USA, New Jersey – Cape May

He is Cape May in the state of New Jersey. It is a stylish city with tree-lined streets and picturesque houses. In summer, you will see parasols shining in different colors and children splashing in the water on the local beaches. In spring and autumn, the pleasant air from the ocean encourages walks along the coast. Otherwise, of course, you can enjoy cycling, fishing, bird watching or boating. But let's take a closer look at the city.

The main star of the city is its historic district, which boasts beautiful and well-preserved houses along the coast, which were built in the 19th century. The entire historic core of the city, numbering some thirty blocks, is listed as a national historical monument. There are more than six hundred Victorian houses. They were designed to always have a porch where their residents could enjoy the fresh breeze from the ocean. In addition, you will notice various interesting details on these houses. Some look really fabulous.

The heart of the historic center is the Washington Street Mall, an area consisting of three blocks of houses with boutiques, patisseries, ice cream parlors and restaurants. It is best to enjoy a tour of the center either by bike or even better on foot. You can even take advantage of guided tours of this part of town offered by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities.

In addition to beautiful Victorian houses, there are also beaches that stretch along the approximately 5-kilometer-long coastline, which is considered one of the most beautiful in the eastern United States. The advantage is that most accommodation in Cape May is within walking distance of the beaches. Before visiting the city, be sure to make an overview of the accommodation options in one of the historic houses. The offer will certainly be wide, because many of them offer accommodation today.

In addition to the Victorian houses, you will find an older building, the Colonial House. Cape May was an important whaling settlement during the 16th and 17th centuries, and it is the Colonial House that is the last witness to this period. The house was built in the 1930s and today is open to the public as a museum. Inside you will see period furniture and various everyday items of the time.

Outside the historic center, you will discover many small farms, some of which date back to the early 17th century. One of them is in West Cape May, which includes 25 hectares of land. What is grown on it travels to local restaurants. It grows a hundred kinds of different fruits, vegetables, herbs or flowers. And of course you can also buy the local produce or eat it directly in the local restaurant.

GPS: 38°55'51.5"N 74°54'41.5"W

Text: Maxim Kucer

Photos: Wikipedia.org: Smallbones, Staib, WhisperToMe, Famartin, TMBLover