Cape May, NewJersey - Aug 2023

 

Cape May, New Jersey

There are so many things to do in Cape May, one of the safest towns on the east coast. A local citizen bragged that there is no crime, except a few stolen bikes every year, that tend to get recovered, when the tourist season is over!

Here is a list of my favorite Cape May things to do.

 Sunset Beach ( check and see if they are doing “taps” and the flag lowering ceremony- they used to do it every night but not anymore). It is a nice beach to stroll on and look for Cape May diamonds as you wait for the sun to set.

you can see the sunken concrete ship at Sunset Beach- it was built in 1918. Steel was too expensive during the war so they experimented with concrete- and as you can see it didn't go well. This ship the SS Atlantus got hit by a storm and sunk.  It is now great marine habitat.

You can climb a WWII watchtower.  (99 stairs) There were 15 towers built along the shore watching for the enemy off the coast.

There is also a good grill there to eat lunch or dinner (fairly inexpensive – and a view of the ocean and the concrete sunken ship).

Nearby is the Cape May lighthouse, which was a beacon for the slaves crossing the bay on the Underground Railroad. You can climb the 199 stair lighthouse for a fee.  

 Once you have visited the lighthouse, go over the dunes and see the  WWII bunker that used to be covered in sand (erosion took sand away). You can walk out and explore the bunker. 

There is also a wetlands hike (take the blue trail for a nice 2.25 mile hike) Red and yellow trails are shorter.  All the trails let you see birds, rabbits and great marsh plants- and hopefully no snakes. Most of the hikes are on raised boardwalks- the end of the blue trail is hard dirt and a bit of sand. There are view point platforms along the way as well.

We also visited the Scientific Research Center around the block from the lighthouse. This center just opened. The building was a former convent retreat, a hospital and an old folks home.  Our tour was on the history and biology research going on in Cape May. It was very interesting. But if you had kids with you, you would want to do one of the hands-on classes that they offer.

 

Dolphin watching- I really enjoyed this Cape May Whale Watcher tour.  It starts in the bay side and cruises up a wide canal and then to the bay and then the ocean.  We saw eagles and egrets and tons of dolphins (whales were not in season).  It was cool seeing the  NJ coastline. I usually don’t like things like this – but it was really worth the money- sit UP FRONT!!,      Easy parking in their lot- on Friday the  first boat that goes out is buy one get one half off(must buy at their ticket office.)

  There are many beaches to visit in South Jersey- for most of them you need to buy a day pass, called a beach badge- they check them as you enter the beach from the stairs, or patrols check on the beach- it supports the life guards and the beach cleaners. You can rent chairs and umbrellas at many of the beaches. I really like the beaches right in Cape May and Stone Harbor a few miles north.

 

Cape May MAC (Museums Arts Culture ) has a website for all their tours      

The tour I took through MAC  was The Golf Cart Tour - very informative guide person! Though the carts can sit 6 guests, the 2 in the back will be facing backwards- very hard to see what the guide is talking about, but I survived because I had the back seat to myself, so I could turn around.

Also through MAC I took the Historic Haunts Combo tour - a night time trolley ride past a bunch of haunted homes- with creepy stories (highly recommend -loved it so well done!)  Here the docent was discussing the seances that are done twice a year, in the parlor at the Emlen Physick Estate.

Harriet Tubman Museum (there is a MAC trolley tour that eventually takes you to this museum- but in my opinion, the MAC Tubman tour was just okay- I think the guide didn't know the info well enough to be a guide) but the museum tour was really great. It was given by the deacon of the church next door- he grew up in Cape May, so he had a great perspective and lots of Cape May history tidbits. There are timed dated tickets for this museum.  Buy the tickets for just the museum at their website .

I would have liked to have done the MAC Architecture Tour or the Painted Lady House Tour- both are walking tours. There are over 600 historical houses in Cape May, and most are within walking distance of each other. And many are BnBs or the whole house is for rent!

                                                         

Cold Spring Historic Village-(and Brewery). check their calendar of events, because they have musical festivals and themed weekends that sound great. The village by itself was interesting because all the houses were moved to this tree shaded village from all over NJ- they have docents in each house telling the history of the buildings. I would love to return or a music or theme day.

 You can take a short drive up to the Wildwoods

 You can visit the historical (1873)  The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse and Gardens. You can park for free in their parking lot and view the gardens and walk back to beach seawall for a beautiful stroll with an ocean view.  

Behind the lighthouse we met a man sitting on the bench on the seawall with a binder of history- he was so charming and informative and he didn't have a tip jar, he just wanted to talk history. 

 

The Boardwalk at Wildwood- if you have never been to a Jersey Shore boardwalk, you are in for a treat.  Tons of rides and games and arcades and food. Something for everyone!

Cape May Zoo- Free and really well done 

Cape May Ferry- you and/or your car can go to Delaware for the Day- or continue southward

Pedal Railroad- 4 miles round trip

Cape May Winery - I was told that the Sangria was top notch on a hot summer day!

I would also suggest renting bikes- it is the best way to get around- traffic moves slowly and lots of bike lanes and places to park and lock your bike.

Restaurants- The restaurants in Cape May are pretty pricey. I enjoyed The Ugly Mug in downtown. Be sure to go inside and see the mugs and learn the fisherman history of the mugs.

 I liked The Lobster House. We sat on the boat part of the  restaurant tied to the dock. We watched all the other boats come and go from the marina. The lobster salad roll and a cold beer were great

South 9 (wood fired pizza), 

Exit Zero Filling Station - be advised it opens most days at 3 pm. (except Sat and Sun at noon)

I hope this blog inspires you to consider Cape May N.J. for your next vacation

Venice , in Italy it is called Venezia

 

 

When one thinks of Venice, this is where the imagination goes,

but there is so much more to Venice than a gondola ride.

However, please do take a gondola ride!

Venice is the amazing floating city. It was built from swampy land that contained over a hundred small islands. These islands were difficult to reach and easy to defend.  The settlers drove thousands of larch, alder and oak wood piles into the silt, until they hit clay and built platforms over the swamp. Over time the salt water and lack of oxygen underwater caused the wooden stakes to harden and formed a base for building structures. The small islands became connected by canals and Venice was born. 

 

 

There are no cars in Venice, everyone relies on the canals for transportation. You will see building supplies, food deliveries and packages being carried in by boat.

 

 There are a few ways to get to Venice. You may be taking the train from another Italian City- if so, you will arrive at Venice’s Santa Lucia Station (your train may stop at the Venezia Mestre station- this is NOT where you get off the train- don’t get confused!!) The train arrives right on the Grand Canal. From there you can walk 20 minutes to get to the Rialto Bridge or 27 minutes to St Mark's square (aka San Marco). Or if not walking, you will pass through the train station, out to the Grand Canal and catch a water bus (vaporetto)- the cheapest way to get around.  Your hotel will inform you which vaporetto to take and which stop to get off.  There are also water taxis and gondolas available to take you to your hotel- these are quite expensive, but both are a private way to arrive at your hotel.

 

There are so many reasons to love Venice, but sometimes Venice gets “bad press” about being overcrowded and that bad press is true during the summer months (end of May, June, July, August and first week of September)  San Marco Square, during the day in the summer, is a total madhouse when there are multiple cruise ships in the port and tons of families on vacation.

-My advice is to go to Venice in  mid March, April, the beginning of May, mid to end of September, and the beginning of October   

-I suggest being on the opposite side of the island from San Marco Square during the day, then return to the square for the evening when it isn’t as crowded.

-Plan on 2 -3 nights in Venice if possible

This is San Marco square the third week of March. At this time of year there were not orchestras playing in the evening, but there were no crowds. We had a really great time. 

Here are some pics from my second trip to Venice. These pictures were taken in  San Marco Square the last week of September. It was fun sitting in the piazza sipping wine, or an Aperol Spritz and people watching. Orchestras played in the evening. It was really romantic.

However, Venice does flood. This is also San Marco's Square. You may want to look at a tide chart and a moon phase chart before choosing Venice.  Full moon and high tide, can lead to flooding. Flooding is most likely to occur in November, December and October in that order...but flooding has also occurred from October until March.

*Here are some pictures of what you will see in Venice.

This is the Rialto Bridge, it spans the Grand Canal

Be sure to visit the market near the Rialto Bridge.  You can buy beautiful snacks, cheese and wine for a picnic lunch in Venice or for the train ride to your next destination.

If this were your hotel, you could be dropped off at the dock.

Little back canal streets are charming

Go out for an evening pub crawl

                Dine in small inexpensive restaurants where you can make friends with the locals

Dine in fancy restaurants where other travelers may lend you their reading glasses.

Corte Sconta was our favorite restaurant.

Find the back alleys with the laundry hanging out.

Cross over the wooden Accademia  Bridge

Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Museum

The Doge's Palace is not to be missed

Saint Mark's (San Marco) Basilica - must buy advance tickets

Libreria Acqua Alta ..a super cool- Insta-worthy, bookstore. Don't just take pics, buy something... from notecards to prints to a small book- 

this is the definition of a "small independent business"

You can take an elevator to the top of the Campanile di San Marco- great view

*If you aren't worn out yet, consider day boat trip to see a few of the outlying islands

Murano is famous for its glass.

Burano is famous for its brightly colored houses and shops

Torcello, the origins of Venice- a quiet respite to walk around

The Lido-  is an island close to Venice where you can swim during the summer


I hope that this blog motivates you to visit Venice.  It has so much charm.