Located at New Jersey’s southernmost tip, Cape May – named after Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, the Dutch captain who explored the area just one year after the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock – is America’s oldest seaside resort and New Jersey’s finest resort when it comes to old-fashioned charm. And unlike most of the rest of the Jersey Shore, Cape May is a year-round destination, going strong even in winter with events like the Dickens Christmas Extravaganza.

Thanks to the efforts of preservationists and entrepreneurs in the 1970s and 1980s, Cape May has been lovingly restored to its 19th Century splendor and boasts more Victorian homes than any US city this side of San Francisco. High culture abounds here – live theater, a jazz festival, a music festival, a film festival, craft shows, and even nearby vineyards and wineries. For nature lovers, Cape May offers excellent whale-watching and one of the best bird sanctuaries in all of North America.

LIBERTY BELLE: “Perhaps my favorite thing about Cape May is knowing I will never run into Son of Swoop there. He’s too busy drinking and gambling in Atlantic City, and does his bird-watching at Lincoln Financial Field. Cape May’s not big on cheese steaks, but the ones at The Ugly Mug on Washington Street are good.”

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