Shore thing
OK, so maybe it’s not peak beach season, but Cape May, N.J., still has plenty to enjoy.
I’m a big advocate of heading to New Jersey's Cape May, even in the off-season. I visited in late fall, past the prime tourist season, and had a fantastic time exploring the city, taking in the architecture, the beautiful beaches (yes, even in the cold), scoping out the best B&BS, shopping and more. A note: Highlights are located in Cape May unless otherwise stated.
Checking into The Mission Inn (1117 New Jersey Ave.)
I went to the Mission Inn, a modern bed and breakfast with a Californian feel. They offer excellent customer service, unique art in the common room and the bedrooms, and home-cooked meals along with fresh baked treats. They had a chef on hand to make delicious breakfast foods like eggs Benedict with crispy prosciutto. They had a fridge stocked with local beers, wine, soft drinks, water, and individually packed snack platters labeled for each guest along with homemade cookies. You felt like you were home here. The location is also worth mentioning, as it’s quite close to the beach, shops, restaurants and more.
Things to do
Cape May Brewing Co. Tasting Room & Brewtique (1288 Hornet Road, Rio Grande)
I visited Cape May Brewing and they have some truly amazing options. One thing that really drew me in with the aesthetic. It's woodsy and rustic with fun art on the walls and big iron lettering. They rotate what kind of beer they use for their well-known beer slushies. Those look like soft serve and at the time I visited they were using the Grove, a fruit beer (like a seasonal citrus shandy) perfect for a slushie. Even the cans were impressive. They have some great flavors like their IPAS and Tan Limes which has a sea-salt citrusy flavor. They even make hard seltzers with fresh watermelon juice.
Take in the architecture
In the morning I enjoyed my breakfast, took a nice hot shower and said goodbye to the Mission Inn before heading out to enjoy the day. The No. 1 thing I noticed was the plethora of beautiful Victorian homes in this area, all different colors with peaks and ruffled trim. They all have so much character and beauty. Some are now bed and breakfasts, some are shops, and some are simply locals’ homes.
Shopping
After scoping out the promenade and taking in the comforting sounds of water splashing at the nearby beach, I made my way over to Washington Square to do a bit of shopping. They have some great options and even more Victorian homes. Across the Way (304 Washington St.) has a variety of children's toys, beauty products, books, jewelry, decorations and more. The Red Oak (324 Washington St.), among other stores, sells women's fashion and you can check out Great White Shark (410 Washington
St.) for some novelty tees. The Spice Cellar (324 Carpenters Lane) has a variety of, you guessed it, spices. I found merlot salt, which I plan to use for cocktails and on steak. I love old-school candy stores, and when in Cape May, I feel like picking up a box of saltwater taffy is a necessity. Fralinger's Original Salt (326 Washington St.) has a ton of taffy flavors and you can fill your own box with the flavors that you like instead of buying a prefilled one.
When someone told me about the West End Garage (484 W Perry St.), I had to visit. It's an old car garage that has been transformed into an artisan market with various local vendors. You can buy greeting cards, antiques, jewelry, kitchen supplies, apparel, and so much more. It goes much further back than you think and has so much to look at. As a huge cooking buff, they have these amazing antique pepper grinders that look like pieces of art for your kitchen.
A little off the beaten path is Ripple and Root (122 Sunset Blvd.), and they sell homemade gifts, plants, jewelry, and more. I bought some great greeting cards from there. Across the street is Cape May Honey Farm (135 Sunset Blvd.) where you can get fresh produce and raw honey and even some bath and body products. Cape May Point State
Park (Light House Avenue, Cape May Point)
At Cape May Point
State Park you can see the lighthouse, front and center, immediately when you pull in. After that, I made my way over to Sunset Beach on the Cape May Peninsula in Delaware Bay (502 Sunset Blvd.) to see the wreck of the SS Atlantus. The ship was one of several built with concrete hulls near the end of World War I, when steel was scarce. After a short life as a working vessel, it was brought to Cape May to be part of a docking area. In 1926 it broke free during a storm, sank, and has been stuck ever since in the same spot off Sunset Beach.
Because of this interesting element and the way the wreck sits, Cape May can boast of its own “diamonds.” Quartz makes its way down toward the beach and gets sucked into the ship and knocked around inside. When it comes out of the wreck, it's polished and washes up on the shore. Jewelers put them in a rock polisher for three weeks to make them crystal clear. After that, they’re shaped into jewelry pieces and they look and shine just like diamonds, but are much cheaper.
Where to eat
The Merion Inn (106 Decatur St.)
I ended up checking out the Merion Inn after someone suggested it to me for dinner. They had some really delicious French options. The fresh bread came out with thick marmalade, olive oil and whipped seasoned butter. I started with the escargot broiled in a garlic herb butter served with a fluffy focaccia to soak up the sauce. If you've never had it, escargot (snails) has an earthy, mushroom-type flavor with the texture of calamari, but it really takes on the flavor of the sauce that it's submerged in. For my entree I went with the pan-seared duck breast with porcini glaze, delicata squash and smoked cheddar grit cakes. I ended the night with a strawberry shortcake, as recommended by the waitress, and a coffee.