Cape May

      Thursday, July 6, 2023: I have visited the town of Cape May in Cape May County, New Jersey for much of my life! As a child in the 1960s, my parents would take my brothers and me to the beach, and in the ‘70s, my parents and I would visit my aunt who owned a bed & breakfast house there. During those years, I would walk along the Promenade (the former boardwalk) and browse at the shops on Beach Avenue that ran parallel to the Promenade-- and sometimes buy a few things, as well as play at the arcades and sometimes get a snack. As America’s oldest seaside resort, Cape May didn’t have amusement rides or games of chance like Wildwood, but into the 1980s and ‘90s, when I visited as an adult, I did get to see more of what made Cape May unique: the Victorian-Gothic buildings in all their bright pastel colors. One of the best ways to get a better look has been to take the trolley tours. For more information, contact the following: Cape May MAC (Museums, Arts, and Culture), 1048 Washington Street (609-884-5404). In addition to its Victorian buildings, promenade, and beach, Cape May also has had a few museums, a nature center, and chances to go fishing & crabbing, as well as a convention center, some nightlife, and a few theaters. On the date above, I visited the Sunset Pavilion located at either the beginning or end of the Promenade on Beach Avenue in the southern-most part of Cape May for some great views of the beach and ocean. Throughout the year, the town has played host to different events for the whole family. Before Atlantic City replaced it as the number one attraction in NJ, as far back as the early 1800s, Cape May was the place to visit in NJ.