with a nice mix of homey furnishings and fine antiques. Each of the eight guest rooms has air-conditioning; most have a private bath. Some rooms are decorated in a casual, country Victorian-style with painted furniture and patchwork quilts, less austere and formal than the traditional period décor that fills other rooms. Rocking on the porch is a popular pastime here, as is relaxing in the courtyard garden or inside in the cozy sitting rooms. A garden apartment is available by the week; phone for rates. Continental breakfast. $110–180.
The Fairthorne Bed & Breakfast and Cottage (609-884-8791; 800-438-8742; www.fairthorne.com), 111–115 Ocean St. (mailing address: P.O. Box 2381). Open year-round. Innkeepers Ed and Diane Hutchinson’s 1892 Colonial Revival–style inn was once the home of a whaling captain. Today it’s a charming and romantic B&B in the heart of the historic district and close to restaurants, shops, and the beach. There are nine antiques-filled guest rooms—six in the main house and three in the cottage—all with TV, Wi-Fi, mini-refrigerator, air-conditioning, and private bath; some have updated amenities such as a whirlpool tub, fireplace, or VCR. Afternoon refreshments might be lemonade or tea and coffee with snacks and fresh-baked cookies. Guests have full use of the inn’s bicycles and beach chairs. Full breakfast. $265–280.
Wilbraham Mansion Bed & Breakfast Inn (609-884-2046; www.wilbrahammansion.com), 133 Myrtle Ave. Open year round. This 1840 mansion on Wilbraham Park, built for a prominent Philadelphia industrialist, is the only bed & breakfast in Cape May that boasts an indoor heated pool. It also offers 9 lovely guest rooms and 13 suites, an elegant and relaxed atmosphere, and lots of splendid Victorian flourishes, from authentic period-style wallpaper to some of the home’s original furnishings. Some rooms have antique armoires, Victorian slipper chairs, dry sinks, and claw-foot tubs. All have private bath and air-conditioning; some have ceiling fans. Common space includes two dining rooms, a pair of Victorian parlors, a TV room, and the mansion’s open porches. Guests can help themselves to the inn’s bikes. Afternoon tea and full breakfast. The Wilbraham Mansion Suites fill a new building complementing the design and décor of the mansion. Each suite features an LCD-TV, DVD player, Satellite TV service, gas fireplace, two-person Jacuzzi, whirlpool bath, Salon Spa, two-person shower, mini refrigerator, ceiling fan, and individual temperature control. The suite building is fully handicapped accessible. $110–270.
The Humphrey Hughes House (609-884-4428; 1-800-582-3634; www.humphreyhugheshouse.com), 29 Ocean St. Open year-round. Humphrey Hughes, a sea captain, was one of the first to settle in 17th-century Cape May. A Hughes descendant built this elegant turn-of-the-20th-century summerhouse, and it stayed in the family until 1980. Today it’s Terry and Lorraine Schmidt’s charming B&B with seven individually decorated guest rooms and three suites, all with private baths, air-conditioning, and TV. Guests have use of the antiques-filled common rooms, the glass-enclosed sunporch, and the spacious rocker-lined wraparound veranda. Afternoon tea and full breakfast. $145–350.
The Mainstay Inn (609-884-8690; www.mainstayinn.com), 635 Columbia Ave. Open year-round. This elegant Victorian inn started out in 1872 as a private men’s gambling club. It later became Cape May’s first bed & breakfast. Today it’s a museum-like Cape May treasure, painstakingly restored and full of original period details and luxurious furnishings. It offers nine guest rooms, three suites, and four luxury fireplace suites spread across three buildings—the original inn, a refurbished cottage, and the Officer’s Quarters, a World War I–era building once used as housing for naval officers. All rooms have private baths; some suites have whirlpool tubs, fireplaces, and private verandas with rockers. One of the suites is handicapped accessible. Afternoon tea and snacks and a hearty breakfast (buffet in summer, served family-style in winter) are included. Rooms $175–360; suites $195–360.
The Southern Mansion (609-884-7171; 800-381-3888; www.southernmansion.com), 720 Washington St. Open year-round. In 1863, this elegant summer mansion was built for a wealthy Philadelphia family. The house remained in the Allen family for a century before it was sold, used as a boardinghouse, and sadly neglected. Since then, an impressive top-to-bottom restoration has transformed the dilapidated building into an architectural showcase with boutique hotel style and Old World antebellum charm. Today the lovingly restored mansion with fanciful green-and-red trim has graced many a magazine cover, and is one of Cape May’s most popular bed & breakfasts. It’s surrounded by 2 acres of Italian gardens; rocking chairs line the rambling gleaming-wood porch, and museum-quality antiques and ornate furnishings fill the genteel common areas. The guest rooms and suites are nothing short of opulent—spacious accommodations full of fine antiques and dressed in bold colors and rich fabrics. Each has private bath, TV, and phones with computer ports; most have king beds. Afternoon refreshments are served in the ballroom, and a full breakfast is served each morning in the plant-filled solariums. $130–415.
The Mason Cottage (609-884-3358; www.themasoncottage.com), 625 Columbia Ave. Open year-round. This spectacular mansion was built in 1871 as the summer “cottage” of a wealthy Philadelphia entrepreneur. The Mason family started welcoming guests in the 1940s when they opened the house as an inn, and today’s innkeepers are only the third owners of this historic property. Many impressive Victorian features are found throughout the house, from the elegant floor-to-ceiling windows to the wide veranda and many of the original furnishings. The five guest rooms and four suites are cozy and charming. All have private bath, air-conditioning, and TV; some have whirlpool tubs, fireplaces, and other upgraded amenities. Each afternoon, guests are treated to tea, seasonal drinks, and homemade sweets, and a full breakfast is served in the morning. A gourmet coffee bar with more than 15 kinds of coffee and coffee drinks is available around the clock. $115–269.
Angel of the Sea (609-884-3369; 800-848-3369; www.angelofthesea.com), 5 Trenton Ave. This lovely property holds 27 guest rooms, each uniquely furnished in Victorian style and with private bath. About a quarter of the rooms have ocean views, and every room has cable TV and wireless Internet access. A full breakfast, an afternoon tea, and evening wine and cheese are served. $95–315.
Avondale By The Sea (609-884-2332; 800-676-7030; www.avondalebythesea.com), Beach Dr. and Gurney St., P.O. Box 2382. Open Apr.–mid-Nov. A modern oceanfront inn that has clean and comfortable rooms and a warm and friendly staff. Innkeepers Sheila and Herb Weiner offer standard motel-style guest rooms and spacious suites with separate sitting areas and sofa beds. All rooms have private baths, TV, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, phones, and refrigerators; some have private balconies. Outdoor pool and separate kiddie pool. Continental breakfast. $80–245.
Atlas Inn (609-884-7000; 888-285-2746; www.atlasinn.com), 1035 Beach Ave. Open Apr.–early Nov. Beach Avenue runs between the inn and the beach, but the views are pleasant and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Modern rooms and efficiency suites have standard amenities including TV, telephone, wireless Internet, refrigerator, and an oceanfront deck or balcony. There’s an outdoor pool, barbecue grills, fitness room, and laundry facilities. Bloody Mary’s Bar & Grill serves casual fare. Continental breakfast. $83–208.
Victorian Motel (609-884-7044; www.victorianmotelnj.com), 223 Congress Pl. Open year-round. The location is as good as it gets—close to Cape May’s beaches, shops, and restaurants—and the price is reasonable, even in the high season. Standard rooms and one-and two-room efficiencies are no-frills but are comfortable and simply furnished. In-ground pool. $50–210.
La Mer Beachfront Motor Inn (609-884-9000; 800-644-5004; www.capemaylamer.com), 1317 Beach Ave. Open mid-Apr.–Sept. An oceanfront motor inn with 93 recently redecorated rooms and efficiencies; all have private baths, TV, phones, and Internet access. The large heated outdoor pool is surrounded with plenty of lounge chairs, and an outdoor terrace is lined with umbrella tables. Restaurant and lounge. $62–339.
West Cape Motel (609-884-4280; www.westcapemotel.com), 307 Sunset Blvd., West Cape May 08204. Open May–Oct. Nothing fancy, just clean and comfortable accommodations that are reasonably priced, and popular with the many birders who come for the nearby refuges and sanctuaries. Rooms, efficiencies, and two-room suites have TVs, phones, air-conditioning, and refrigerators. Outdoor pool. $60–185.
Cape Island Resort (609-884-5777; www.capeisland.com), 709 Rt. 9. Open May–Oct. This is the closest full-service campground to Cape May’s historic district, beaches, and the Cape May–Lewes Ferry. There are 75 sites spread across 175 acres of meadows and forest. Two full-sized pools plus one just for kids, mini golf, volleyball and tennis courts, and playgrounds. During the summer there’s a full schedule of activities, from hay rides and movies to bingo and organized casino trips. $26–46.
Beachcomber Camping Resort (609-886-6035; reservations: 800-233-0150; www.beachcombercamp.com), 462 Seashore Rd. Open mid-Apr.–Nov. 1. A 100-acre family campground that’s convenient to the Cape May and Wildwood beaches and offers plenty of its own attractions. Stay at one of the 750 tent and RV sites, or rent a rustic cabin on a wooded or lakefront site. There are two spring-fed lakes, six swimming pools, and daily planned activities during the summer. Golf carts, paddleboats, and kayaks for rent. Limited, fee-based Wi-Fi. Sites $28–66; cabins $60–186.
Big Timber Lake Camping Resort (609-465-4456; reservations: 1-800-542-2267; www.bigtimberlake.com), 116 Swainton–Goshen Rd. (Rt. 646). Open mid-Apr.–mid-Oct. A full-service campground with 515 sites on 90 wooded acres. Daily summertime activities include crafts, holiday celebrations, water carnivals, live music, and a variety of contests—even a beauty pageant. There’s a heated pool; freshwater lakes for fishing, canoeing, and swimming; hiking; game courts; and two playgrounds. Rustic one- and two-room cabins with double beds and bunk beds for rent. Complimentary morning coffee. Wi-Fi. Sites $44–65; cabins $73–120.
Where to EatUnion Park Dining Room (609-884-8811; www.unionparkdiningroom.com), Hotel Macomber, 727 Beach Ave. Open daily for dinner during the summer; reduced off-season hours. Reservations are recommended. Acclaimed Cape May restaurateur J. Christopher Hubert’s fine-dining venue in the historic Hotel Macomber (see Lodging—Hotels), offers expertly prepared American cuisine served in charming antiques-filled and candlelit dining rooms by an attentive and courteous staff. The seared salmon with dill yogurt vinaigrette is a standout. BYOB. $18–45.
The Magnolia Room (609-884-8409; www.chalfonte.com), at the Chalfonte Hotel, 301 Howard St. Open daily, Memorial Day–Columbus Day, for breakfast and dinner. Sisters and cooks Lucille Thompson and Dot Burton have worked at Cape May’s oldest continually operating hotel (see Lodging—Hotels) since the 1940s, when their mother, Helen, was the kitchen’s longtime cook. The Virginia natives brought their homey Southern-style cooking to Cape May; today’s menu still features Southern classics like fried chicken, spoon bread, corn pudding, and lemon meringue pie. Families with young children are encouraged to dine before 7; there’s also a supervised Children’s Activity Room, where young dinner guests can eat and play with their peers while Mom and Dad enjoy a quiet meal alone. $18–30.
The Ebbitt Room (609-884-5700; 800-732-4236; www.virginiahotel.com), at the Virginia Hotel, 25 Jackson St. Open year-round for dinner. Reservations are recommended. This is fine hotel dining at its best (see Lodging—Hotels), one of only four establishments in Cape May to earn the prestigious Five-Star Diamond designation. The atmosphere and décor is elegant and sophisticated, from the white linen and candlelight to the impeccable service. The flawless New American cuisine has delightful Southern touches, and the menu changes often. Live piano in the lounge. $24–35.
Tisha’s Fine Dining (609-884-9119; www.tishasfinedining.com), 714 Beach Dr. Open Apr.–Oct. for dinner. Reservations are recommended. A lovely and intimate dining room on the beach and boardwalk with an ever-changing menu of inventive New American cuisine. The emphasis is on fresh local seafood and steaks, and the many dishes are prepared with an Italian flair. Starters might include fried calamari with roasted peppers and capers and a garlic cream sauce, instead of the standard marinara. Move on to Tuscan grilled chicken and shrimp or veal au poivre. BYOB. $19–31.
Frescos Ristorante (609-884-0366), 412 Bank St. Open Apr.–Oct. for dinner. Reservations are recommended. A fine-dining restaurant serving authentic and well-prepared Northern and regional Italian standards, from seafood and veal to pasta. This quaint clapboard house tucked behind a picket fence is a bring-your-own-bottle local favorite and a magnet for accolades and critical acclaim. Try to get one of the coveted tables on the porch. BYOB. $15–30.
410 Bank Street (609-884-2127), 410 Bank St. Serving dinner daily May–Oct. Reservations are recommended. Gourmet American cuisine with the exotic flavors of New Orleans, French, and Caribbean cooking. The restaurant is especially known for its slow-smoked meats and mesquite-grilled seafood, paired with creative sauces and local fresh ingredients. The 18th-century wisteria-covered cottage provides an elegant backdrop for the kitchen’s creative flair and the dining room’s impeccable service. BYOB. $23–33.
The Mad Batter (609-884-5970; www.madbatter.com), at the Carroll Villa Hotel, 19 Jackson St. Open for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner—daily in summer, reduced hours (long weekends) in winter. Reservations are suggested. A local favorite in the historic Carroll Villa B&B Hotel (see Lodging—Hotels) for more than 30 years. Breakfast is their trademark, from the thick slices of orange-almond French toast to their signature omelet stuffed with jumbo lump crab, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and Gruyère cheese. Dinner is equally good, offering contemporary American and regional cuisine. Their “championship” Maryland crabcakes come with a tasty sweet potato hash, and ordering their unique rendition of clam chowder is a must. You can dine on the intimate garden terrace, on the European-style porch overlooking the sidewalk, or in the bright and airy dining room. The bar has a nice selection of wines and interesting microbrews, and there’s always something special going on, such as live music or their popular trivia night. Breakfast $7–10; dinner $19–27.
The Blue Pig Tavern (609-884-8422; www.congresshall.com), at the Congress Hall Hotel, 251 Beach Ave. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations are accepted. An American tavern tucked away in one of Cape May’s most spectacular 19th-century hotels (see Lodging—Hotels). The Blue Pig has a colorful history of its own. It occupies the site of Cape May’s first tavern—frequented by whalers in the 1700s—and takes its name from a gambling parlor that opened after the hotel was built in 1816. Today it serves well-prepared classic cuisine in the light and airy garden room or in the cozy tavern. Dinner could begin with clam chowder with smoked bacon and thyme, or calamari with wasabi aioli and beet oil. The daily blue plate entrée special, with soup or salad, is a bargain. The Boiler Room has a late-night menu. Full bar. Dinner $11–28.
Freda’s Café (609-884-7887; www.fredasgourmet.8m.com), 210 Ocean St. Open Thurs.–Mon. for lunch and dinner. Reservations are accepted for dinner. This intimate and charming gem is a local favorite, housed in Cape May’s historic former post office building. The menu of international dishes is mixed with an ever-changing list of seasonal specials. Appetizers sometimes include baked Brie in puff pastry, followed by entrées like grilled chicken with artichoke hearts and tarragon, barbecue spareribs, or the fresh fish of the day. Service is friendly and efficient, and the deli behind the restaurant offers excellent sandwiches and salads to go. BYOB. $15–30.
Lobster House (609-884-8296; www.thelobsterhouse.com), on Fisherman’s Wharf, 906 Schellenger’s Landing Rd. Open year-round for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; hours vary with the seasons; phone ahead once summer is over. This famous local landmark on Cape May Harbor attracts huge crowds and doesn’t take reservations, so lines get long, especially on summer weekends when the wait can stretch beyond an hour. Inside is a casual seafood house with traditional nautical décor and a menu of shore seafood standbys, much of which arrives by boat at Fisherman’s Wharf. When it’s super-crowded, some like to order takeout from the raw bar and eat outside on the wharf, or bring home some of the market’s fresh seafood and prepared dinners. There’s a raw bar, a coffee shop, a gift shop, a fish market, and cocktails aboard the schooner America. $19–48.
Cape Orient (609-898-0088; www.capeorient.com), in the Washington Commons Mall, 315 Ocean St. Open year-round, daily for lunch and dinner. Asian cuisine is hard to come by in Cape May, surprising for a town that’s packed with restaurants. This friendly and casual eatery serves authentic and reasonably priced Chinese, Thai, and Japanese specialties, and it’s the only place on the entire Cape May peninsula where you can get sushi. There’s a large selection of sushi, sashimi, and hand rolls, and a whole section of the menu is devoted to tempura and teriyaki dishes. $10–20.
WASHINGTON INN
(609-884-5697; www.washingtoninn.com), 801 Washington St., Cape May. Open daily for dinner. Reservations are recommended. The gourmet American cuisine, romantic and elegant surroundings (a 19th-century plantation house), and numerous “best of” accolades and awards make dinner here an experience not to be missed. This was one of Cape May’s first fine-dining establishments, and continues to raise the bar for the many that have followed its lead. Chef Mimi Wood’s menu changes seasonally to take full advantage of the freshest ingredients. Starters could include bruschetta with roasted apples, chestnuts, and herbed mascarpone cheese, or a Tuscan salad of roasted peppers, olives, capers, and sourdough croutons in a tomato-basil vinaigrette. Move on to fig-and-hazelnut-crusted rack of lamb, herb-roasted organic chicken in a pesto-parmesan broth, or butter-poached lobster tail with a blood orange vinaigrette. End with vanilla bean crème brûlée or one of the house-made ice creams or sorbets. There’s a full bar and an impressive 500-bottle wine cellar. $20–40.
Louisa’s Café (609-884-5882), 104 Jackson St. Reservations are essential. Open daily from early spring to late fall for dinner. A charming European-style eatery on Cape May’s oldest street. Eclectic cuisine and reasonable prices make this intimate café a local favorite. It’s a tiny word-of-mouth kind of place with a menu that changes according to what’s fresh and available, which might be locally caught weakfish or shad, or a salad of vine-ripe Jersey tomatoes. Start with the signature crab soup, and end with a satisfying wedge of homemade pie. BYOB. $15–25.
McGlade’s (609-884-2614), 722 Beach Ave. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations are accepted. The location can’t be beat—a screened-in deck on a beachfront pier overlooking the ocean—and the food is just as pleasing. For more than a quarter century, this has been a popular spot for breakfast, with a long list of omelets with creative fillings (think crabmeat, asparagus, cream cheese, sprouts), plus French toast, waffles, and other breakfast classics. Later on, regulars come here for the fresh and well-prepared seafood, the fried lobster tail in particular. BYOB. Breakfast and lunch $5–12; dinner $17–22.
Jackson Mountain Café (609-884-5648), 400 Washington St. Open daily for lunch and dinner. The menu of standard tavern fare is decent—burgers, sandwiches, salads, and Mexican dishes—and the bar is casual and friendly. The big draw at this lively eatery, however, is the collection of outdoor tables, which offers a perfect vantage point for people-watching on the Washington Street Mall. $9–15.
Cucina Rosa (609-898-9800), 301 Washington Street Mall. Open for dinner mid-Feb.–Dec., Thurs.–Tues.; closed Wed. Reservations are suggested. Traditional Italian cuisine—most everything homemade—served in a casual storefront eatery that’s beloved by locals and a lucky find for visitors. You can eat outside on the patio or in one of the charming dining rooms. Expertly prepared and nicely presented signature dishes like seafood fra diavolo, chicken Florentine, and veal scaloppine are complemented by seasonal specialties like locally caught fish. Cannoli and espresso pair up for the perfect sweet ending. Pick up a bottle of Cucina Rosa marinade, specialty sauce, or spice mix and try to replicate their culinary brilliance at home. BYOB. $14–26.
Carney’s (609-884-4424), Beach Dr. and Jackson St. Open daily for lunch, dinner, and light late-night meals. A laid-back beachfront pub that is a favorite haunt of both locals and visitors. The extensive menu is a something-for-everyone mix of pub fare—pizza, quesadillas, wings, and such—as well as their signature crabcakes and New England clam chowder, seafood, steaks, and homemade desserts. Nothing fancy, but fun and friendly. Carney’s caters to a busy crowd that comes for the live music, lively bar, and dancing. If you’re looking for a mellow evening, you can listen to jazz musicians perform in The Other Room. $14–22.
Lucky Bones Backwater Grille (609-884-8646; www.luckybonesgrille.com), 1200 Rt. 109. Open daily for lunch, dinner, and late night snacks. A good spot for brick-oven pizza, sea-food, and steaks. The name comes from the Cape’s whaling village days when superstitious sailors would carry a lucky bone (an odd hook-like claw found only on male horseshoe crabs) to stay safe at sea. Children’s menu. $8.50–25.
Zoe’s Beachfront Eatery (609-884-1233; www.zoescapemay.com), 715 Beach Dr. Open daily in summer 7 AM–10:30 PM; call for nonpeak season hours. This may be one of Cape May’s best bargains. Set across from the Convention Hall, Zoe’s serves full breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and seafood baskets. It’s very kid-friendly, and even welcomes dogs on the patio. Breakfast $5–8; lunch (dinner), $5–10.
Vanthia’s (609-884-4020; www.vanthias.com), 106 Sunset Blvd. Open for breakfast, 8–noon; lunch, noon–3; dinner, 3–until late. An upscale but family-friendly and reasonably priced bistro where the food reflects Greek, Italian, and Mediterranean influences. Breakfast, $3.75–9.50; lunch, $6–12; dinner, $14–25.
SNACKS AND SWEETS The Lemon Tree (609-884-2704), 101 Liberty Way, on the Washington Street Mall. A friendly deli serving up authentic Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks, Italian ice, and homemade lemonade that has been locally famous for nearly three decades. $5–8.
Fralinger’s Original Salt Water Taffy (609-884-5695; www.jamescandy.com), 326 Washington St., Cape May. Open year-round. Fralinger’s has been a beloved Jersey Shore institution since Joseph Fralinger began making saltwater taffy on the Atlantic City boardwalk in 1885. They adapt with the changing times—mango, mocha latte, and cookie dough are some of the newer flavors—but still cater to nostalgia seekers with sweet-filled replica 1915 gift tins.
The Fudge Kitchen (609-884-4287; 800-233-8343; www.fudgekitchens.com), on the Promenade at 728 Beach Dr., and 513 Washington Street Mall (609-884-2834), Cape May. The classic summer vacation indulgence of creamy fudge is made fresh every day, whipped by hand in old-time copper kettles. Traditional recipes like penuche, chocolate, and maple walnut along with new-fangled flavors like cookies-and-cream and mint chocolate chip for a total of 18 yummy varieties. These family-run shops—with additional locations in Stone Harbor, Ocean City, and Wildwood—also make saltwater taffy, truffles, almond bark, and other old-fashioned confections.
Nothing says summer at the beach quite like ice cream, and parlors abound in Cape May, where they dish out waffle cones, thick milkshakes, and colossal sundaes to a hungry vacation crowd. They include Dry Dock Ice Cream Bar and Grill (609-884-3434; www.capemaydrydock.com), 1440 Texas Ave.; Cold Spring Village Ice Cream Parlor (609-884-0392), Cold Spring; Uncle Charley’s Ice Cream (609-884-2197), 310 Washington St.; and Jennie’s Ice Cream Parlor (609-884-1953), 313 Beach Dr.
COFFEE AND TEA Rick’s Coffee Café (609-898-9776; 888-884-3181; www.rickscoffeecafe.com) 414 Washington Street Mall and 315 Beach Drive (609-884-3181). A pair of locally run coffeehouses with the kind of relaxed and friendly atmosphere coffeehouses should have and often don’t. A menu of coffee, tea, hot and cold drinks, and espresso accompanies house-made pastries, cakes, pies, and made-to-order sandwiches. $5–7.
(609-884-5111; 609-884-5404; www.capemaymac.org), at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May. Open daily in-season; phone ahead in the off-season; luncheon is served from 11:30, afternoon tea begins at 2 PM. Reservations are recommended. Afternoon tea and tea luncheons are served in the beautifully restored 1876 Carriage House or under the tent in the Garden Patio on the grounds of Cape May’s only Victorian house museum. Tea is served with the elegant formality typical of the Victorian age. Luncheon includes delicate tea sandwiches—cucumber, smoked salmon, and the like—along with an assortment of salads, tea breads, scones with clotted cream, and dessert. Afternoon tea features finger sandwiches, pastries, and scones. Both the luncheon and the afternoon tea are accompanied by a selection of hot and cold teas. Be sure to leave time to browse in the Gallery Shop, where there is a fine selection of tea, china, and tea-related gifts. Luncheon $18.50; afternoon tea $15.50.
EntertainmentARTS CENTERS Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278; www.capemaymac.org), at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May. This extremely active nonprofit local arts organization was founded in 1970 to restore the historic Physick Estate, Cape May’s only Victorian house museum. Since then it has grown to 3,000 members and promotes Cape May’s Victorian heritage through an impressive year-round schedule of festivals, workshops, family activities, events, and tours. They maintain and operate the Cape May Lighthouse, run the 19th-century Physick Estate (along with its Carriage House Gallery and Tearoom), offer year-round walking, boat, and trolley tours, and organize Victorian Week, the Cape May Music Festival, and a host of other major events.
Middle Township Performing Arts Center (609-463-1924; www.middlepac.com), 1 Penkethman Way, Cape May Court House. Cape May County’s only performing-arts center, located in Middle Township High School, offers a year-round schedule of world-class performances, from dance, plays, and musicals to well-known orchestras and musical groups, like the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the New Jersey Pops.
The Cape May Music Festival and Cape May Jazz Festival (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278; www.capemaymac.org) are two world-class music festivals that draw huge crowds of music fans to Cape May (see Special Events). The 6-week music festival features classical, pop, jazz, folk, and chamber music in May and June. The jazz festival brings well-known names in the music world to town in April and November, with blues, reggae, jazz, and gospel.
The Chalfonte Hotel (609-884-8409; 888-411-1998; www.chalfonte.com), 301 Howard St., hosts a popular annual cultural-events series that runs May–Sept. Cabaret, opera, fine-art exhibits, and classical concerts in one of Cape May’s most historic hotels are open to the public. Call for a schedule.
Historic Cold Spring Village (609-898-2300; www.hcsv.org), 720 Rt. 9. Free Saturday-evening concerts in July–Aug. at the museum village’s outdoor gazebo. Performances begin at 6:30 PM, light rain or shine.
Cape May Stage (609-884-1341; www.capemaystage.com), Lafayette and Bank Sts. Performances from May–Dec.; curtain rises at 8 PM. Reservations are strongly recommended. A professional equity theater presenting fine renditions of classics and original works. Performances are held in an intimate 75-seat theater housed in Cape May’s former welcome center. Call for the season’s lineup of dramas, comedies, family programs, and holiday shows.
East Lynne Theater Company (609-884-5898; www.eastlynnetheater.org), First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St. Performances June–Oct. Professional actors stage high-quality renditions of American stage classics and adaptations of works by Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Louisa May Alcott, and other famous American literary figures. The company takes its name from a popular 19th-century American play, and is the only professional nonprofit theater devoted to preserving the country’s theatrical and literary history. Ask about dinner-theater packages.
Selective ShoppingAnthony Hillman Antique and Fine Wood Carvings (609-536-2738; www.hillmanart.com), 980 West Hand Ave. Open by appointment. Anthony Hillman has been making hand-carved traditional bird decoys and waterfowl miniatures for more than 30 years. He also buys and sells antique decoys, and has written more than two-dozen how-to guides for artists and carvers. His shop, The Decoy, is open to the public by appointment.
Victorious Antiques (609-898-1775; www.victoriousantiques.com), Congress Hall Hotel, 301 Howard St. Antiques, gifts, and estate jewelry.
Cape May County Art League (609-884-8628; www.capemaycountyartleague.com), P.O. Box 2195, Cape May. This has been an active county art league since 1929, which makes it the oldest such organization in America. They have a full schedule of programs that are open to the public, from poetry nights and art appreciation events to guest lectures and art classes. Major annual events include a springtime members’ exhibition, a children’s summer art camp, and a juried fine-arts show at the Washington Street Mall every September.
MALL Washington Street Mall (609-884-0555; www.washingtonstreetmall.com), 429 Washington St., Cape May. Open daily year-round. This Victorian-style open-air pedestrian mall at the heart of the historic district is Cape May’s main shopping center. The car- and bicycle-free stretch of independently owned and family owned specialty boutiques, candy stores, souvenir shops, and sidewalk cafés is just a block from the ocean. It’s especially charming at Christmastime, when candles, wreaths, and garland transform the mall into a festive holiday scene reminiscent of the Victorian era. SPECIAL SHOPS Mother Grimm’s Bears (609-886-1200; www.mothergrimmsbears.com), in the Hotel Macomber, 727 Beach Dr., Cape May. Ellen and Jennifer Grimm’s delightful shop is a small-scale teddy bear factory. You give them a garment with sentimental value, such as a wedding gown, and they will create a unique custom-designed “memory bear” out of it. The mother-daughter team has made hundreds of bears out of fur coats, baby blankets, military uniforms, bridesmaid dresses, even flannel shirts and blue jeans. A unique way to preserve special memories.
Sunset Beach Gift Shops (800-757-6468; www.sunsetbeachnj.com), 502 Sunset Blvd., Cape May Point. A family-owned group of gift shops that’s best known for its collection of Cape May diamonds and other unique stones. The infamous “diamonds”—gemlike pieces of quartz scattered all over nearby Sunset Beach—are sold in their natural state or polished and fashioned into rings, pendants, and other jewelry. The shops also sell the usual selection of vacation souvenirs, from lighthouses and clocks to coffee mugs, books, candles, and Cape May T-shirts.
The Cape May Cottage (609-463-1685), 1339 Rt. 9, Swainton. Call for hours. An inviting shop with an interesting collection of antique furniture, vintage linens, and unique home décor, as well as candles, lotions, bath soaps, and other gifts.
Special EventsFebruary: Crafts and Antiques in Winter (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278), Cape May Convention Hall, Cape May. Antiques and collectibles dealers and craftspeople from the Mid-Atlantic region. One day of folk-art, jewelry, Victorian pieces, and other crafts; another featuring silver, glass, porcelain, and other antiques and collectibles.
March: Sherlock Holmes Weekend (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278).
April: Cape May Jazz Festival (information: 609-884-7277; tickets: 800-595-4849), Cape May. A weekend-long festival of jazz, blues, gospel, and reggae at venues around Cape May. Some 30 events feature well-known jazz musicians and singers performing in afternoon jam sessions and evening concerts. Cape May Spring Festival (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278), Cape May. Two weeks worth of special events throughout town, from self-guided tours of Victorian homes and gardens to concerts, glassblowing demonstrations, a garden and crafts show, and murder-mystery dinners. Tulip and Garden Festival (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278), Cape May.
May: Crafts and Antiques at Memorial Day (609-884-5404), Cape May Convention Hall, Cape May. More than 50 craftspeople, artisans, and dealers. World Series of Birding (609-884-2736), Cape May. A bird-tallying contest sponsored by the New Jersey Audubon Society; proceeds benefit various conservation groups. Great Cape May Foot Race (609-884-5508), Cape May. A 5K and 10K race through Cape May’s historic streets.
May into June: Cape May Music Festival (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278), Cape May. A 6-week-long music festival—one of Cape May’s premier events—featuring concerts at a variety of venues. Jazz bands, a chamber music series, and an orchestra series, as well as doo-wop, Celtic, Dixie, Flamenco, opera, and more.
Summertime: Sunset Parades (609-898-6969), Coast Guard Training Center parade grounds, Cape May. A series of free military parades scheduled May–Sept. are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. The parades begin around 8 PM and feature the Coast Guard drill team and recruit band, cannon fire, marching troops, and a low-level flyover by a Coast Guard helicopter.
June: Victorian Fair (609-884-5404), Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May. Traditional Victorian-era crafts, activities, and food. Strawberry Festival (609-884-8382), Wilbraham Park, West Cape May. Boardwalk Craft Show (609-884-9565), on the Promenade, Cape May. Military Timeline Weekend (609-898-2300), Historic Cold Spring Village, Cold Spring. Military encampments and demonstrations recreating soldier life from Viking warriors to the American Revolution to the Korean War.
July: 4-H Fair (609-465-5115), Cape May County Fairgrounds, Middle Township. An old-time country fair with agricultural exhibits and a chicken barbecue. Promenade Art Show (609-884-9565), Cape May. Independence Day Parade (609-884-9565), Cape May. Antique Auto Show (609-884-5508), Washington Street Mall, Cape May.
August: Railroad Days (609-898-2300), Historic Cold Spring Village, Cold Spring. Sand Sculpture Contest (609-884-9565), Cape May board-walk. Hummingbird Extravaganza (609-465-5871), Leaming’s Run Botanical Gardens, Swainton. Promenade Craft Show (609-884-9565), Cape May. Baby Parade (609-884-9565), on the Promenade, Cape May. A tradition on the Promenade for more than 70 years.
September: Air Fest (609-886-8787), Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, Rio Grande. World Series of Birding (609-884-2736), locations throughout Cape May. Teams of bird-watchers look for more than 700 bird species in a 24-hour competition. Wine and Food Festival (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278), Cape May. A culinary celebration featuring restaurant tours, cooking seminars, wine tastings, and multicourse gourmet meals. Washington Street Mall Art Show (609-884-8628), Washington Street, Cape May. Civil War and Revolutionary War weekends (609-898-2300), Historic Cold Spring Village, Cape May. Tomato Festival (609-884-8382), West Cape May. Arts and Crafts Show Weekend (609-898-2300), Historic Cold Spring Village, Cape May.
October: Victorian Week (609-884-5404), Cape May. Historic-house tours, old-time dancing, mystery dinners, lectures, and other activities celebrating Cape May’s Victorian heritage. Coast Day New Jersey (732-872-1300), Cape May. A celebration of the state’s marine and coastal heritage with ship tours, live music, ecotours, and family activities. Pumpkin Festival (609-898-2300), Historic Cold Spring Village, Cape May. Antique Auto Show (609-884-2133), Washington Street Mall, Cape May. Lima Bean Festival (609-884-8382), Wilbraham Park, West Cape May. Lima bean dishes, lima bean tossing contests, and the crowning of a Lima Bean Queen are among the activities at this lighthearted festival celebrating the town’s agricultural past. New Jersey Audubon Autumn Weekend and Bird Show (609-884-2736), Cape May Bird Observatory, Cape May Point. Boat trips and field trips to observe the fall bird migration; artists, crafters, workshops, live birds, and more.
November: Cape May Jazz Festival (609-884-7277), Cape May. World-class jazz, gospel, reggae, and blues all weekend; afternoon jam sessions and evening concerts. Cape May New Jersey Film Festival (609-884-6700), Cape May. A celebration of New Jersey films and filmmakers.
December: Christmas Candlelight House Tours (609-884-5404), Cape May. A Victorian Christmas celebration with more than 20 Victorian churches, inns, and bed & breakfasts decorated for the holidays and open to the public. Dickens’s Christmas Extravaganza (609-884-5404), Cape May. A holiday celebration featuring traditional 19th-century festivities. Community Wassail Party (609-884-5404), Cape May. West Cape May Christmas Parade (609-884-1005), West Cape May.
HISTORIC COLD SPRING VILLAGE
CAPE MAY WHALE WATCHER
CARRIAGE HOUSE TEAROOM & CAFÉ