After watching the video of John and Tara’s trip to Cape May, NJ, I decided to head over—without a boat. If you’re looking for a charming coastal town not too far away from the Bay that goes all-out for Fall, look no further! The historic town looks like the set of a Hallmark movie.
A friend and I hopped on the ferry in Lewes, DE after booking our ticket online. The drive from Annapolis was scenic and relaxing, passing through small towns along the Eastern Shore. Once we arrived at the ferry terminal, I was surprised to find a large, modern facility. A waterfront restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating was adjacent to the terminal.
The process to board was seamless and the instructions to drive onto the ferry were easy to follow. Once parked onboard, we hopped out of the car and headed up the stairs to find multiple decks and plenty of seating inside as well as out on the deck. The crossing takes just under an hour and half and snack bars serve hot and cold food and drinks—there’s even a gift shop.
Debarkation was just as easy and quick. We made our way into downtown Cape May, which was just minutes away. Our room at The Virginia Inn was thankfully ready by the time we arrived at the hotel. Our room was on the third floor of the Pink Cottage. Constructed in 1891 it is one of the town’s famous “Seven Sisters,” identical cottages built by a wealthy local builder for his seven daughters.
The quiet, ocean view room was small but bright and had a spacious, luxurious bathroom.
For our first adventure, walked to the Emlen Physick House, where we had a tour already booked. We kept the car parked during our trip and walked everywhere—except to the whale watching tour. It took us just under 20 minutes to get to the house. There are so many historic, Victorian homes that the walk is almost a tour in and of itself.
The guided tour took 45 minutes. We walked through the first and second floors of the home and learned about the architect, Frank Furness. The home is considered one of the best examples of Victorian Stick-style architecture in the country. The estate—built in 1879—was home to Dr. Emlen Physick, Jr., along with his mother and aunt. Following the tour, you are brought to a gallery with an exhibit set up and a gift shop.
Before you retire for the night, the Virginia Inn asks that you fill out your preferences for an included, table service breakfast in the morning in the main hotel. We had the choice of the hotel porch, restaurant or charming parlor in which to enjoy breakfast. The first day, we chose the porch and had the whole place to ourselves at 8:30AM. An unexpected delight was the quiche of the day, which had bacon, spinach and cheese. We agreed it was the best quiche we have ever tasted and was actually the favorite thing we ate during the entire trip (which says a lot because we had a lot of good food). (Tip: Try the beet juice!).
After luxuriating on the porch over breakfast, we wandered over to Washington Square, which is a shopping area covering multiple blocks. The streets are blocked to traffic and there are many shops, galleries and restaurants. You could easily spend a few hours there.
After lunch at Mermaids (the service and view were great) we had tickets for a trolley tour of the Historic District. That lasted about 45 minutes and was quite enjoyable. Our guide kept up a steady stream of interesting facts about town events, history and mostly, the buildings we passed.
After hearing that the food in our hotel restaurant—The Ebbitt Room—was fabulous, we dined there that evening. A pianist was performing and the adjacent lounge was packed with people enjoying a drink before dinner. I started with my usual, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and my companion had a vodka martini he said was quite good. We split the Beach Plum Farm deviled eggs appetizer. Our server explained that the filling of the eggs changes regularly. That day, one of the eggs had chicken salad, while another had crab. They were all delicious. I decided to get the beef tartare appetizer and the potato puree side as my meal. Both were excellent. My friend ordered the chicken, which he said was well seasoned and perfectly cooked. We were both too stuffed for dessert (plus, we may have had a few purchases from the gourmet candy shop in Washington Square waiting in the room).
After dinner, we walked around town, taking in the seasonal decorations and crisp air. The town was clean and felt very safe. We were delighted to discover that many venues have live music, and we could hear the sounds as we wandered the streets.
The next morning, we found out our whale tour had again been rescheduled, so instead we walked along the shore at Sunset Beach, searching for “Cape May diamonds.” The “diamonds” are water-tumbled, transparent or frosted quartz pebbles. We were able to amass quite a pile. At the beach are two large gift shops, as well as a restaurant.
We arrived very early for our whale tour which had been pushed back to the afternoon, so we grabbed lunch down the street at Lucky Bones Backwater Grille. I had the brick oven Margherita pizza and my companion had the fish tacos. Both were good.
We DID spot whales—and dolphins— on our 3-hour whale watching tour, operated by Cape May Whale Watcher (when you spot them take a photo and send it to HappyWhale.com). The captain and his crew did a great job of navigating us close to both, while keeping enough distance to keep the whales and dolphins safe. We headed out into the Delaware Bay and then into the Atlantic Ocean. The boat was a lot larger than I expected, complete with a full snack bar and binoculars for rent.
As we packed up to head out of town and catch the ferry home, we both agreed we’d love to come back. Great food, a wonderful inn, lots to see and do in a very walkable, oceanfront town made for a perfect vacation. But what made it extra special: The people. Almost every person we encountered smiled, nodded or said “hello” as we passed them on the sidewalk. Shopkeepers greeted you warmly and were happy to chat. Tour guides had infinite patience and happily answered questions. Servers took the time to find out where you were from and what you were hoping to see while in town (please say “hello” to Miroslav at Lucky Bones if you stop in for a meal). When a loose dog was spotted in traffic outside of a gift shop, an employee ran out with a leash to help make sure we could keep him out of traffic (Thank you, Sunset Beach Gift Shop, for caring!).
Maybe I really HAD wandered onto the set of a fall-themed Hallmark movie…
