Victorian Week
October 9-18, 2009
Hailed as "A Top 100 Event in North America," the 37th annual Victorian Week is Cape May's 10-day extravaganza of tours and events that celebrate the Victorian lifestyle. For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278.
2009 SCHEDULE
VINTAGE DANCE WEEKEND
Saturday & Sunday, October 10 & 11
Kick up your heels as they did in Cape May more than a century ago. Vintage Dance Instructors will teach you the popular ballroom dances of the mid- and late-19th Century at DANCE WORKSHOPS on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 9:30am to 3pm lead by Susan DeGuardiola. Then, put your newfound expertise to good use at a costumed VINTAGE BALL with live music of the period by Spare Parts at 8pm on Saturday night. On Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1pm enjoy an elegant TEA DANCE with live music. Refreshments are included at the Ball and Tea Dance and Victorian costume is highly encouraged. Every effort will be made to balance the sexes. An all-inclusive package is available or you can purchase events individually. Dance Weekend Package $95; Ball $35; Tea Dance $25; 3 Workshops $45.
While you're resting your feet from dancing, be sure to check out the Temperance Tantrums Dinner and Show!
Saturdays, October 10 & 17: 11am-1pm
These tours take you beyond the doors of a selection of charming private cottages in the Cape May area. Limited to 300 tickets each tour. Admission $15; children (3-12) $10.
VICTORIAN TOUR & TALES
Saturdays, October 10 & 17: 1pm-3:30pm
Encounter costumed Victorians as you stroll the streets of Cape May’s Historic District. Learn about its history and architecture and visit the interiors of six inns, where owners or guides will share their stories. On October 10, includes admission to the Emlen Physick Estate. Limited tour. Admission $20; children (3-12) $15.
Buy Now
VICTORIAN WEEK SAMPLER TOUR
Sunday, October 11: 1pm & 2:30pm
Join a small group of tourgoers on an escorted tour of two of Cape May’s charming inns. A Historic District Trolley Tour is included in your experience. Limited tour. Admission $20; children (3-12) $15.
PHANTOMS of the PHYSICK ESTATE TOUR
Saturday, October 17: 11am-4pm & 6pm-8:30pm
Visit Cape May’s original haunted house! Come to Dr. Physick’s estate for this special self-guided tour featuring a variety of Victorian Halloween happenings including spooky sounds, special effects and scary stuff. Admission $12, children (ages 3-12) $6.
Buy Now
PHANTOMS OF CAPE MAY TOUR
Saturday, October 17: 6pm-8pm
Enjoy a self-guided tour of Cape May’s Victorian treasures with a twist. See them decked out in ghoulish fashion for the Halloween season. Includes admission to the Phantoms of the Physick Estate Tour and a trolley shuttle. Admission $20, children (ages 3-12) $15.
CAPE MAY INNTERIORS TOUR & TEA
Tuesday & Thursday, October 13 & 15: 2pm-4pm
These tours display the interiors of four historic bed and breakfast inns and guesthouses. A refreshing tea, complete with freshly baked delights, is provided at the historic Chalfonte Hotel. Admission $20; children (3-12) $15.
Daily: 10am-3pm and Sunday-Friday: 7pm-9pm
The charming Carpenter Cottage at 511 Franklin St. is this year’s Designer Show House. Take a self-guided tour to see the remarkable transformations and innovative designs that inspire every homeowner’s dreams! Admission $20; children (3-12) $15. Tours can be combined with breakfast, lunch and dinner packages.
CAPE MAY’S DESIGNER SHOW HOUSE & PHYSICK ESTATE COMBINATION TOUR
Monday, October 12: 10am-3pm
21st century designers at the 2009 Cape May Designer Show House and a 19th century family at the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate decorated their respective properties in fashionable styles for their time. Compare the decorative arts during this “then and now” self guided tour of each property. Free trolley shuttle. Admission $25; children (3-12) $18.
Saturday-Monday, October 10-12: 7pm (Saturday, October 10 is sold out!)
Friday October 16: 7pm • Sunday, October 18: 1pm
The new owners of the Blue Feather Café are creating quite a stir in a respectable little Victorian town. According to the town socialites, they’ve turned the old inn into a raunchy cabaret. Their activities, and their new chef from New Orleans, are highly suspicious. Rumors and accusations abound, and then someone drops dead in their dining room. Is it suicide, murder, or perhaps natural causes? Will the sheriff solve the mystery or will you? Join us for an evening of intrigue and laughter, interact with the characters and solve the mystery of "Blood on their Hands" as you enjoy a four-course dinner or three-course luncheon at the Inn of Cape May. Dinner admission $45; luncheon admission $30. Limited event; reservations necessary.
Thursday, October 15: 6pm
Enjoy a five-course gourmet feast, with wine to accompany each course and each course served in one of Cape May’s premier restaurants. A trolley shuttle between restaurants is provided. Reserve early; limited to 34 people! $125 per person (gratuity included).
Buy Now
ANTIQUES and CRAFTS for VICTORIAN WEEK
Saturdays, October 10 & 17: 10am-4pm
Antique vendors and crafters from throughout the region display and sell their wares on the lawn of the Emlen Physick Estate. Find out if your antique is trash or treasure from an appraiser who will be on hand during the afternoon. Free admission.
Saturdays, October 10 & 17: 3pm
Wednesday, October 14: 3pm
Spend the afternoon at the award-winning Cape May Winery, tour the vineyard to see how grapes are grown, and then visit the winery for an introduction to the wine-maker’s art and a barrel tasting with cheese and fruit. Limited to 40. Admission $25.
Friday, October 16: 7:30pm
Celebrate Oktoberfest at the Mad Batter with a four-course dinner featuring the brews from Sam Adams. Limited to 60. Admission $65.
CHOCOLATE FANTASY BUFFET SOLD OUT!
Sunday, October 11: 2pm
If you love chocolate (and who doesn’t?), you won’t want to miss the Chocolate Fantasy Buffet. Milk or dark, whatever your preference, you can fulfill your chocolate fantasy in the decadence of a completely chocolate buffet. Washington Inn Pastry Chef Cressman-Pastiu will be on hand to share the secrets of her trade. Admission $35.
VICTORIAN VICES AT THE PHYSICK ESTATE
New in 2009! Sex, drugs and rock and roll in the 19th century. Most of our ideas about sex -- deviance, abnormality, sado/masochism, homosexuality, etc. -- all derive from the Victorian era. The Victorians' amazing attitude toward hard drugs (acceptable) and alcohol (unacceptable for women) and much more are revealed on this guided tour of the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, lead by MAC's Curator. Each tour limited to 25 people. Admission $12, children (ages 3-12) $6.
First Presbyterian Church, Decatur & Hughes Sts.
Wednesday-Saturday, October 9 -17: 8pm
Written by Pulitzer Prize winner George S. Kaufman. Before Mel Brooks’ “The Producers,” there was Kaufman’s 1925 comedy about two producers who desperately need funding for their Broadway show. What they’re looking for is a gullible, wealthy person who can be easily parted from his cash: the “Butter and Egg Man.” General admission: $25; seniors $20; students $10.
CAPE MAY STAGE PRESENTS "PROOF"
The Robert Shackleton Playhouse, Bank & Lafayette Sts.
Wednesday-Sunday, October 9-18: 8pm
Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play—Proof follows the story of a woman whose father, a brilliant but unstable mathematician, has recently died. Now she must deal with the conflicts within her family, the attentions of one of her father’s former students, the unsettling truth behind one of her father’s discoveries, and that very fine line between genius and insanity. General admission $35, seniors $25, students $12.50.
Buy Now
SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE CARRIAGE HOUSE TEAROOM & CAFÉ
Each event is limited to 50 guests; advance reservations are highly recommended.
Tuesday, October 13: 2:30pm
As times change so do tastes. What was the height of fashion in grandmother’s day draws snickers from her granddaughter. From hoop-skirted ladies and the tendency to ornament the ornaments so popular in the Victorian era, to the 1950s beehive hairdos and tailfins, to today’s over-the-top bling and pocketbook dogs, this lecture looks at how styles change as the times do. Includes Elegant Afternoon Tea.
Buy Now
FASHION NOSTALGIA
Thursday, October 15: 2:30pm
Enjoy a presentation about vintage fashions, accessories, traditions and pop culture. Audience participation encouraged. Includes Elegant Afternoon Tea.
Buy Now
Saturday, October 17: 11:30am & 2pm (11:30am Tea is sold out!)
Enjoy a Halloween-themed tea at the Carriage House Tearoom and Café and learn what the future holds for you (all in good fun, of course). During the tea, you may encounter wandering fortune-tellers or the odd phrenologist. Includes Tea Luncheon.
CAPE ISLAND FILM SOCIETY PRESENTS "A ROOM WITH A VIEW"
Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington & Franklin Sts.
Thursday, October 15: 7pm
Winner of three Academy Awards, “A Room with a View” is a comedy of the heart, a passionate romance and a study of repression within the British class system of manners and mores. Young Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) rejects the loving advances of a free-spirited suitor (Julian Sands), who fears that she will follow through with her engagement to an unromantic, priggish intellectual (Daniel Day-Lewis). Tickets $10.
Tuesday, October 13: 8pm
Margot Morrell’s interest in Shackleton was sparked by a library book in 1984. Intrigued by how “The Boss” had successfully led his team through a grueling ordeal, she set off to learn the secrets of his management style. Fifteen years and countless research hours on five continents later, the result was a book full of inspiring and practical leadership strategies. Ms. Morrell has appeared on television and has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, Sunday Telegraph, Globe and Mail and on radio programs all over the world. Her keynote lecture on Shackleton-style leadership at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse (Cape May Stage) will focus on maximizing productivity, communicating effectively, creating camaraderie, and driving a positive outcome. Admission: $50. Includes Coast Guard Base tour and lecture on today's rescue methods on Monday, Oct. 12 at 3pm (trolley shuttle at 2:45pm from the Physick Estate) and post-lecture wine reception at Fresco's. Limited to 102 people. Call 609-884-1341 for tickets.
CAPE MAY WINE TRAIL
Friday, October 16: 12noon to 5pm
New in 2009! Spend the afternoon visiting Cape May County’s wineries and sampling the unique flavors of each. First enjoy lunch at the Carriage House Tearoom and Café and then board the MAC trolley, which will shuttle you to local wineries. Tour Cape May Winery, Turdo Vineyards and Natali Vineyards, learn about viniculture and visit the tasting rooms. Includes wine tasting glass. Limited event. Admission $75.
Sundays, October 11 & 18: 10am
Build up your appetite with a walking tour of Victorian Cape May’s Historic District, and then enjoy a Southern-style breakfast buffet at the historic Chalfonte Hotel. Champagne mimosas are included. Admission $20; $15 for children (ages 3-12).
A $2.50 service charge will be added to each internet order. All refunds are subject to a 20% handling charge. No refunds will be made within 48 hours of the event. Schedule is subject to change.
Privacy Statement | ADA Compliance
Copyrighted © 1998-2009 Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part of material presented on this web site without written permission is prohibited.
For information about MAC tours, events and activities: E-Mail MAC
Designed & Developed by Interactive Media Associates.