Hello my fellow Steemians. Family vacations to Cape May, New Jersey have been a tradition for my family for years. My parents used to take us as kids and I remember everything as if it was yesterday. It only seemed right that once I started my own family, this would be the place to go year after year.
Cape May is located at the southern tip of Cape May peninsula in New Jersey. The city was named for 1620 Dutch captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey who explored and charted the area between 1611–1614. In 1878, a five-day long fire destroyed most of the town. When they started to rebuild, the style of homes were reconstructed in a Victorian style. The homes are now mainly Bed and Breakfasts throughout the town.
Tourism is the dominant industry in Cape May. The economy runs on shops, restaurants, lodging, and tourist attractions. The Washingston Street Mall is a quaint strip of shops ranging from stores that sell high end clothing, jewelry, candy shops, and toy stores. The street is adorned with several water fountains and benches to sit and relax. Commercial and sport fishing are also a very important part of this area's economy.
You'll see about 3/4 of the people walking and 1/4 riding bicycles. I found this gem resting along a fence.
When I visit Cape May, eating seafood is one of the top things on my list. This year we tried a few Lobster Rolls. Each place made theirs differently. Our favorite was found at Quincy's. Huge chunks of lobster with herbs and butter on a roll. Amazing!
Cape May is notorious for numerous historical landmarks. One of our favorite places to stop is the Lighthouse. Built in 1859, it stands 157 feet tall and there are 217 steps from the ground to the top, with 199 steps in the tower’s cast iron spiral staircase. My 6 year old and I climbed to the top this year, while my husband and 2 year old stayed below.
If you walk down to the beach from the lighthouse, you can see an old, eerie looking concrete structure. It was never meant to be permanent, but the massive concrete bunker was built as a military structure during World War II and is still sitting out on the beach. When it was built in 1942, the bunker was more than 900 feet or so from the ocean, on high ground. It was covered in sod so as to blend in with the surroundings, which explains why it’s not so pretty today, with the sides exposed. The tide has since changed, though, and it’s impossible to walk under the structure as you once could; the water is always washing up underneath the bunker, which, over the years, appears to be moving out to sea.
If you travel a few more minutes south of the lighthouse, you will come to the end of the road at Sunset Beach. Here, if you look a few hundred feet off shore, you will see something sticking out of the water. It is the SS Atlantus. She is the most famous of the twelve concrete ships built by the Liberty Ship Building Company in Brunswick, Georgia during and after World War I. She was launched in 1918 and retired in 1920. In 1926, the ship was purchased to form a ferry dock, but a storm hit and the SS Atlantus broke free and was run aground where she still stands. The condition continues to deteriorate.
Then
And now
As you make your way to the southernmost tip of Cape May, you'll find Sunset Beach, known for its beautiful view during sunset on the East coast. They have a beautiful flag ceremony with accompanied by music. Here, you will also find the famous Cape May diamonds. Cape May diamonds are quartz pebbles washed down from the upper Delaware River, and worn smooth in the process. People come to Sunset beach to collect these "diamonds" by the jar full. Local gift shops have jewelry for sale that have been cut and polished to resemble real diamonds. I personally like the roughness of the raw, unpolished stone jewelry, which I could only find in a shop in town. They only had the cut and polished stones available at Sunset Beach.
Another attraction is the Whale and Dolphin Watching boat tour. We chose to do the sunset tour this year. It didn't disappoint. We stood on the starboard bow the whole duration of the trip. Our 6 year old held onto the rail the whole time without being told to do so. We were concerned our 2 year old may be afraid or run around, so I carried him in our Lillebaby carrier the whole time. He loved it and didn't cry once. We spotted many dolphins on our trip, but we saw no whales unfortunately. The sunset was gorgeous.
Going
Going
Going
Gone
To end our stay in Cape May, we took a late night walking haunted ghost tour through the town. Our tour guide told us stories of pirates, tragic deaths, and illegal selling of alcohol, to name a few. As we walked the moonlit streets, we stopped at old Victorian houses, shops, hotels, and the sandy beach. My 6 year old is obsessed with spooky things lately, and his main love is watching old Goosebumps shows on Netflix, so this ghost tour was right up his alley.
One of the last places we usually visit is the Cape May County Zoo. The zoo is a non-profit organization and accepts donations as you enter the gate. It has free admission and parking and has lots of exhibits. Some of the main wildlife to see are the giraffes, zebras, lions, reptiles, and birds.
I hope you enjoyed letting me share my family vacation pictures with you. Stop by next time to see where we end up!
