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Wonderful South Jersey Coast
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Real Travel Adventures International Magazine
Flag of New Jersey
Wonderful South Jersey Coast
For a delightful step back into time we chose Cape May in the South tip of New Jersey, a lovely Victorian town which has been for over a century a favorite beach location for nearly a third of the nation's population, tourists from Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York City. Many arrive by Lewes Ferry from Delaware daily and board the comfortable trolleys to get around the town. We elected to stay on historic Jackson Street at Carroll Villa Hotel, the charming bed and breakfast hotel built in 1882, which is featured on the cover of the Cape May booklets and ads. Beautifully renovated from the original 31 rooms to become 22 bedroom units with private baths, each room is uniquely decorated in typical Victorian style and furnished with genuine period antiques, which the owners, Pam and Mark Huber, had great fun collecting from various antique shops and estate sales. The hotel is centrally heated and air conditioned and furnishings were carefully chosen for comfort, charm, and authenticity.
Our room featured a white wicker settee and chairs and lovely lace and quilted appointments, carved antique oak bed and chest, stained glass lamp, and just enough Victorian froo-froo! The modern bathroom had all the amenities we could want. Located in easy walking distance to the pedestrian shopping mall, the trolley tours, and just across the street from the beach, Carroll Villa is an ideal place to stay to experience the charm of this thoroughly Victorian village by the sea. To make reservations you can call 609-884-9619.However, be aware that there are no handicapped facilities and you must carry your suitcases up the stairs to second or third floor bedrooms. If you arrive in a car you will unload your things in the loading zone in front of the hotel and then you'll receive a permit and must park several blocks away in the City Parking lot.
The Mad Batter Restaurant, widely known for its excellent food, is part of Carroll Villa. In fact, you can locate the hotel by the Restaurant's famous yellow and white striped awnings. If you're an early riser, coffee is awaiting you in the parlor, and at 8 AM, a sumptuous breakfast of your choice from fluffy Belgium waffles to Southwestern omelets and many, many other selections is included in your stay at this lovely B&B. Fresh-squeezed orange juice and homemade breads and muffins will delight you while you await your breakfast order on the wide hotel verandah. For lunch or dinner you can dine in the large patio/garden dining room where the full menu of delicious selections includes many specialties prepared by excellent chefs. The full bar also has lots of seating for meals and a cozy little Victorian parlor for more intimate visits around the fireplace.
The restaurant was the dream-made-reality of the owner, Harry Kulkowitz, who began in the seventies, with his partner Vickie Seitchik, to collect ideas and decor for his restaurant and a few years later purchased the Villa also. He and his family have striven to make this a highly-acclaimed eating establishment and one of the few remaining truly Victorian Bed and Breakfast Hotels in Cape May. Be sure to eat in this excellent restaurant, whether or not you stay in Carroll Villa. Both the hotel and restaurant are open year-round except a few weeks after New Year's.
There are many festivals in Cape May throughout the year, so we came to enjoy the spring Music Festival, which is here in May and June each year. Several nights a week famous performers come to the Convention Center of Cape May to perform. The excellent programs feature varied repertories by well-known musicians, so you can choose the ones that meet your preference in music for most enjoyable evenings. (For information about Cape May and the festivals you can call 800-275-4278 or 609-884-5404)
Washington Street Pedestrian Mall is a delightful array of unique shops and boutiques which will capture the fancy of any shopper and offer many perfect gifts and items to take home. The Mall is also the location for the kiosk where you purchase tickets for most of the tours you'll want to take. Our first was the Combination Trolley Tour of the East Side and the Emlen Physick Estate.
The Trolley tour is the perfect way to learn about Cape May's history. We toured for a half-hour learning about the many beautiful houses featuring several different styles of historic architecture, many designed by famous architects. We saw fine examples of Gothic Revival, Italianate, Early Victorian, and late Victorian, Queen Anne, Shingle Style, Colonial Revival, Mansard, and Stick Style architecture…and some of the old homes had combined several of these styles or added them through the years. It was educational and fascinating and the homes are unbelievably beautiful in their excellent restoration. There have been many fires and much destruction through more than three centuries of life here. In fact the whole of this East End of Cape May was destroyed by a fire in November of 1878. Fortunately, no lives were lost as the fire, fanned by high winds, occurred after the tourist season. The West side was saved by wetting down the structures before the fire hit. Only one hotel and one house in the East side survived. By 1882 much of the re-building had already occurred and most of the homes we saw on the trolley tour had been completed before 1900.
We found it amazing that so many wooden structures still stand, in spite of another century which included gas lights and coal fireplaces, hurricanes, floods, and lightning.
Our guide referred to many of these two and three story buildings as mobile homes! She explained that many times in the history of the city these homes have been moved from their original locations. When the Cape Shore shifted and the beach front properties started sinking into the sea, these Victorians loaded them onto logs and moved them away from the beach by mule teams! In the 1950' and `60's, when much of the town had fallen into disarray and many of these fine old homes had become dilapidated, enterprising investors bought them for $1 and moved them by more modern methods to a new location before renovating and restoring them. Consequently, you may see Federal style next to Victorian or additions of one period of architecture onto another.
We disembarked at The Emlen Physick Estate, the only completely restored house museum in Cape May. In the late 1960's this mansion was condemned and was to be torn down but an energetic group of local citizens who loved the history of the area and were determined to save it, joined together, purchased the estate, and spent years collecting funds and working hard to restore the Physick Mansion to its original state as designed by one of the world's top ten architects of the period, Frank Furness. That same group of determined citizens is now known as Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, a non-profit organization funded partially by the state of New Jersey and by grants and other donors, and is largely responsible for many of the historical renovations in Cape May County. MAC workers and volunteers lead the tours and implement much of the tourism and local events in the area. They do one of the best historical and tourism group efforts of any we have encountered around the United States. Whatever you do when you are in Cape May will be enhanced because of their efforts.
We learned a lot about Victorian furnishings on the Physick House and Museum Tour, noting that the Furness trademark, a series of parallel straight lines called “reading,” is carved into the woodwork of the house itself and in the many pieces of furniture he also designed for the interior. In some pieces the Furness design also includes concentric circles called bullets. Of course, in typical Victorian fashion, too much “busyness” in the home's décor, both within and without, is never enough. The architect had enthusiasm for his exterior “stick” design, and this home is one of the best examples of this style of architecture in the United States.
Following the tour we enjoyed shopping in the MAC Museum Shop in the 1876 Carriage House, behind the main home where exhibits change frequently and are always most enlightening and in keeping with Victorian Era.
We went onto the beautiful Garden Patio for luncheon in The Twinings Tearoom. Lunch or Afternoon Tea here is an absolute must when you are in Cape May. Chef Matthew Ryan makes certain your selections are prepared fresh from unusual and tasty recipes and each plate is beautifully presented, photo-worthy. Your luncheon begins with your choice of Twinings Teas, hot or cold, and a plate of homemade sweet muffins and nutbreads while you attempt to choose from the impressive menu. Your luncheon menu ($16.50, daily from 11:30 a.m.) includes rich, yummy soup; a choice of several crisp and unusual salads; four sandwich selections from the sampler array of most delicious and innovative fillings and homemade breads; and an impossible choice of exquisite desserts. For the conscientious diners, low-carb selections are also available. 
Elegant Afternoon Tea ($14.50, Daily with seatings from 2 - 3 p.m.) is just as impressive and delicious, and some weary tourists linger for several hours in this peaceful, green setting, watching little birds stopping in the lovely adjacent garden and woodland. Opened in 1999, this is the only Twinings Tearoom in the United States and is operated in coordination with Twinings of Britain. You may call 609-884-5404 Ext. 138 for reservations. The Physick Estate is at 1048 Washington St.Following lunch you can walk or ride the trolley back to Washington Street Pedestrian Mall to the MAC ticket kiosk to get another trolley for your narrated tour of the West Side of Cape May's Victorian homes. On the tour you'll learn a lot about the history of Cape May and about the history or architecture in America. If you prefer to walk, MAC offers audio tours with little recorders which you can use for the day. You walk around the historic districts wherever you wish and just punch in the address to hear the history of that building. This is a marvelous innovation in self-guided tours. Just across the street from the MAC kiosk you can also get a horse-drawn carriage ride for your whole family. In late afternoon and early evening this is a romantic way to experience the Victorian Era.
Your trip to Cape May will not be complete without going about ten minutes drive to Cape May Point to see the famous Cape May Lighthouse (10a.m. to 4 p.m.) This lighthouse is one of the few working lighthouses which offer a tour. Admission to the Orientation and grounds is free; the Tower tour is $5 for adults and $1 for children. You can climb the 199 steps to the top for a magnificent 360 degree view on the “catwalk” outside. You will get beautiful photos of the Jersey Cape where the Delaware River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The iron steps are the original from 1880's, joined to a central iron pole. These were added one at a time as the builders created the curved brick double walls by standing on these same steps forming the circular staircase. Call the phone numbers above to inquire about public transportation if you do not have a car. There are six rest stops en route to the top, created with windows which now have informative displays and explanatory markers. These rest stops were placed there, not for the convenience of tourists, but for the lighthouse keeper to rest as he hauled the more than forty pound containers of kerosene up to the light each day. During the night three keepers rotated four-hour shifts to tend the burning of the five-inch cotton wick, which in the earlier two lighthouses at this site used spermwhale oil in the early 1800's. By 1850's whales were scarcer and until the 1870's lard was burned.
The huge Fresnel lens rotated around the light, turned by a weight and pulley system similar to that on a grandfather's clock, magnifying the brilliance of the firelight and projecting it 17 miles out to sea on a fifteen second schedule. The number of seconds of the light told nighttime sailors where along the coastline they were located. In the daytime the unique color pattern of each lighthouse gave the same information. By the time this lighthouse was erected in the 1880's kerosene had been discovered and soon became the fuel of choice. By the 1930's lighthouses were electrified and the beam of this one could be seen 23 miles out to sea. In the 1990's the Fresnel lens was replaced. Be sure to watch the explanatory film in the gift shop before climbing the lighthouse steps. For more information on Cape May click here.We crossed the bridge to go North to The Wildwoods, NJ. In just ten minutes we advanced from 1880 to 1950's, like entering a time warp! 
As we found our Starlux Hotel, we felt like we were being instantly flipped into our childhood and also entering Toon Town. What fun and what a contrast! We slept late in our queen bed in our funky Starlux Hotel apartment suite. At the Starlux we could have chosen to stay in an authentic 1960's Airstream Motor Home parked on its "campground" near the Hotel's beautiful swimming pool and Jacuzzi. (Phone: 609-522-7412; FAX: 609-522-9408).
As we found our Starlux Hotel, we felt like we were being instantly flipped into our childhood and also entering Toon Town. What fun and what a contrast! We slept late in our queen bed in our funky Starlux Hotel apartment suite. At the Starlux we could have chosen to stay in an authentic 1960's Airstream Motor Home parked on its "campground" near the Hotel's beautiful swimming pool and Jacuzzi. (Phone: 609-522-7412; FAX: 609-522-9408). 
The Wildwoods' heyday was in the 1950's and 60's and then it became dilapidated and neglected until some enterprising citizens in the 1990's saw the great opportunity for urban renewal and tourism development as the trendy place for Baby Boomer's to return to their youth. The family has owned the three Morey's Piers amusement parks, with over 150 rides and attractions right on the beach. These have operated through the years and have always been popular with young people. (For info and group sales call 609-522-3900, Ext 139).
These amusement parks gave the perfect impetus to revival of the entire area. Now owned and operated by the second generation, Will and Jack Morey, these wonderful piers extend about a half mile from the boardwalk to the ocean and are filled with fun things to do. In addition to the exciting rides there are two wonderful water parks and many games, shops, and eateries. 
For a really tasty lunch or dinner at the beach stop at Jumbo's on the Middle Pier and be sure to visit the MAC gift shop nearby for your 50's and 60's memorabilia and toys. Completely and carefully renovated and maintained, these piers are now the perfect place for family fun for all ages, as well as the most popular venue for Spring Break and Graduating Senior Week-ends.
Open on week-ends almost year-round and nightly during summer and holidays, the parks offer family of four all inclusive tickets for one to three days for between $100 and $200 dollars, making it a great family vacation spot. The clean and beautiful yellow sandy beach is a full half-mile wide before reaching the rolling waves of the mighty Atlantic Ocean.
Where this DooWop city's renewal is complete there are funky, brightly colored pictures of waves and huge bare footprints created into the stone pavers of the streets and sidewalks leading to the beach. Fun plastic palm trees line many walks and metal ones name the streets. You can find any type of accommodation to rent for overnight, weekly, or monthly, and more are being renovated each month. The Doo Wop Preservation League is fostering awareness, appreciation, and education of the popular culture and imagery of the 1950's and 60's. There is construction everywhere as builders raise and re-created this part of the Mid Atlantic Seaboard to be the most popular playground for fun and sun, yet it is still affordably priced, whether you're on vacation or moving in to stay.
If Morey's Piers are not open on the evenings you're there, or if you want a change of pace, go ten minutes away for your nightlife back in Cape May, where you'll have trouble selecting from the many, many renowned and excellent restaurants.
For another fun-filled evening we highly recommend Elaine's Famous Dinner Theater, voted one of the top five original dinner theaters in America by the Food Network. Ron and Terry`s 
hilarious dinner theater at Elaine's Victorian Inn. You can choose from two different style evenings at the same location. One is Haunted Mansion Theme Restaurant, which is great fun and you'll be sure to see a painting wink at you or maybe even encounter the friendly resident ghost, Emily. Your other choice, the Dinner Theater, includes a delicious three-course dinner from an elaborate menu of selections from New York strip steak to scallops and shrimp in champagne sauce. The superb meal is followed by a hilarious melodrama filled with double entendre and comic operetta singing. Our waiters and waitresses became the actors and actresses, and the evening was great fun. Afterwards you can sign up for an hour-long walking ghost tour of the haunted areas of the town. (Call 609-884-4358 for reservations.) Located at 513 Lafayette Street, it fills each night, so make your reservations early.
hilarious dinner theater at Elaine's Victorian Inn. You can choose from two different style evenings at the same location. One is Haunted Mansion Theme Restaurant, which is great fun and you'll be sure to see a painting wink at you or maybe even encounter the friendly resident ghost, Emily. Your other choice, the Dinner Theater, includes a delicious three-course dinner from an elaborate menu of selections from New York strip steak to scallops and shrimp in champagne sauce. The superb meal is followed by a hilarious melodrama filled with double entendre and comic operetta singing. Our waiters and waitresses became the actors and actresses, and the evening was great fun. Afterwards you can sign up for an hour-long walking ghost tour of the haunted areas of the town. (Call 609-884-4358 for reservations.) Located at 513 Lafayette Street, it fills each night, so make your reservations early.On a starry night you must go for the breath-taking (pun intended) climb to the top of Cape May Lighthouse to see the most stars you have ever seen and to be a part of lighting the way for the ships up to twenty-three miles out at sea. It is an awe-inspiring experience you and your children will be recalling for years. Call before 4 PM to check the schedule.
We went for a three-mile walk on the beautiful beach and found the ocean was a pleasant temperature and the wide beach of sand is beautiful. The state of New Jersey is exceptionally ecologically-minded and conscientious about keeping the beaches and the ocean clean. On all the beaches the ocean is checked very frequently and beaches are closed if there is the slightest contamination, so tourists can safely enjoy these waves. These beaches are quite full during July and August and Labor Day week-end, since area children are out of school during those months. However, in June and September these beaches are the perfect vacation spot for people to come by plane or train for destination vacations. There is something for everyone.For a closer glimpse of the fifties and sixties and all the neon relics peak into the DooWop Museum in The Wildwoods. We met the neon artist Ted, who is largely responsible for rescuing the old neon signs from destruction. He also creates new works in neon lights. The museum is not really a museum yet but has great plans for preserving the mid-twentieth century memorabilia.
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