Hotels in Cape May

Cape May: Victorian Shore Town at New Jersey's Southern Tip

Cape May sits at the southernmost point of New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The city holds the distinction of being one of the oldest seaside resorts in the United States, with tourism dating to the 1800s. More than 600 Victorian-era buildings line streets like Carpenter Lane and Hughes Street, earning Cape May a listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a whole district — a rare designation for an entire municipality.

Visitors arrive for the beaches along Beach Avenue, the Washington Street Mall pedestrian shopping corridor, and seasonal whale-watching cruises departing Cape May Harbor. The Cape May Lighthouse, built in 1859 and standing 157 feet tall in Cape May Point State Park, draws climbers for Atlantic panoramas. Birders target the Cape May Bird Observatory each autumn, when millions of raptors and songbirds funnel through the peninsula during migration.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: The Garden State Parkway ends at Cape May; the Cape May-Lewes Ferry connects to Delaware in about 85 minutes.
• Season: July and August bring peak crowds; shoulder seasons (May, September) offer lower rates and mild temperatures.
• Parking: Metered beach-tag lots fill by 9 a.m. on summer weekends — arrive early or use the free remote lot on Lafayette Street.