to keeping the historical houses, the Victorian look to the houses, and there are strict rules what you can and cannot add to the houses,” adds Heim. One such house is the Emlen Physick Estate, whose eponymous owner was a doctor and descendant of a prominent Philadelphia family. Recognized as New Jersey’s only Victorian House Museum, the home’s grand entrance, parlors and sitting rooms are richly decorated with ornate wallpaper, paintings, plush carpets, and thick drapes. The upstairs library, with books collected from 1879-1916, showcases Dr. Physick’s focus on education and culture. “He was the wealthiest year-round resident in Cape May,” says museum tour guide Kathy Sjolund. “When the house was restored, that really got the flow going of keeping the Victorian character of Cape May.” Adding to Cape May’s history, the Harriet Tubman Museum highlights the time the abolitionist lived there in the early 1850s and how she earned money as a cook to help free enslaved people. The six- story World War II Lookout Tower, also known as Fire Control Tower No. 23, was a crucial part of coastal defense to spot German submarines. Visitors can climb the 99 steps to a viewing platform.
It’s a 199-step climb, meanwhile, to reach the top of the Cape May Lighthouse, also located along the bottom tip of the Jersey Cape peninsula. The 1859 lighthouse soars above Cape May Point State Park, a popular spot with birders using designated platforms to keep an eye out for migrating birds and hawks, as southern New Jersey is a critical resting stop from their long treks over open water. Other things to do in Cape May include strolling the pedestrian Washington Street Mall with its boutiques, restaurants, and fudge shops, going on whale and dolphin-watching cruises, and of course, hitting the clean, white sand beaches. Yet no visit to Cape May would be complete without either strolling or driving along the streets with the city’s most significant sights, the Victorian homes. “It’s like Norman Rockwell’s in this town,” says Heim. “Everything is decorated. You can visit individual homes because they’re historic landmarks. Victorian and Cape May are synonymous with each other here.”
IF YOU GO: visitatlanticcity.com capemay.com oceancityvacation.com visitsicnj.com njsouthernshore.com
The iconic Victorian landmark, The Inn of Cape May
EXPLORING THE SOUTH JERSEY SHORE
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SUMMER 2026 | 23
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