CAPE MAY’S ANNUAL VICTORIAN WEEKEND

Friday, October 11 through Monday, October 14

This is the best time of year to visit Victorian Cape May and celebrate the unique heritage of America’s first seashore resort. Enjoy a weekend of exciting and entertaining activities focused on history and Victorian Cape May culture.

VICTORIAN WEEKEND
ARCHITECTURAL WALKING TOUR

Saturday & Sunday, October 12 & 13 from 9:30am – 11:30am

See America’s only National Historic Landmark City up close on this one-hour walking tour that explores Cape May’s renowned Historic District by foot. Put on your sturdy shoes and stroll along the sidewalks of streets such as Hughes Street, Ocean Street and Columbia Avenue, with a knowledgeable guide to show and tell what makes Victorian Cape May so interesting. See where Victorian gamblers won or lost their shirts, where the Great Fire of 1878 burned and more. Tour begins and ends at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth. Comfortable shoes recommended.

FOR THE LOVE OF HATS

Monday, October 14th at 12pm

Guests enjoy a three course luncheon at the Inn of Cape May along with a presentation by Lynne Anne Donchez, the author of For the Love of Hats. This will be a unique and chic show of Lynne Anne’s hat collection including pill-boxes, cloches, fascinators and more; approximately 60-70 women’s and men’s hats from a broad range of eras, for your guests to explore and enjoy.  The show is a one hour talk on the history, fashion and etiquette of hats followed by a Q&A session.

VICTORIAN WEEKEND
HISTORIC HOUSE TOUR

Victorian house with fall decorations

Saturday, October 12 from 1pm – 4pm

Visitors have the unique opportunity on this self-guided tour to go behind closed doors and see restored private homes, bed and breakfast inns and guesthouses. Tourgoers can meet the homeowners, managers or innkeepers, see unique furnishings and décor, and find inspiration for their own homes and hearths.

Cape May MAC membership ad

VICTORIAN WEEKEND
CRAFT & COLLECTIBLES SHOW

Crafts and Collectibles show vendor tents at festival

Sunday, October 13: 10am – 4pm
Emlen Physick Estate

Browse wares of crafters and collectibles dealers from throughout the Cape May region. A special appearance by the Wheelmen, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of American cycling, including promoting the restoration and riding of early cycles manufactured in and before 1932.

CARROLL GALLERY EXHIBIT

black and white horse drawn ice cream cart

We All Scream for Ice Cream: A History of Summer’s Favorite Treat

At the beginning of the 1800s, ice cream was an elite and expensive dish in flavors like Parmigiano and asparagus. By the end of the 1800s, ice cream was adored by everyone in flavors like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Some of our favorite dishes, like the ice cream cone, the ice cream sundae and the banana boat are Victorian inventions. This exhibit celebrates summer’s favorite treat. See an authentic 1898 ice cream maker and other artifacts, and a reproduction Victorian ice cream wagon. Discover the diverse innovators and pioneers of American ice cream, and the development of the ice cream scoop and commercial ice cream freezer, including Augustus Jackson, Nancy Johnson, Bassett’s of Philadelphia, and more.

EMLEN PHYSICK ESTATE TOUR

emlen physick estate on washington street in cape may new jersey

Take a guided tour of the first and second floors of the 1879 Physick House Museum, for an in-depth look at Victorian architecture and the period, reflecting one Victorian family’s lifestyle, and detailing the way the Physick family and their household lived, worked and spent their leisure time. From dancing to fishing, golfing, and concerts, this tour explores various activities that entertained visitors and the Physick family in the Victorian era. Learn how Victorians “beat the heat” with ocean bathing and ice cream. Gain insight into architectural features within the house designed to combat the summer heat, providing a unique perspective on the ingenuity of the past. In 2024-25, the tour is titled “Down the Shore: Summers in Cape May”

SPIRITS & ODDITIES TROLLEY TOUR

ghostly victorian man holding his own head

Cats in ghostly form purr from the beyond. Beloved family members in photographs without their heads. Graves equipped with a torpedo to put off intruders. Victorians of the late 19th century had wild notions about the passage from life to death. Belief in ghosts and spirits was common and superstition abounded. Hear several Cape May ghost stories and more strange stories from Victorian Cape May history that are macabre, mysterious or just plain weird! Begins and ends at the Ocean Street trolley stop.

HISTORIC DISTRICT TROLLEY TOUR

Cape May MAC Trolley filled with people on a tour of the town

Known as the “Queen of the Seaside Resorts” for its quaint Victorian cottages and pristine beaches, Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in the country, and in 1976, the entire city was declared a National Historic Landmark. Possessing one of the country’s largest collections of 19th century seaside wood framed buildings, the historic district features a variety of styles of Victorian architecture. It’s beautiful. It’s charming. Wonderful tour guides will explain Cape May’s history and architecture and how and why it has survived and thrives to this day. This narrated tour travels through portions of Cape May’s historic district. Guides discuss the architecture and history of the area. Offered year-round either separately or as combo tours. Begins and ends at the Ocean Street trolley stop.

COMBINATION
TROLLEY/PHYSICK ESTATE TOUR

tour groups on a house tour and a trolley tour

This immersive, 2-hour tour experience combines a guided tour by trolley of Cape May’s Historic District with a guided tour of the Physick House Museum, providing an in-depth look into Cape May history and architecture. Learn why Cape May is the only National Historic Landmark City in the nation as you appreciate the details of Cape May’s unique Victorian streetscapes via trolley. Take a guided tour of the first and second floors of the 1879 Physick House Museum, for a detailed look at Victorian architecture and the period. Built in 1879, the 18-room mansion is an architectural masterpiece built by famed American architect Frank Furness and one of the best examples of Victorian Stick Style architecture in the country. The tour includes a visit to the Carriage House Carroll Gallery Exhibit and begins and ends at the Ocean Street Trolley stop.

MANSIONS BY THE SEA TROLLEY TOUR

Beachfront mansions

You’ll hear how the rich lived in the early 1900s in the most elegant part of town on this trolley tour that includes the eastern beachfront. You’ll see the broad streets and massive plots on Cape May’s east side – an area marketed as “New Cape May” at the turn of the 20th century. Today, new, beachfront second homeowners have continued the tradition, running the gamut from the mere wealthy to the fabulously rich. This narrated tour travels along Beach Drive through the early 20th century East Cape May Development areas. Guides discuss history and architecture. Begins and ends at the Ocean Street trolley stop.

GHOSTS OF CAPE MAY TROLLEY TOUR

Ghost like photo of victorian man riding trolley

What was that shadow? Was it the undead of Cape May’s past wandering their beloved haunts? You might scoff, you might shudder, but rest assured: on board a trolley with an experienced guide you will begin to wonder what’s beyond when you hear the tales of hauntings unearthed in Cape May by renowned psychic medium and author Craig McManus. Begins and ends at the Ocean Street trolley stop.

CAPE MAY WINE TRAIL

People in a room with wine barrels

Friday, October 11th | 10:45am – 5pm

Cape May County vineyards are producing delicious wines and here is your chance to enjoy them with round-trip transportation via Cape May MAC trolley. Board the trolley at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and travel to Pier House in Cape May for a delicious lunch. Then it’s back on board the trolley for an afternoon of touring and sampling wine selections by vintners at Jessie Creek Winery and Natali Vineyards. Guests will receive a tour, tasting and souvenir glass at Jessie Creek Winery and a tasting with cheese and crackers at Natali Vineyards. This event is for adults ages 21 and over.

CAPE MAY BEER TRAIL

TWO HANDS HOLDING BEERS AND CLANKING THEM TOGETHER FOR A CHEERS AT A FESTIVAL IN CAPE MAY

Saturday, October 12th | 10:45am – 5pm

New for 2024! Cape May County is home to a selection of fantastic breweries. Hop on a Cape May MAC trolley for visits to Cape May Brewing Co., Behr Brewing, and Gusto Brewing Co., for tasting flights of local beers. Lunch is included at Cape Square Kitchen & Craft. This tour is for adults ages 21 and over.