Exploring Cape May - A Jersey Shore Treasure

Cape May is located on the southern tip in the state of New Jersey. You'll find that the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean come together in this particular area. As a result, you can catch some of the prettiest oceanfront sunsets when you're sitting on the beach, especially at Sunset Beach, off of Sunset Blvd.

Over the years I've blogged many times about this charming coastal town and today, I wanted to feature some photographs and information that hasn't been featured on this blog before. Cape May is a year-round coastal town that always has something going on.

No visit to the area would be complete without stopping in to Cape May Point State Park. This is where you'll find the famous lighthouse which is open for tours. You'll need to pay an admission fee to enter the lighthouse, but you can walk all around the lighthouse grounds for FREE. You'll also find  a little gift & souvenir shop, public restrooms, picnic tables and access to one of the beaches. It's a great place to view some coastal wildlife (especially birds) too.

When you're driving around the area itself, you'll notice some beautiful Victorian style homes! You'll see them in your classic pink, purple, lavender, teal and other colors that were popular during the Victorian era. These homes are pretty large (many of them have been turned into Bed & Breakfast Inns and Guest Houses) and are absolutely beautiful to see.

If you're looking for something FREE to do while you're on vacation, head on over to the South Cape May Meadows Nature Conservancy. You'll find free parking in their parking lot and can walk along the trails to see all kinds of different shore birds, swans, cranes, turtles, rabbits, etc. who call this area of the marshlands home.

Within the city limits you'll find some fun playgrounds and community parks where the kids can burn off some steam or you can sit down to relax. These parks & playgrounds are rarely crowded, unless they are hosting some type of event or function. We like to visit them when our grandchildren are traveling along with us.

If you're driving through the downtown area, chances are you'll see the famous Cape May Trolley. If you want to take a tour (you need to pay admission) it's a great way to learn more about the city and it's history. During the summer season, you may have to wait several hours to take the tour, due to all of the tourists in the area. I always recommend going first thing in the morning.

If you head on over to Ocean Drive you can get a scenic view of the Atlantic Ocean. It's also a great place to view all of the multi-million dollar mansions that line the waterfront. These homes are massive in size and absolutely gorgeous! I would LOVE to stay in one of these for a week while on vacation!

While on Ocean Drive, you'll also find the world famous Cape May Convention Hall which hosts a variety of expos, fairs, shows and events throughout the year. It's a large building and clearly marked, you can't miss it if you're looking for it. Looking for a place to sit & just hangout for awhile? They've got park benches sitting right out front.

You'll find hotels, motels, guest houses and Bed & Breakfast Inns all over the city. With that said, most of the area's hotels seem to be ocean front or at least ocean view. Unlike some of the other Jersey Shore locations, you won't found hundreds upon hundreds of lodging options here. Some of these places are open-year round but I find that most of them are not.

One area that I like to visit is the Cape May Harbor & Marina. I love to sit down and watch the boats come and out of the harbor after a long day out on the water. You'll find boats of all sizes coming and going and some of them are definitely worth multi-millions of dollars. Sigh, I can only dream!

As your driving around the town you'll most likely see the famous Cape May National Landmark which is actually their water tower! You can see this tower from most areas around the city. Almost every time we drive by or walk by...I see tourists snapping photos of it, so I decided to grab a picture too!

If you don't mind taking a 5-10 minute drive up towards Wildwood, you can find a place called the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. It's FREE and has free parking. You park your car and walk the trail until you reach the beach which offers some gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean.

There is always something to see and do in Cape May New Jersey! I could seriously visit this coastal town 6 times a year and never get bored. I guess that is why thousands of people call this place home year-round.

Note: You can click on each photo in this travel feature which will open it up in a new browsing window and in an enlarged size. This will allow you to see all of the smaller details up close.