Victorian resort streets, Atlantic beaches, harbor cruises, and birding marshes
Cape MayNew Jersey
Cape May puts Atlantic beaches beside one of the country's largest collections of Victorian buildings. Add the working harbor, the 1859 lighthouse, migration-season birding, porch-front inns, and seafood dinners within a compact southern New Jersey resort town.
First choices
Historic streets, Atlantic sand, or Cape May Point
Stay in the Historic District for porches and dinner walks, choose Beach Avenue for quick sand access, or devote a morning to the lighthouse, ponds, and migration watches at Cape May Point.
Cape May's Historic District, beachfront, harbor, and Cape May Point are close together, with different scenery and activities in each.
Painted inns, broad porches, trolley tours, Congress Hall, and the Emlen Physick Estate preserve the story of an American seaside resort.
The beachfront lies a few blocks from Washington Street restaurants, shops, and many historic inns, making car-free evenings realistic in the center of town.
Whale and dolphin trips, sunset cruises, fishing, and kayak rentals can be reserved when weather and operator schedules cooperate.
Cape May Point and nearby marshes hold dune paths, freshwater ponds, migration watches, and the 1859 lighthouse.
A Victorian resort beside a migration coast
Jackson and Perry streets put scalloped trim, towers, and broad porches between Washington Street and the promenade. Cape May Point changes the view to lighthouse dunes, freshwater ponds, and seasonal flights of hawks and songbirds. The commercial harbor adds working docks, boat departures, and seafood counters to the same compact destination.
Walk the Victorian Historic District
Gingerbread trim, broad porches, Congress Hall, the Emlen Physick Estate, and the pedestrian blocks of Washington Street distinguish Cape May from the boardwalk towns farther north.
Explore the Victorian seaside guide →
Climb the lighthouse and watch the migration
Cape May Point State Park combines the 1859 lighthouse, dune paths, freshwater ponds, and one of North America's best-known migration funnels.
Explore Cape May Point →
See the harbor from the water
Whale and dolphin watches, harbor cruises, kayak rentals, and fishing trips leave from the working waterfront when weather and operator schedules cooperate.
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