Planning a Cape May Vacation

Planning a Cape May vacation can be so much fun! I‘m a planner by nature—always have been. Apparently, I passed the genes on to my daughter because she’s a planner too!  I think things flow more smoothly and there is far less stress. I realize that not everyone is a planner—which is why I love to help others plan. If you need help, check out my Cape May Vacation Planner. Cape May is the type of place that almost demands a certain level of planning. Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, restaurants, events, and activities book up far in advance during the busy season.

When to visit…

Of course, the most popular time to visit is when the weather is beach weather.  Not surprisingly, Memorial Day to Labor Day is high season. However, we love to come in both the spring and the fall as well. Most restaurants, shops and activities are open, and it is quieter and calmer. Christmas time is also wonderful in Cape May and the Christmas parade is a sight to see! Whenever you decide to go, advanced planning is key in order to have the very best options.

Hotels, Motels, and Bed & Breakfasts

There’re several things you’ll want to take into consideration, just like any vacation destination. What‘s your budget and how flexible are you with it? What type of location do you want: quiet and calm or right in the middle of the action; right by the beach or walking/driving is ok; kid friendly or doggie friendly; a pool or a restaurant on site. One question that’s pretty unique to Cape May—do you mind if its haunted?

Cape May really does have a range of options from quaint motels to luxury hotels, to charming and romantic Bed & Breakfasts. I can honestly say we have stayed in every type and love them all for different reason. I have a partnership with Booking.com that makes this easier to navigate. I invite you to try it out and book your next stay here.

Rental Properties

I created a whole guide on how to find a great rental property in Cape May and it is completely FREE! There is a lot to think about and they can be quite pricey, so choosing wisely is important.

Restaurants & Bars & Such

Cape May really is a great restaurant town. There’s such a wide variety of places to eat from true fine dining to grab and go. There’s also quite a bit of outdoor spots with different vibes from ocean view to garden-like. BYOBs are another great feature of the Cape May restaurant scene—they’re everywhere. If you want to make reservations try OpenTable or Resy. Here’s just a small peak as some of the options in Cape May (if there’s an * it’s also a BYOB):

Fine Dining: Washington Inn, Ebbitt Room, Union Park*, 410 Bank Street*, Primal*, Peter Shield’s* and Vintage*, Grana and more…

Upscale Casual: Fins, George’s*(two locations), Oyster Bay, YB*, Pier House, Sea Salt, The Mad Batter, Blue Pig and more…

Casual: Rusty Nail, Delaney’s Ugly Mug, McGlade’s on the Pier*, Harry’s, Boiler Room, Carney’s, Elaine’s and more…

Very casual/grab and go (none sell alcohol): Hot Dog Tommy’s, Key West Tacos, La La Lobster, Jake’s Pizza, Blue Moon Pizza, Taco Cabillito and more…

Bars (some are part of restaurants): The Brown Room, The Barefoot Bar, The Virginia Hotel, Congress Hall on the lawn, Elaine’s, The Ugly Mug, Fins, The Blue Bar, Harry’s and more…

Ice Cream—here is a prior post to get the scoop (pun intended).

Coffee Shops—same as with ice cream prior post to get the details.

Activities

Once again, there’s so much to cover, and I’ve written posts on lots of it. The beach is the main attraction, of course, but don’t stop at just going to the beach! There’s adult stuff, kid stuff and even doggie stuff. Following is just a sample of possible things to do.

More Adult focused: shopping, wineries, distilleries, breweries, golf, birding and more…

More kid focused: zoo, Beach Plum Farm, Sunset Beach, NAS Aviation Museum and more…

Doggie friendly: check out my post for all the doggies stuff in Cape May!

Whether you are a seasoned visitor or a newbie to Cape May, planning can be the game changer from frantic to fun! My Cape May planner is just the ticket to allow you to have a relaxing and awesome vacation. Are you a planner or a winger? Do you like itineraries or go with the flow? Let me know!