Full of Victorian charm, most of the guest houses on the sea front and in town were built over a hundred years ago. It feels like stepping into the past - into a more genteel and slower-paced world.
Sea, Sand and Shops
The beach at Cape May which winds around the peninsula has been voted the tenth most spectacular beach in the United States. Cape May is not a well-known resort, so the beach is not overcrowded, yet the town offers all amenities a vacationer would desire. There are over 600 renovated Victorian houses in Cape May.
A few steps away from the beach, the shopping mall at Washington Street is not a mall in the modern sense of the word (i.e. many shops under one roof) but a charming street of Victorian houses with shops and restaurants on the ground floor. Here one can look for souvenirs, have a delicious meal, sit at an old-fashioned soda counter or simply walk around, watching the people and enjoying the view.
The Concrete Ship
A few yards from the harbor there is a sunken ship, partly sticking out of the water. There is an interesting story behind this curious spectacle. During World War One twelve concrete ships were built as an experiment. After a few cross-Atlantic voyages, it was decided that the experiment was not a great success, as the ships were too heavy and too slow.
The ship off the coast of Cape May was called Atlantus and it was purchased by Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld to be used as a ferry dock in Cape May. However, on June 8, 1926 a storm hit and the ship broke free of her moorings and ran aground 150 feet off the coast of Sunset Beach where she remains to this day.
The Lighthouse and the Bird Conservation Area
The Cape May lighthouse is the third such construction built on the site. It was built in 1859 and automated in 1946. It is open to visitors, that is to those who are willing to climb 199 steps to be able to enjoy a spectacular view of the sea, the town and the adjoining wetlands.
Next to the lighthouse there is an oil house where originally the oil to light the lighthouse was kept. Today it houses an orientation museum and the lighthouse shop.
Thousands of birds stop at Cape May on their way south or north, depending on the season. In fact, there are birds here that can be viewed all year round. The wetlands are a great place for bird watchers who come here from all over the country.
The World War Two Bunker and Lookout
On the beach at Cape May there is a concrete bunker that was built here during World War Two. It served as a gun emplacement and the turrets on either side held 6-inch guns. Two horseshoe-shaped mounts can be visible at low tide. They were built in 1941 prior to the construction of the bunker itself. They held four 155mm coast artillery guns.
Cape May is a resort that is active all year round and there is always something interesting to do here.
Reference:
Miller, Jen A. The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May. The Countryman Press. Woodstock, Vermont: 2011.
Burcher, Joseph G., Robert Kenselaar. Remembering South Cape May. The History Press. Charleston, SC: 2010.
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