Cape May Editor Picks

Built as a gentlemen’s gambling club in 1872, the beautiful, Italianate Mainstay Inn has been lovingly restored to the period. A broad veranda, complete with porch swings, begs travelers to indulge in a lazy afternoon. There are 12 rooms and an apartment, all with details like hand silk-screened wallpaper and original furniture. Reservations are tough to get – every travel guide of the area mentions the Mainstay – so if your heart is set, book at least two months in advance.

One of the most affordable lodgings with ocean views, the Palace Hotel may be overshadowed by its more stylish Victorian neighbors, but every room has a balcony and many rooms are pet-friendly. So what if the furnishings are Spartan? The location across from the beach, the free WiFi, and the kitchenettes (in most rooms) are all you really need for a successful sun-and-surf vacation anyway.

Dazzling sunsets over open water are accompanied each summer evening by a trumpet playing Taps and the lowering of the flag. When the sun is higher in the sky, search out the “Cape May Diamonds” (small, sparkly quartz crystals that wink up at you from the sand). Those ruins in the water are the remains of the Atlantus, a WWI ship made of concrete.

The outstanding, creatively-prepared seafood at the Ebbitt Room should not be missed. Try the...more

Down home American food is served on the patio or inside a cozy, wooden-floored dining room at...more

The Lobster House, a local favorite, offers fresh seafood at reasonable prices. While...more

Fralinger’s was one of the first places to sell Salt Water Taffy in the U.S., and tourists still take it home by the box-full; but don’t pass up their macaroons, fudge, or the yummy Caramellows (marshmallows covered in caramel).

Roller coasters, carnival games, and water parks stretch along two miles of boardwalk in nearby Wildwood. The five piers combined are said to have more rides than Disneyland – in any case, there are certainly enough thrills to fill a summer day. Small children will enjoy kiddie rides like the flying elephants and bouncing giraffes; teens will get thrills on the twisting roller coasters. Stay until evening for weekly fireworks (Fridays at 10:30pm) during the summer.