Getting There & Getting Around
Cape May, a spit stretching 20 miles offshore between the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, is at the southern tip of New Jersey, about 40 miles south of the Atlantic City Toll Plaza at the end of the Garden State Parkway. NJ Transit buses (tel. 973/275-5555; www.njtransit.com) arrive from Philadelphia and Atlantic City year-round, and from New York City in summer. If you're arriving from points south, you can take the 70-minute Cape May-Lewes Ferry (tel. 800/64-FERRY [643-3779]; www.capemaylewesferry.com), which carries passengers and vehicles between Lewes, Delaware, and Cape May daily year-round (car fare costs $29-$34 one-way; passengers pay $3.75-$9.50).
Cape May can become quite traffic congested, and parking is hard to come by, particularly in summer, so most visitors park their cars for the length of their stay and walk or trolley around town. If you'd like to rent a bike or a four-wheeled surrey for two or for the entire family, stop into Shields' Bike Rentals, 11 Gurney St., just inland from Beach Drive (tel. 609/898-1818), or the Village Bicycle Shop, 605 Lafayette St. (tel. 609/884-8500). You can reserve in advance from Cape Island Bicycle Center, at Beach and Howard streets (tel. 609/898-7368; www.capeislandbikerentals.com). Rentals start at $10 a day for a single-speed bicycle.
Visitor Information
For more information, contact the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May (tel. 609/884-5508; www.capemaychamber.com), or the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce (tel. 609/465-7181; www.capemaycountychamber.com). Information is also available online at www.capemay.com. A staffed information center is at the Ocean View Plaza Rest Area, 1 1/2 miles beyond the Garden State Parkway's Cape May Toll Plaza. The chamber of commerce runs an excellent visitor center a few minutes' drive south, at exit 11 (on the right side of the road after the traffic light).
Special Events & Festivals
Highlights include the Cape May Music Festival, which draws distinguished classical performers from around the globe over 6 weeks in May and June; the Cape May Food & Wine Festival, where open-house food samplings at dozens of participating restaurants consume the better part of a week in late September; hugely popular Victorian Week in mid-October, celebrating the town's heritage with historic house tours and other nostalgic events; and Christmas in Cape May, a whole host of holiday-themed events (including special candlelight house tours) that start in mid-November. For more information on all of these events, call tel. 609/884-5404 or head online to www.capemaymac.org.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
