Cape May

For a stay in Cape May, you can explore several distinct themes: Victorian architecture, coastal and maritime history, natural history, a museum focused on history, and a pedestrian district with shopping and dining. This lets you structure your trip around the interests that matter most to you.

Victorian Architecture and Design

Cape May’s historic district has one of the largest collections in the country of 19th-century coastal buildings constructed with wood frames. Cape May also has more than 600 authentically restored and preserved Victorian buildings.

The Emlen Physick Estate is one of the country’s finest examples of Victorian Stick Style architecture. Alongside the broad overview of building style and the size of the collection, this puts a specific architectural style in focus. If you’re interested in architecture, this offers a different way to explore the built heritage than viewing the collection as a whole.

History on Tours and at the Museum

Cape May MAC’s trolley tours cover Cape May’s Victorian heritage as well as its coastal and maritime history. A one-hour walking tour explores the Historic District. The tours offer different focuses: the trolley tours cover several themes in the city’s history, while the walking tour is specifically described by its duration, format, and area covered.

The Harriet Tubman Museum highlights the decisive role Cape May played in the struggle for freedom. The museum is housed in a building on a block that opponents of slavery in Cape May called home. This brings together the museum’s historical context and the site’s specific connection to the history of those opponents of slavery.

Nature at Cape May Harbor

The Nature Center of Cape May campus is located on the shore of Cape May Harbor in Cape May. The center has a three-story observation tower and offers public nature programs throughout the year. The tower and the public programs provide different highlights: one is a physical structure, while the other is a year-round offering. If natural history is one of your interests, you can consider these two aspects separately when planning.

Shopping and Dining at Washington Street Mall

Washington Street Mall is a car-free, pedestrian-friendly open-air destination. It stretches across three blocks of Washington Street, which is closed to vehicle traffic. There are more than 75 shops and other businesses; this number may change. Shopping includes fashion and accessories, home goods, and specialty items.

Washington Street Mall also offers places to eat, from lobster rolls to go to upscale Italian dining. Individual shops and offerings may change. The mall’s appeal therefore extends beyond shopping alone, without suggesting that its various offerings are all the same.

Recurring Events

Cape May’s annual Music Festival takes place every spring. The World Series of Birding begins in Cape May each year. The events thus differ in their focus: one is a music festival, while the other is an annual birding event that begins there. For specific travel plans, it’s a good idea to check the dates for the relevant edition.

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