Our Top 10 Cape May Recommendations
Here are our favorite things to see and do while visiting in Cape May.
Some are well known, some not so well known. Have a look around as we have included photos, videos, information and links.
They are in no particular order.
Jefferson Street Beach
The closest beach to Cape May Poolside is our favorite, Jefferson Street. Whether you go for a quiet walk along the water’s edge, play with the kids or grandkids, relax on your sand chair with a good book or just gaze at the ocean while watching the dolphins play, there is something for everyone!
Gather up the sand toys, beach chairs, blankets and your sunscreen in our beach buggy and head for a day at the beach. Enjoy the nice ocean temperatures while you soak up the sun. This beach is four tenths of a mile from Cape May Poolside, an easy walk or bike ride. You can use one of our four beach tags for easy entrance and store your beach stuff in our beach box located directly on the beach. It couldn’t be easier! Restrooms and food vendors for sandwiches, snacks, cold drinks and ice cream treats are close by! We love that it is convenient, very family friendly and the lifeguards are the best! Relax & enjoy!
Washington Street Mall
Located in the “heart of Cape May”, the Washington Street Mall offers unique shops for gifts and souvenirs, fine dining, casual dining and a fun place for ice cream while you relax on a bench and people watch.
This “no car” street mall is a favorite for young and old whether it is for a morning stroll and coffee at one of the local shops (Coffee Thyme is our favorite!) or entertainment after a day at the beach, you will find tourists and locals here. Music is provided at Rotary Park throughout the summer or just window shop at the local shops for those unique treasures to use as gifts or a souvenir. Kids love the water fountains where they can throw pennies and “make a wish” (our grandson’s thrill along with ice cream and sprinkles!)
Parking in and around the mall is difficult during the summer, so it is an added bonus that it is an easy mile walk or bike ride away! You will pass many Victorian homes along the way, as well as horse & carriage tours!
Be sure to visit the Visitor’s Booth at the end of the mall for information and tickets to the various tours and events happening in the area and to pick up your map and coupons!
Cape May Winery & Vineyard
Cape May Winery & Vineyard is a great place to have adult beverages and conversation with friends and family any time of year. The atmosphere is just the beginning….
Tastings and tours are offered at this beautiful winery. Check their website for their website for a list of events. Music is offered often in the summer and even in the offseason at times. Check them out even on a rainy day!
Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery
Our favorite winery in the area is only a short drive away, located in Rio Grande, NJ. They offer year round tastings and tours leading you through every step of the wine making process.
Hawk Haven has so much besides a great selection of wines and gorgeous scenery! Their entertainment lineup and special events are limitless. Watch for Saturdays on the Crushpad, Sangria Sundays, Rootstock, seasonal Wine Trail Weekends as well as the Cape May Wine & Music Festival to name a few!
Be sure to bring the kids too! They have a huge sandbox and virgin drinks available for the kids and new or expecting moms!!
Willow Creek Winery
Willow Creek Farm & Winery is known to be the newest, largest and most beautiful winery on Cape May Island. Open year round for standing wine tastings, tours and special events.
Known best for their “Firepit Fridays” & “Comedy Uncorked”, you will find lots of millennials frequenting this local winery in West Cape May, even in the offseason. They offer wine and sangria tastings, as well as a light tapas menu. Be sure to purchase their growler to save money on their yummy sangrias which change seasonally! You won’t be sorry!
Check out their website for entertainment lineup and special events!
Emlen Physick Estate
The Emlen Physick Estate is Cape May’s only restored Victorian house museum. Guided and self-guided tours are available, as well as a museum shop and cafe.
The grounds of the Physick Estate are home to various outdoor festivals held each year sponsored by MAC, including the Sip into Spring Festival, the HOPS Festival, the Craft and Beer Fest and the Harvest Brew Fest to name only a few. Food and craft vendors abound including entertainment for the kids! Fun for everyone!
Annual Coast Guard Festival
Enjoy a rare treat as Training Center Cape May opens for the public usually held the first weekend in May.
Take a tour of some of the ships docked at Training Center Cape May.
Bring the kids to enjoy face painting, games, animals, bounce house and more.
You can even take one of the hourly Harbour tours on a Pirate Ship.
There will also be: live music, food vendors, community organizations, trolley base tours, helicopter demonstrations, and much more.
Cape May Miniature Golf Course
A vacation at Cape May would be incomplete without a round of miniature golf. Cape May also has several par 3 golf courses and driving ranges nearby but we have not graduated to that level of skill yet so we cannot comment on them.
The golf course is withing walking or biking distance from Cape May Poolside. However, if you want to save your energy for the game, driving there is an option because they do have their own parking lot, which is free.
This course was recently renovated and has been maintained very well. The course itself, as well as the restrooms, are clean. The course is a little more challenging than a lot of other mini golf courses in general because of longer greens and some well placed obstacles but that is what makes it fun.
What would a miniature golf outing with the family or friends be without ice cream afterwards? They have this covered also.
Charter or Surf Fishing
Fishing in Cape May is always fun. Whether you are surf fishing from the beach or taking a charter out to sea, it doesn’t really matter whether the fish are biting or not, just being at the ocean or bay makes for an enjoyable time.
But you never quite know what to expect….
Cape May has many good choices for surf fishing minutes away from Cape May Poolside. I had luck at Poverty Beach, which is right off of Pittsburgh Avenue and at the Cove in the fall when the water starts to cool. Another one of my favorite spots is on the bay side at the Cape May Ferry where fishing off the rocks is possible.
Another popular spot is a short drive away at the lighthouse, near the sunken cement boat.
If you want to take your fishing experience out to sea for several hours, there are many charters at the marina, which is within walking distance of Cape May Poolside, that will take you there. With so many other things to do in Cape May, I only had the opportunity to try out Miss Chris Charters, whose website is linked below.
Cape May Ferry/ On The Rocks Dockside Grille
The Cape May Ferry and the On the Rocks Dockside Grille is only a short drive away and is well worth the trip. There is a lot more going on than taking the Ferry.
In addition to the fishing piers and the beach adjacent to the Ferry, the terminal has a playground for the kids, a miniature golf course and two corn hole courts. There are plenty of picnic tables and benches to enjoy the sun while watching the ferries come and go throughout the day and the sunset in the evening.
During the summer, outdoor concerts are held on the Ferry Greens every Wednesday evening. In addition, On the Rocks Dockside Grille has live music for several hours at various times every other day during the Summer. Life doesn’t get any better when you can enjoy some good food and drink while being entertained.
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