Visiting Cape May: what to do and where to stay
Cape May, New Jersey is one of America’s oldest seashore resorts. Today Cape May keeps its Victorian charm but adds modern amenities. The entire city of Cape May is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Cape May is close to Philadelphia and New York City and draws visitors from throughout the Northeast.
A surprising number of visitors from the Montreal area visit Cape May each year. In the late 1960s, Cape May opened a marketing office in Montreal and the city has been catering to Canadians ever since. You’ll see numerous hotels with Canadian names such as the Marquis de Lafayette Hotel and Montreal Beach Resort.
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Getting to Cape May
The vast majority of people visit Cape May via car.
Cape May is about 2 hours from Philadelphia and 3 hours from NYC via the Garden State Parkway. Keep in mind that the Jersey Shore is extremely popular so you’ll have lots of company if driving the Garden State Parkway on the weekend.
If coming from points south, such as Baltimore, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry is a fun way to get there from Delaware to Cape May. It takes approximately 80 minutes to cross the Delaware Bay. It’s a great way to travel and we’ve even seen dolphins while on the ferry!
We always enjoy taking the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.
What to do in Cape May
Enjoying the Cape May Beach
Cape May began hosting vacationers in the mid-18th century and the beach is the big attraction.
Beach Ave., which runs parallel to the beach, is lined with hotels so the beach is just steps away from your hotel room. Many hotels offer “beach service”, including lounge chairs, umbrellas, and cabanas.
Beach tags are required Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day. They cost $10 for a daily pass and they also offer a discounted weekly pass. Check with your hotel to see if they offer use of their passes.
You can purchase passes from kiosks at the beach entrances or you can order them online here.
Cape May provides lifeguards during the summer months so you can swim safely.
There are free public restrooms every half-mile along the promenade in the summer and showers at many beach entrances. (Note- these showers are for washing off sand and not for changing your clothes.)
Visiting the Washington Street Mall
Early evening crowd at Washington Street Mall.
There are plenty of shops and restaurants everywhere but Washington Street Mall is a popular spot for both.
This three-block-long district is open year-round and really comes to life in the early evening.
We had a nice dinner at Delaney's Irish Pub And Grill and watched people strolling along Washington Street Mall.
Enjoy the Victorian Houses
Perhaps the aspect most associated with Cape May is the abundance of Victorian style buildings - know as “Painted Ladies”. Cape May has one of the largest collection of Victorian buildings in the United States.
The reason Cape May has so many Victoria buildings is an unusual one - the fire of 1878. This massive fire claimed 40 acres in the center of Cape May.
Since Cape May was then a large resort town there was a move to quickly rebuild he town. The buildings were rebuilt in the style of the day - Victorian.
Guests at the Inn of Cape May sit by a fire pit.
Climb the Cape May Lighthouse
The Cape May Lighthouse was built in 1859 and has welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors.
You can climb 199 steps to the top of the lighthouse for $12 for adults and $8 for children.
There are interesting exhibits about the lighthouse as you climb to the top. The exhibits give you a chance to catch your breath while getting a history lesson.
Even if you don’t climb to the top of the lighthouse there is plenty to do at Cape May Point State Park. The park offers beach access, wildlife viewing platforms, and nature trails.
Take a Trolley Tour
You’ll see the distinctive trolleys driving around Cape May. They offer a wide variety of tours including Historic District tours, maritime tours, ghost tours, and underground railroad tours.
During the holiday season, you can take trolley tours to see the decorated houses.
Visit the Harriet Tubman Museum
I was surprised to learn that Cape May played an important role in the Underground Railroad, guiding slaves to freedom.
Famed Underground Railroad guide Harriet Tubman lived in Cape May in the early 1850s.
Lafayette and Franklin Street was the center of Cape May’s abolitionist movement. The Harriet Tubman Museum is located on Lafayette Street, across the street from the Banneker House, one of the only summer resorts for free Black people in the country at the time.
Check the Harriet Tubman Museum website for the museum’s hours. We just missed closing time and could only look through the windows.
Pedal a Cape May Railbike
Right down the street from the Harriet Tubman Museum is Cape May Railbike Tours. As the name suggests you pedal a rail vehicle along abandoned railroad tracks.
The Cape May run is a 4-mile out-and-back trip through The Nature Conservancy’s Garrett Family Preserve.
The daytime trips sound great but the full moon trips sound awesome.
They light up our railbikes and ride to a beautiful picnic area on the Cape May Canal to tell stories ghost stories. On the way back you’ll stop at The Nature Conservancy’s Garrett Family Preserve to learn about nocturnal wildlife.
We learned about this on our last day in Cape May so definitely have it on our to-do list for our next visit.
Go Birdwatching in Cape May
Cape May is known as a world-class birding location, National Geographic lists Cape May as a” World’s Best” destination for birding. It is located on the Atlantic Flyway, a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in North America.
The best time of year for birding in Cape May is from September through November when the area hosts hundreds of different bird species.
Debbie is an avid birder so we have visited Cape May during migration season and the variety of birds is amazing.
Perhaps the best aspect of birding is how helpful everyone is. The more advanced birders are very happy to share their knowledge with beginners. It’s a very welcoming community.
The headquarters for all things birding in Cape May is the New Jersey Audubon’s The Northwood Center, located at 701 East Lake Drive. Stop there first and they will give you all the updated information to enjoy a day of birding.
Get out on the water
Cape May offers a wide variety of activities on the water. There are whale-watching tours and dolphin-spotting tours available. Most of the tours last roughly three hours.
Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.
There are a wide variety of other ocean-going boat tours available including sunset dolphin tours.
Another option is a variety of bird-watching boat tours that explore the wetland areas around Cape May. Debbie and I took one of these tours many years ago and still have fond memories today.
Where to stay in Cape May
Congress Hall
Classic Cape May resort. Hosted Presidents Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant, and Benjamin Harrison.
USA Today: “Best Historic Hotel 2024”.
Full-service day spa.
More information here.
ICONA Cape May
Upscale hotel across from the beach.
Pool.
Close to Washington Street Mall.
More information here.
La Mer Beachfront Resort
Beach service for guests.
Pool.
On-site restaurant.
More information here.
Check out more Cape May accommodations here.
What is the best time of year to visit Cape May?
While Cape May is best known for its summertime beaches it really is a year-round resort.
In the fall birders descend on Cape May to observe the massive bird migration.
Christmas is huge in Cape May. The town hosts a Christmas parade, breakfast with Santa, holiday-themed trolley rides and other holiday attractions. You can find more info about Christmas in Cape May here.
It had been years since we visited Cape May and our recent visit reminded us of how much it has to offer. Beaches, fine dining, world-class birding, whale watching, etc….
It’s only two hours from home for us so we’ll absolutely be visiting more often.
This post was researched and written by John of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here
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