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721 Beach Avenue, Cape May, New Jersey, 08204, United States
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The Osprey
Hitching post
Jackson Mountain Café
Beach at Atlantic City
Hi Everyone,
I know the calendar says that summer is over, but I need to see the beach one last time! I'm thinking a beach town is the way to go in case the weather turns. I've heard a lot about Cape May--can anyone tell me about it?
Thank you,
Courtney
I haven't been there in years, but it's a very cute Victorian-era seaside town. You could also take the ferry over to Lewes, Delaware, and hang out in Lewes or Cape Henlopen (an amazing place) or head to Rehoboth Beach, which is also great off-season.
Plus, it's downright summer-like here in the mid-Atlantic. High's today were close to 90F!
It's a charming town with wonderful victorian homes painted in seaside pastels. They call them "Painted Ladies". I haven't been there in years, but I believe there's a long walking path along the water. There's also the ferry that you can take from Cape May to Lewes, Delaware...another historic town.
Cape May is a big family destination, with many summering there, every summer, for years and years. Too many kids, for me.
The main town has a walking district(typical tourist midway) and there are unbelievable uninterrupted swaths of Victorian architecture.
Dune protection is a big deal, so the beaches are rife with birds. You can walk from the town itself all the way to the lighthouse. There is also a boardwalk that runs through the wildlife preserve.
Dolphins are often close the the shoreline.
And, they will ticket you for going on the dunes, so be warned
Thanks so much for the responses--I really appreciate it!
The best way to see Cape May is to walk through town. Cape May is a small island with so much to see that walking is the best way to explore the town.
If you're spending a few days in Cape May, getting around town is easier and more fun on a bicycle. You don't need to bring your own. There are several bike rental agencies in Cape May.
Cape May is America's first and oldest seashore resort at the southern tip of New Jersey. Our honeymoon spent in Cape May.
A 19th c. open-air living history museum that features 25 restored historic buildings on a 22-acre site.
The spring of sparkling water bubbling out of the ground in a salt marsh was called Cold Spring.
Cold Spring inlet is evidenced on maps of 1690 and 1691.
Cape May is, as I have said, not a typical New Jersey Shore resort – for that you have to drive (or take a tour) a few miles to its neighbour to the north, Wildwood. We spent a couple of hours here on one of our chillier afternoons, walking the famous Boardwalk and enjoying taking lots of photos of its attractions. It was quite late in the season so most of these were closed (I believe they do still open at weekends at that time of year but not on a weekday). However this didn’t matter to us as we were mainly here simply to see the sights and soak up the atmosphere.
Wildwood’s history in recent years is bound up with the history of rock and roll. Indeed it has some claim to be its birthplace, as Bill Haley & His Comets gave their first ever performance of Rock Around the Clock, often credited as the first rock and roll record, in a hotel here on Memorial Day weekend in 1954. And while there are many Boardwalks in the US, it is Wildwood’s particular one that is sometimes said to have inspired “Under the Boardwalk”:
” Under the boardwalk down by the sea
On a blanket with my baby ... is where I'll be
Under the boardwalk out of the sun
Under the boardwalk we'll be having some fun
Under the boardwalk people walking above
Under the boardwalk we'll be falling in love.”
Today’s Wildwood still has some vestiges of that era, most notably in the architecture of some of its motels and Boardwalk attractions. Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) organises evening trolley tours in the summer to see some of these “Doo Wop” influenced buildings. We were content though simply to stroll around and discover a little of Wildwood for ourselves.
Directions:Take Garden State Parkway north to Exit 4 and follow Route 47 just over 2 miles to the sea, where there is plenty of parking just behind the Boardwalk
There are plenty of “fine dining” establishments in Cape May (some of them finer than others in our experience) but sometimes you want something more down to earth, and it was that in mind that we decided to sample the Jackson Mountain Café. And I guess we got what we came for! The service was only so-so, but the food, though fairly basic, was tasty, served in generous portions and good value by Cape May standards. We shared a starter of cheesy pierogis, which had a good flavour but were rather stodgy. But the main courses were more successful – I enjoyed my blackened chicken (although there was no way I could finish the three chicken breasts as well as the fries and coleslaw that accompanied them. And Chris liked his fajitas too. The bill with a couple of beers came to $63 – which as I said is relatively cheap for Cape May. After our meal we headed to the bar area and sat a while over a couple more drinks. There was baseball on the TV and we struck up a conversation with a woman from Philadelphia about the rules of this and cricket, and places she recommended us to go while in Cape May. It was nice to chat to someone almost local and we enjoyed this part of the evening more than the meal I think.
By the way, the reason behind the name of this place is quite amusing. It sits at the junction of Jackson Street and Washington Street Mall, which apparently at 14 feet is the highest point in Cape May – hence Jackson Mountain ;-)
We discovered Freda’s Café on our last day in Cape May, which is a bit of a shame, as I think if we’d tried it earlier we’d have come more than once. We came for lunch and were impressed by the quality of the food which was very fresh-tasting and delicious. Chris had his favourite sandwich, a Reuben, while I chose one of the day’s specials, a yummy wrap with chicken, melted Brie, peaches, mixed greens and a cinnamon and ginger mayo – some of my favourite flavours (cheese, cinnamon, ginger) combined in an unusual but very successful sandwich. With a large bottle of sparkling water to wash it down our lunch came to $25.
The décor is a slightly chintzy café style but welcoming and with some nice photos on the wall. If the quality of the lunch is anything to go by, Freda’s would be worth a try for dinner too. The only downside is that you have to go outside and round the back if you need to use the toilet but when you get there it’s clean and fresh so it isn’t really a problem.
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Address: 721 Beach Avenue, Cape May, New Jersey, 08204, United States
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