Cape May, New Jersey, USA
Overview
Cape May is a city at the southernmost tip of New Jersey, on a peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, with a year-round population of approximately 2,700 that expands to over 40,000 on summer weekends. It is the oldest seaside resort in the United States — visitors have been coming here since the 1700s, and five US presidents (Pierce, Buchanan, Grant, Arthur, and Harrison) spent time here. In 1878, a fire destroyed much of the city, and the rebuilding produced the highest concentration of late-Victorian wooden architecture in the country — over 600 authentically restored and preserved Victorian structures, making the entire city a National Historic Landmark since 1976.
Cape May County welcomed 12.1 million visitors in 2024, generating $8.1 billion in visitor spending — an 84% visitor return rate, the highest in New Jersey. Travel & Leisure named Cape May the number one small-town tourist destination in the United States in August 2025. London's Time Out Magazine listed Cape May as one of the five best beach towns in the world for 2025. AARP Magazine named it among the best cheap winter destinations. SIXT ranked it #2 in the US for 'townsizing' (small-town character travel) in July 2025. In 2026, Cape May celebrates the 50th anniversary of its National Historic Landmark designation.
Cape May's geography creates one of the most extraordinary wildlife watching locations on the East Coast — at the convergence of the Atlantic flyway and the Delaware Bay, the peninsula serves as a concentration point for migrating birds, butterflies, and dragonflies each spring and fall. The Cape May Bird Observatory is one of the most important ornithological research stations in North America. Cape May's beaches, Victorian B&B culture, Congress Hall (a hotel in continuous operation since 1816), and the Cape May Lighthouse (1859) complete the picture. Start planning at palapavibez.com.
Fast Facts
Cape May has a coastal mid-Atlantic climate — warm summers (24 to 28 degrees Celsius), mild winters compared to inland New Jersey (the Delaware Bay moderates temperatures), and autumn migration seasons that make September through November the finest wildlife watching period of the year. The summer season (Memorial Day through Labor Day) is peak tourism — beaches, Victorian house tours, whale-watching cruises, and the Washington Street Mall are all at maximum activity. The Christmas season (November through January) is Cape May's second most significant tourism period — Victorian Christmas (Holiday Season celebrations) transforms the historic district into a display of period decorations and events that draws a significant winter visitor base.
Cape May is at the southern tip of New Jersey, approximately 3 hours from New York City (Garden State Parkway south to Exit 0), 2.5 hours from Philadelphia, and 1.5 hours from Atlantic City. There is no direct flight access — the nearest airports are Atlantic City International (ACY, 45 miles north) and Philadelphia International (PHL, 90 miles north). The Cape May-Lewes Ferry (across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware) connects Cape May to the Delmarva Peninsula, making it a natural stop on a Delaware/Maryland coastal circuit.
The Cape May-Lewes Ferry (90-minute crossing) operates year-round between Cape May, NJ and Lewes, DE — making Cape May the natural terminus for a Delaware coast road trip. The ferry accommodates vehicles ($40 to $55 per car) and provides one of the finest Delaware Bay views available from any public transport.
Top Attractions
Cape May's Victorian Historic District is the defining experience — a walkable grid of tree-canopied streets where every block has multiple examples of Italianate, Queen Anne, Second Empire, and Eastlake Victorian architecture, each painted in the original period colors with intricate gingerbread woodwork, wraparound porches, and decorative trim. The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities (MAC) offers guided and self-guided Victorian house tours daily, including interior access to several preserved mansions. The Physick Estate (1879, the only Victorian house museum in Cape May — the most architecturally complete interior) is the essential tour. The Washington Street Mall (the main pedestrian shopping and dining street) is lined with Victorian-era commercial buildings.
Cape May Lighthouse is a 157-foot cast-iron lighthouse at Cape May Point State Park — built in 1859, the third lighthouse on this site, still operational, and climbable via 199 spiral steps to the gallery with views of the Delaware Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Cape May peninsula. Entry approximately $10. Cape May Point State Park surrounding the lighthouse (336 acres, free) is the finest birding location in the state — the hawk watch platform in October counts thousands of sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, and falcons passing daily, plus the monarch butterfly migration which transforms the park's wildflower meadows in late September.
Recommendations
Victorian Historic District Walking Tour
600+ Victorian buildings — MAC guided tours daily, Physick Estate interior access, self-guided available
Cape May Lighthouse (1859)
$10, Cape May Point State Park — best views of the bay and ocean, finest birding site in NJ
Cape May Point Birding (October)
Hawk watch + monarch butterflies September–October — thousands of raptors counted daily
Congress Hall (Since 1816)
5 presidents stayed here — Blue Pig Tavern, Tommy Gun Bar, beachfront
Whale Watching Cruises (June–October)
Multiple operators from the harbor — humpback, fin, and minke whales in Delaware Bay
Cape May-Lewes Ferry (Delaware Bay)
90-min ferry to Lewes, Delaware — bay views, $40–55/car, natural connector to Delmarva
Victorian Christmas (November–January)
Second peak season — period decorations, tours, events, fewer crowds than summer
Physick Estate (1879)
Only Victorian house museum in Cape May — fully furnished, most architecturally complete
Congress Hall is the oldest hotel in continuous operation in the United States — a yellow federal-style building on Beach Avenue that has been welcoming guests since 1816, where five US presidents have stayed, and whose current renovation has made it the most celebrated full-service hotel in Cape May. The hotel's Blue Pig Tavern (the finest restaurant in town) and the Tommy Gun Bar are the social center of summer Cape May evenings. The beach directly in front of Congress Hall is the most coveted spot in the city.
Where to Stay
Cape May's most distinctive accommodation feature is its concentration of Victorian B&Bs — over 100 licensed bed-and-breakfast inns in historic Victorian houses, ranging from simple rooms in charming homes to elaborately restored mansion inns with full gourmet breakfasts. The B&B experience is the most specifically Cape May way to stay.
Congress Hall (109 Beach Avenue — the most historic hotel, in continuous operation since 1816, the premier full-service hotel, beachfront position, Blue Pig Tavern restaurant) is the single most celebrated Cape May accommodation. The Virginia Hotel (a Victorian boutique hotel with the most refined service in the city) and the Hotel Alcott (boutique, literary-themed, one of the most charming) are the most acclaimed alternatives. The Mainstay Inn (a Victorian B&B with the most elaborate authentic period furnishings of any inn in the city) represents the finest example of the traditional Cape May B&B experience.
Recommendations
Congress Hall (Since 1816)
In continuous operation since 1816 — 5 presidents stayed, Blue Pig Tavern, beachfront position
The Virginia Hotel
Most refined service in Cape May — Victorian boutique, most consistently praised
Mainstay Inn (Victorian B&B)
Most elaborately furnished period Victorian inn — the quintessential Cape May B&B
100+ Licensed B&Bs
Victorian houses, gourmet breakfast — the most specifically Cape May way to experience the city
Summer booking timeline: Congress Hall and the most popular B&Bs in Cape May book out for Memorial Day weekend, July 4th, and Labor Day weekend months ahead. For any July or August stay, booking 3 to 6 months ahead is strongly recommended. Off-season (November through May, excluding holiday weekends) rates are 30 to 50% lower and availability is excellent.
Food & Drink
Cape May's food identity is built on the extraordinary seafood of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean — Cape May salt oysters (raised in the cold, clean waters of Delaware Bay, among the finest oysters on the East Coast), fresh blue crab, sea scallops, and summer flounder from the local fishing fleet. The port of Cape May/Wildwood is the largest commercial fishing port in New Jersey and the second largest on the eastern seaboard. Lobster House (on Schellenger's Landing, a working fish dockside restaurant with attached seafood market and takeout window — the most beloved Cape May restaurant, line out the door in summer) is the most visited dining institution.
The Congress Hall Blue Pig Tavern is the finest all-around restaurant in Cape May — farm-to-table with local seafood emphasis, the best service in town, and the most dependable quality. The Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel is the most refined dining option. Mad Batter (at the Carroll Villa Hotel, serving since 1981) is the best breakfast in Cape May — the most consistently praised morning meal, with a Victorian porch for summer outdoor eating.
Recommendations
Lobster House (Working Fishing Dock)
Schellenger's Landing — fresh seafood from the local fleet, market + takeout, line in summer
Cape May Salt Oysters
Delaware Bay raised — among the finest oysters on the East Coast, at any Cape May seafood restaurant
Congress Hall Blue Pig Tavern
Farm-to-table, local seafood — best service and most dependable quality in Cape May
Cape May Brewing Company
Self-guided tours, most popular evening destination — industrial park north of town
Cape May's winery scene (Willow Creek Winery, Cape May Winery) adds a wine-country dimension to the peninsula's food culture. The Cape May Brewing Company (the area's most popular craft brewery, self-guided tours, the most popular evening destination for visitors who aren't eating at a restaurant) is located in the industrial park area just north of town.
Getting There
Cape May has no direct commercial airport access — the nearest options are Atlantic City International Airport (ACY, 45 miles north — Spirit and Frontier serve it from select US cities), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL, 90 miles north — major hub with full national and international connections), and Newark Liberty (EWR, 150 miles north). Philadelphia is the most practical fly-drive option — rent a car at PHL and drive 90 minutes south on the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway to Cape May.
By car from New York City: Garden State Parkway south to Exit 0 (approximately 3 hours) or via New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit 3 then Atlantic City Expressway west and Garden State Parkway south. From Philadelphia: Atlantic City Expressway east then Garden State Parkway south (approximately 2.5 hours). From Baltimore: US-13 north across the Delaware Bay via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, or I-95 north to NJ (approximately 3 to 3.5 hours).
The Cape May-Lewes Ferry (90 minutes, operating year-round) connects Cape May to Lewes, Delaware — making Cape May the natural starting or ending point for a Delmarva Peninsula circuit. Foot passengers pay approximately $12, vehicles $40 to $55 depending on size.
Practical Info
Classic 3-day Cape May itinerary: Day 1 Victorian Historic District walking tour (MAC guided tour morning), Washington Street Mall afternoon, Congress Hall dinner. Day 2 Cape May Lighthouse morning (climb + birding at Cape May Point State Park), whale watching cruise afternoon, Lobster House dinner. Day 3 Victorian Christmas or fall birding if October, Physick Estate tour, Cape May Brewing Company afternoon, drive to Cape May-Lewes Ferry for Delaware Day or drive home.
The 50th anniversary of National Historic Landmark designation in 2026: Cape May is celebrating with special events, tours, and exhibitions throughout the year highlighting the preservation and restoration work of the past five decades. The MAC (Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts) is organizing special anniversary programming — check capemaymac.org for the 2026 event calendar.
Recommendations
Classic 3-Day Cape May
Victorian tour + Washington St Mall → Lighthouse + whale watch + Lobster House → Physick Estate + Brewery
50th Anniversary Landmark Status — 2026
Year-long MAC events and exhibitions — capemaymac.org for full 2026 calendar
October Birding Season — Don't Miss
Cape May Point hawk watch + monarch butterflies — finest raptor migration on East Coast
Book Congress Hall and B&Bs 3–6 Months Ahead for Summer
Summer accommodation fills completely — book early for any July/August stay
Birding season peak: late September through October for the most spectacular hawk migration (thousands of sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, merlins, and peregrine falcons passing daily over Higbee Beach and the hawk watch platform), the monarch butterfly migration (late September), and the shorebird diversity on the beaches. The Cape May Bird Observatory (at Cape May Point State Park) runs guided birding walks and hawk counting programs during migration — open to the public, various fees.
