In Cape May, a resort town near the southernmost point of New Jersey, the best activities combine history with the environment. Renowned for their quantity of migrating birds and butterflies, you may easily spend days visiting beaches, parks, and nature paths around the cape.
Comprising hundreds of magnificent Victorian homes, many of which have been renovated and turned into museums, stores, or restaurants, it is also a historic district.
A romantic vacation and a means of escape from the party throngs you could find elsewhere on the Jersey coast is Cape May.
Here is how Cape May inspires creative travelers.
Cape May Historic District
With around 600 Victorian-era homes in its 30-block downtown area, Cape May is the best-protected 19th-century seashore resort in the nation and a designated National Historic Landmark.
These little summer houses have gables, turrets, “wedding cake” embellishments, covered patios, and “gingerbread” trim. They are also designed with covered porches to savor the sea breezes.
Numerous of the town’s old homes have been turned into opulent bed-and-breakfast hotels. Most B&Bs provide rocking chairs on their front porches or verandas where guests can rest and mingle to further the traditional vacation vibe.
Cape May Point State Park
One can access the park and view the Lighthouse from the outside of their own free will. However, it’s worth paying the entrance costs if you wish to take in the breathtaking perspective from the top of the 157-foot-tall Cape May Lighthouse.
Apart from the lighthouse, three paths on the property allow hikers to appreciate and view all the many habitats, birds, wetland marsh, and other species along the shore.
Every path travels a different distance. Wheelchair accessible and spanning half a mile is the Red Trail. The Blue Trail runs 2.0 miles; the Yellow Trail is 1.5 miles long. Every path presents different, unusual sightings for everyone to appreciate.
For art lovers, there are various art attractions in Cape May, including galleries and art festivals that showcase local and national talent. The town’s Victorian architecture adds a unique charm to the overall artistic atmosphere of Cape May.
Sandy Beaches
Cape May lies between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean at the southernmost point of New Jersey. Some of the most stunning sandy beaches on the Eastern coastlines are along Beach Avenue, covering 2.5 kilometers.
Cape May’s family-friendly beaches have sun umbrella rentals and lounge chair access. To let guests enjoy the excellent white-sand beaches, the city keeps the beaches clean and maintained. Most beaches are near restaurants, cafés, stores, public bathrooms and snack bars.
For those organizing a seaside vacation, there is a large range of lodging within easy walking distance to the beaches. Many hotels also have first-rate ocean views.
Bird-Watching
Cape May is the top birding destination in North America. This is thanks to its position on migratory routes and the varied environment of swamps, marshes, ponds, grasslands, and woodlands.
Bird watchers have valued the Cape May surroundings for more than two centuries. Over 450 bird species have been seen at Cape May, including sandpipers, warblers, plovers, oystercatchers, orioles, and summer tanagers.
Top birding sites are Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, South Cape May Meadows, and West Cape May – the rural area outside the historic town. For shorebirds, peak migration times fall in May; for songbirds, September.
Visit Wildwood Aviation Museum
Explore the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum. This former dive-bomber training facility is now a museum, for an exciting up-close view of some of the greatest warplanes in history.
Among the hundreds of aircraft seen here are the 1940s propeller biplane, such as the PT-17 Boeing-Stearman, the WWII torpedo-bomber, the TBM Avenger, and the contemporary F-16 fighter jet.
See striking depictions of everyday life and communications during those war years by visiting the Radio Room and the 1940s Room. A Coast Guard aviation simulator is one of the many entertaining hands-on activities available here for the youngsters.
Endnote
This is only a flavor of all Cape May has to offer. Other favorite pursuits include riding a bike and most likely overnight stays in the town’s famous Victorian bed and breakfast houses. Historic Cold Spring Village and the Wildwoods are only a few miles up the road, along with many more amazing, secret treasures.
