Cape May Beach

Cape May has been a celebrated beach resort since the early 19th century, making it one of America's oldest seaside resorts. The town's entire Victorian-era core is a National Historic Landmark District — an extraordinarily well-preserved collection of over 600 Victorian homes featuring elaborate gingerbread woodwork, wrap-around porches, and colorful exteriors. The juxtaposition of this architectural grandeur with the Atlantic Ocean backdrop makes Cape May unlike any other beach town in America.

The beach at Cape May is wide, well-maintained, and notably cleaner and calmer than beaches further north on the Jersey Shore. The strategic position at the very tip of the Delaware Bay peninsula, where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic, creates warmer-than-expected water temperatures on the bay side and classic Atlantic surf on the ocean side. Beach badge fees apply from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Hunt for Cape May diamonds — beautiful quartz crystals tumbled smooth by the bay — on the Delaware Bay beaches at Sunset Beach, a beloved local tradition.

Cape May is recognized as one of the top birding destinations in North America. The Cape May peninsula funnels millions of migrating birds each fall — more than 400 species have been recorded here. The Cape May Bird Observatory draws dedicated birders from around the world. Monarch butterfly migrations are equally spectacular in September and October, with thousands of butterflies congregating in the beach area vegetation before crossing Delaware Bay.