Cape May, NJ is unique because of its history, geographic location & business community. People who live, work & visit Cape May respect the uniqueness of their surroundings, which has preserved it till 2004 and which will continue to preserve it for the years to come.

Earliest inhabitants of Cape May are documented as being the Kechemeche Indians of the Lenni-Lenape tribe around 1600. Following the Indians, Sir Henry Hudson spotted Cape May in 1609 as he sailed the Delaware Bay. It was Captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, in 1621, who purchased land from the Indians and developed the fishing and whaling industry in the 1630’s which also brought forth some farming. In 1766 Cape May began to evolve into a place where visitors would come to relax for their health and pleasure. Visitors came by steamboat from Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York & Washington. From this point on hotels, one of the earliest being Congress Hall in 1816, ballrooms and music pavilions were built in Cape May and it became known as the “Queen of the Seaside Resorts”. The Victorian Era, corresponding with the reign of Queen Victoria in England from 1839 to 1901, was the prime influence on Cape May architecture. Today Cape May is still comprised of over 600 Victorian buildings boasting one of the largest collections in the United States.

Located at the southern most tip of New Jersey, Cape May is described as being the mystical point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay. A man-made canal, created in the early 1940’s, makes Cape May an Island. Amazing sunrises over the Atlantic and sunsets over the Delaware cast a warm glow on the beaches of Cape May. Bird watchers flock to Cape May in hopes of sighting rare birds that rest on the peninsula before continuing south. Artists stumble upon Cape May and often relocate permanently. Fisherman make up a large part of the population, making Cape May one of the most active seaports in the country.

Business owners in Cape May take time to smell the roses. Several business owners were once vacationers who fell in love with the town and came back with a passion to run a Bed & Breakfast or start a restaurant. Other business owners back their courteous service with years and years of family pride. Cape May is a place where you will find one of a kind private owned business but you will not find chain businesses or fast food. Upon entering any business it is evident that the owners act as mentors and the staff act as apprentices, preserving Cape May pride and integrity.

Cape May, New Jersey is one of those places one must experience once in their lifetime. The feeling one gets when walking down a gas lit street lined with Victorian buildings and a sunset back drop, while listening to the “clip-clop” of the horse and carriage and the waves lapping the shore, while smelling the fresh roasted nuts on the Washington Street Mall and the salt air breeze, while savoring the taste of a glass of wine shared with a loved one at dinner is a feeling that can not be put into words. Cape May takes you away from 2004 and places your spirit in the time of long ago when everything was simple.