Overview

Cape May is a Victorian resort town. It was the country's first resort town and much of the original flavor still exists in the properties and other sites within the city. The two main industries within Cape May are tourism and fishing. Being at the confluence of the Delaware River into the Atlantic allows Cape May full access to many types of fishing opportunities.

Get In

By plane
The nearest large airports to Cape May are Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), in Baltimore, Maryland and Newark International. From these airports you will either have to fly to the smaller airport in Atlantic City and drive for about an hour, or drive directly, which will take approximately three hours.

By car
Drive time to Cape May is about three hours drive from the New York City metropolitan area and from Baltimore, Maryland.

By boat
Cape May has complete harbor access from the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. It is on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, so it is accessible to boaters from Key West, Florida to Boston, Massachusetts. It is also possible to take a ferry from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May.

Attractions

 • Bird Observatory -- If birds are your thing, Cape May is the mid-atlantic answer to the Everglades. The wind currents carry migratory birds out over Cape May, so it is one of the best birding spots on this part of the East Coast (USA). Everything from ospreys to herons, to gulls, plover and sand pipers, birding in Cape May is an attraction all by itself.
 • Cape May Lighthouse -- the third lighthouse built on this spot, the current lighthouse is now owned and operated by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC), and is being restored to its former glory. 199 steps will take you to the top of the lighthouse where you can see views of Cape May and beyond. The light from this one hundred fifty-seven and a half foot lighthouse can be seen from twenty to twenty five miles out to sea.
 • Cape May Point Flag Ceremony -- There is a poignant flag lowering ceremony, daily at sunset, at the Cape May Point (the southern shore of the peninsula) in honor of service men and women.
 • Cape May County Zoo -- bike from Cape May or drive to the zoo and see lions, tigers, bears, giraffe, zebras, and many other animals.
 • Dolphin and Whale watching -- some of the boat owners guarantee aquatic mammal sightings on every trip. Dolphins seem to be the normal sighting, as hundreds of dolphins summer around Cape May. Whales & Bottle-nosed dolphins are part of the whale family, so I guess those count as whale sightings. Two or three hour boat rides are common.
 • Salt Marsh -- Take a tour of this Atlantic coastal Salt marsh aboard one of the area's boats. For example, aboard the (tel: (609) 884-3100) which will take you on a journey in search of one of the many creatures that live within the salt marsh. (also  ) The Skimmer is named after one of the many shore birds that live in the area.

Dining

Budget
There are good places to eat on nearly every corner. Good pizza and lots of good Italian food. Seafood and burgers are easily found at budget prices, though it might be wise to search for seafood at mid-range prices and above.

Mid-range
There are many places where it is possible to get very good food (esp. sea food) at reasonable prices. One can buy fish right off the boats coming in from the day's fishing.

Splurge
Check out the yacht clubs and other expensive restaurants.

Links

Cape May History

Get around

Cape May is a relatively small town, compared with other mid-Atlantic and southern United States resort communities.

Activities

 • Bike -- Cape May is still a relatively small town (in diameter) so biking is a very practical way of getting around. There are a number of bicycle rental places within Cape May, where you can rent everything from the average one-speed two-wheeler to a four-wheeler that seats four and includes a basket for your beach toys or shopping bags.

 • Fish fresh water fishing can be had in the river, and the surf and open ocean allow for many more (surf and deep sea) fishing opportunities.

 • Kayak -- take a sea kayak on a ride, and explore the many nooks and crannies of the salt marsh.

 • Swim -- in the ocean along the long Cape May beaches

 • Walk -- the boardwalk, or throughout town. Lots of Cape May can be reached by foot. Walking is the preferred method of travel for many Cape May residents and visitors.

Get out

Wildwood, the town on the other side of Cape May Harbor (up the peninsula) has a long boardwalk and several large areas with amusement park rides. There are at least four roller coasters. It all gets busy later in the evenings, especially on Friday.