A day in Cape May

Cape May proper is about a fifteen-minute drive from The Delford and Fern. You can see the outline of a good day without turning it into a commute. Go late morning. Be back for the bay sunset. That is the shape that works.

Washington Street Mall is the pedestrian blocks of shops in the center of town. It is outdoors, not an indoor mall. Victorian porches, galleries, and a place to get out of a light rain under an awning. It is the easiest hour if someone in the group wants to wander and someone else wants a bench.

The promenade and the beach at the end of town are the ocean version of the day. The sand is wider and the water is the Atlantic, which is a different swim from the bay. In July and August the parking near the beach fills. Have a backup lot in mind, or go on a weekday morning.

Cape May Point and the lighthouse are a little farther, still a short drive, at the tip of the peninsula. The lighthouse is a climb. The state park around it is flat and good for a walk. Do not try the lighthouse, a long lunch, the mall, and a sunset reservation in one Saturday. Pick two.

If the day ends in town, the Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel is the dinner people dress up for. It is small. Book it. The Lobster House, out at Fisherman’s Wharf, is the other classic, louder and closer to the boats. Both are written up in where to eat.

Congress Hall sits on the same beach blocks, a big yellow hotel with a porch that is worth walking past even if you are not staying there. The Blue Pig is the tavern on that property. We are not affiliated with any of these. Hours change. Check the day you go.

Come home along the bay. The light at the houses is the part you cannot get in the middle of town. If the weather turns, the rainy day list is the other version of this trip.