The Nature Center Museum at Cape May Point State Park

Cape May Point State Park is home to the world-famous Cape May Lighthouse, but did you know that there are other fun things to do while you're there? You'll find a small nature trail, a hawk watching deck, a small lake with a ton of wild swans living in it, a bay front beach, picnic pavilions, the World War II Bunker on the Beach, and the Nature Center Museum.

Visiting the nature trails, hawk watching deck, picnic pavilions, beach and nature center are all free! That's right, FREE! If you want to walk around the Cape May Lighthouse that's free too. The ONLY thing that costs at the park is if you want to enter the lighthouse and climb up to the top. There's a small gift shop if you want to shop for souvenirs.

The Nature Center Museum is a few yards away from the Cape May Lighthouse. It's a small building and is clearly marked. Cameras are welcomed inside. You'll find FREE handicap and regular parking right outside in the large parking lot that is used by all visitors to the park.

Once inside you'll find several aquariums with live snakes, turtles, and hermit crabs. They all look well cared for with spaceous and clean aquariums. The lighting inside this building is poor...in my honest opinion, so I couldn't get really nice photographs of the exhibits. 

As you walk along you'll find information plaques and educational boards hanging on the walls. They're loaded with a lot of information on the area's animals and habitat. I never knew that Cape May had several species of snakes living in the area! You'll also learn a little bit on the history of Cape May Point.

If you're a history and war buff...you can learn about the World War II Bunker that sit right on the beach...steps from the water's edge. There's an entire information section on that inside the little museum (see photo above). If you want to see the bunker itself...go outside and head toward's the beach. You'll find a sandy path that leads you right to it.

One of my favorite exhibits was the one on seashells. I've been collecting shells for the past 35 years and have over 600+ in my personal collection. Their seashell exhibit showcases mostly the shells that can be found along the New Jersey coast and in the Delaware Bay. There's a few shells from other locations too. I really enjoyed seeing that display!

We spent about 20-25 minutes in the Nature Center Museum at Cape May Point State Park. It's free to visit and only takes a few minutes to go through. A nice activity to do with the kids...especially on a rainy beach day when you're looking for things to do!