Where’s
the best part of town to stay in?
The most desirable area is
closest to the shore. Beach Street is the street that runs about 20
blocks along the promenade and is the closest street to –surprise! –
the beach. The
promenade is a paved sidewalk along the beach.
Access to the beach is free and you can
bring whatever you want –
picnic basket, blankets, balls, lawn chairs, and umbrellas. There
are many small shops along Beach Street (which runs along the
promenade) where you can
buy pizza, sandwiches, drinks, and
snacks.
What is the peak season to
visit Cape May?
Summer is our busy season. In
addition to many hotels in town, lots of folks like to rent
houses for the summer. But autumn is nice, too, if you want to get
away to a small town to
enjoy the fall foliage. We have an annual
“Victorian Week” in early October that includes
things like ghost
searches, murder mystery dinners, plays, and, of course, a house tour.
Also in
October, the New Jersey Audubon Society sponsors a
monarch butterfly festival that features
bird watching tours and
many other nature exhibits. In November, we have a Film festival that
features workshops and showings of independent films. In November and
December, the
New Jersey Audubon Society sponsors many workshops
to create natural evergreen holiday
wreaths and
garlands.
Any quaint hotels or inns you
can recommend? I’m looking for a quiet place.
All of Cape Ann is quiet and
quaint. This is not a vacation spot for folks looking for singles
action, like in nearby Wildwood. Cape May is known for its
well-kept Victorian houses, and
most of the inns are Victorians.
The oldest hotel, and one of the largest in Cape May, is called
Congress Inn right off the promenade, on Congress Street. This hotel
was a popular vacation
spot for several American Presidents. It
was thoroughly renovated a few years ago.
Some of the more modern
hotels along the promenade are: The Coachman Motor Inn,
Marquis
Lafayette Hotel, the Montreal Inn, the Atlas Inn, Capri Motor Lodge, and
La Mer
Motor Inn. Cape May also has many B&Bs, but they tend
not to be along the promenade.
I want to emphasize how quiet this
town is. Pampering yourself at a day spa is popular with
both men
and women. One of the most popular forms of entertainment for visitors is
to rent
bikes and pedal around town. It’s flat here, making it
easy for old and young to bike around.
There is no boardwalk like
the way you’ll see in other New Jersey shore towns. Our beach
has
no rides, food booths, game galleries, or T-shirt
shops.
Where do you suggest we take
the kids?
Cape May is a good place for
families who want to spend time together. Take your kids to
the
beach with you, or rent a tandem bike and ride around. Some hotels have a
pool where
teenagers might like to linger. My observation has
been that teens like the beach best.
Everyone might like to play
at the Cape May Miniature Golf on West Perry St.
Nearby, you can
take the family to an outdoor museum called Historic Cold Spring Village,
New Jersey’s version of Colonial Willamsburg where you can see
actors inhabiting a colonial
town; there is a modest admission
charge. There is a Cape May Park & Zoo that is free and
the
kids can actually touch many of the animals.
How far away is Atlantic
City?
It’s about 50 minutes away. If
you want a night out, it’s not a bad idea to drive up for a
complete change of pace from Cape May. Just don’t drink too much and
then try to drive
back.
By the way, the Wildwoods, a
series of popular shore towns particularly attractive to young
people, is even closer – it’s only about 20 minutes away. Its
boardwalk is busy with all the
things you expect on a boardwalk:
rides, food stalls, arcades, and bodies wrapped in the least
amount clothing possible.
Is there good shopping in Cape
May?
Sure! What would a tourist spot
be without shopping! There are many scattered shops in
town, but
most of the shopping is along a 3-block pedestrian mall on Washington
Street
between Perry St and Ocean St, with another cluster of
shops between the triangle of Ocean
St and Washington
St.
If you have a car, you might want to consider taking the Lewes
Ferry to Delaware for tax-free
discount outlet shopping. Delaware
does not charge a sales tax. The Ferry takes you to
Lewes, DE,
and takes about 1 hour 20 mins. You’ll want to drive a few miles south
into
Rehoboth Beach to find the giant Tanger Outlets complex. On
U.S. Route 1, you’ll find three
clusters of Tangers stores that
will keep you busy all day.
Can you suggest a good
restaurant?
Cape May has a variety of
restaurants for a town as small as we are. Many of the Victorian
hotels also have restaurants: The Blue Pig Tavern at Congress Hall;
Victoria’s at the Inn of
Cape May; The Ebbit Room at The Virginia
Hotel; La Verandah at the Hotel Alcott; The
Magnolia Room at the
Chalfont; and in-house restaurants in The Menon Inn, the Peter Shields
Inn, and Washington Inn. Stand-alone restaurants include the 410 Bank
Street restaurant the
features New Orleans French and Carribean
cuisine; The Cape Orient that features Chinese,
Japanese, Sushi,
and Thai food; and many Italian options: Frescos, Cucina Rosa, A Ca Mia.
For a more lively scene, try these places on Beach Ave: The
Pelican Grill, Cabanas, Martini
Beach, Zoe’s, Ballyhoo’s,
Sharky’s, and Harpoon Henry’s. For breakfast, the best place is
Uncle Bill’s Pancake House on Beach Ave
For other
Destinations, go to www.askaresident.com