Cape May Family

A favorite of families with young children, the 19-room Buckingham Motel’s prime selling point is its location across from the beach and its green, shady lawn. There are few ocean view rooms, but for good access to town and beach at great rates, this may be your best bet.

Perfect for families spending a week at the shore, The Star Inn has something for groups of every size: a carriage house with two 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartments with large, ocean-view decks; a 9-room inn with a Starbucks on the first floor; and an upgrade on the classic roadside motel, in which all 10 fully-equipped efficiencies have backyard space or a deck. The whimsical accommodations have unexpected touches (note the leopard carpets in the motel) and offer the full beach and spa services of Congress Hall, across the street.

The 113-room Congress Hall, with its Victorian Christmases and prime location across the road from the beach, is one of America’s oldest seaside grand hotels, first opened in 1816 as a “simple boarding house for summer visitors,” and many families make a tradition of staying here year after year. Many of the sunny rooms face the water; thick old walls ensure a quiet night. Your old-timey room key ensures you a cushioned lounge chair and umbrella on the beach, or a comfy poolside chair.

Ping pong, shuffleboard, and a gas BBQ grill make the Capri Motor Lodge, conveniently located across the street from the beach, a great family spot. The 33 rooms with kitchenettes, nine suites, and two townhouses (available by the week) have a modern, beachy feel, with ceiling fans circling lazily overhead (though this is apparently just for effect as A/C is available in all rooms). Note: the motel is closed in the winter months.

Family owned and operated, the 12-room Blue Fish Inn (really a motel), has a heated pool, WiFi, and free parking. Bright, cheery rooms, some with kitchenettes, and free beach chairs and umbrellas make for a relaxing stay. The beach is about seven blocks away.

Sit at a desk in a one-room schoolhouse, look through the goods at a country store, and learn about rural village life in 18th- and 19th-cenutry New Jersey. Interpreters demonstrate everything from basket weaving to blacksmithing at this living history museum, a collection of buildings transported here from across southern New Jersey. Open May 31 to mid-September.

Climb up the three-story observation tower for a good look at the birds, marshes, and landscape of Cape May. An indoor observation center has telescopes; in summer, you can rent kayaks.

This authentic soda fountain counter has been serving egg creams and sandwiches since 1947. The...more

Philadelphia is known as the home of the Liberty Bell and the Constitutional Convention, but it’s also a charming, walkable city with lively bars and tasty Amish food markets.

For a more traditional Jersey Shore experience, head to Ocean City, where you’ll find mini-golf, a marina, an arcade, and almost three miles of boardwalk.