Cape May in the Off-Season: America’s Oldest Seaside Resort Without the Crowds

Urban beach lovers have long flocked to Cape May, New Jersey, for a breezy summer escape from the sweltering confines of major Northeast metropolitan areas.

At the southern tip of New Jersey, Cape May is America’s oldest seaside resort and has lured visitors to its sandy shores since the mid-18th century.

The Jersey Shore claims some of the finest beachfront in the United States, but even by Jersey standards, Cape May stands out, with endless stretches of soft, inviting sand on the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

That means that you can enjoy coastal sunrises and bayside sunsets every single day.

And that’s not all. Cape May is one of the country’s most prolific birding hotspots, and it’s a National Historic District with more than 600 beautifully preserved Victorian buildings.

You could easily spend a week or more exploring Cape May and its neighboring communities in Southern New Jersey, and more than 11 million people choose to do so each summer.

Yes, a town of fewer than 3,000 year-round residents draws millions of visitors between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

While I’m a sucker for ocean breezes and Victorian architecture, I despise crowds. This is why Eric and I found ourselves exploring Cape May’s charms during a long weekend in April.

The sun was shining, most restaurants and attractions were open, and flowers were blooming all over town. Even the name Cape May sounds like spring!

The only thing we couldn’t do on our Cape May vacation was swim in the ocean, but we did walk barefoot on the beach, and the water was frigid!

Ready to explore all the best things to do in Cape May, New Jersey, without the crowds? Here are our favorite things to do in Cape May in the off-season.

Cape May Off-Season, Month by Month

“Off-season” covers eight months in Cape May. Here is what each stretch is good for, and what you give up.

Months	Why go	What’s limited	Dogs on the beach
September and October	Fall bird migration, with the hawk watch at Cape May Point State Park peaking in October. Victorian Weekend is in early October (October 9 to 12 in 2026). We spent a night here in October with Flynn and Malinda, and it was gorgeous: mild temps, early sunsets, and hardly any people!	Historic Cold Spring Village is open on weekends, then closes for the year in early October except for special events. You can still see the buildings from the outside.	Yes, on leash, from September 15 on city beaches
November and December	Christmas in a Victorian town: Candlelight House Tours on select December Saturdays, holiday trolley rides, the Physick Estate decorated, and Winter Wonderland at Congress Hall starting the Friday after Thanksgiving.	Restaurants have limited hours.	Yes, on leash
January to March	The emptiest beaches of the year and winter birding. The wind can be fierce!	Many shops and restaurants cut days or close for the winter. Check before you drive.	Yes, on leash (Cape May Point’s borough beach November 1 to March 14 only)
April and May	Our pick. Flowers all over town, most restaurants open, and spring migration. Shorebirds pile onto the Delaware Bay beaches in May and early June.	Ocean is too cold for swimming. Expect weekend crowds to build in May.	Until May 15 on city beaches. The state park beach closes to dogs April 1.

Cape May Off-Season Stops at a Glance

Stop	Why go	Time to spend	Dogs
Cape May Point State Park and Lighthouse	Climb 199 steps for the view, then walk the birding trails	2 to 3 hours	Not on the trails or in the lighthouse. Leashed dogs OK on the lawns by the lighthouse and on the beach from mid-September to March. Ours came in October.
National Historic District	600-plus Victorians; try Ocean, Jackson, and Decatur Streets	1 to 2 hours	Yes, on leash on the sidewalks
Emlen Physick Estate	1879 Frank Furness house with year-round guided tours	1 hour	Not on house tours, but they are allowed on the grounds and at the outdoor dining area (Vintage).
Delaware Bay sunset	North Cape May Beach, Douglass Memorial Park, or Higbee Beach	1 hour	Yes on Lower Township bay beaches off-season; Higbee September 1 to April 30
Washington Street Mall	Three pedestrian blocks of shops, taffy, and a pint	1 to 2 hours	No, banned year-round, but allowed on-leash on the streets surrounding the mall.
Historic Cold Spring Village and Cold Spring Brewery	Living history village, then New Jersey’s first nonprofit brewery	2 hours	Village grounds yes, buildings no. The brewery welcomed our pups inside, and the staff was happy to meet them.
Sunset Beach and the SS Atlantus	A concrete shipwreck and Cape May diamonds	1 hour	September 15 to April 15

Explore Cape May Point State Park and the Cape May Lighthouse

If you love the outdoors, Cape May Point State Park checks all the boxes.

It’s a birding hotspot with lots of different trails that meander through the woods, wetlands, and between ponds for a nice collection of ecosystems that attract a lot of different birds.

We saw many raptors, including black vultures, bald eagles, ospreys, red-tailed hawks, kestrels, and a northern harrier. Mute swans were nesting on the edges of the ponds, terns flying overhead, and so many songbirds that we couldn’t identify.

This is an essential stop for migrating birds. In fall, hawks and songbirds funnel down the peninsula, and the daily hawk watch counts raptors from sunrise to sunset, peaking in October.

Along the bay side, more than a million migrating birds pass through each spring, the second-largest assembled shorebird population in the Western Hemisphere.

Climb the 199 steps to the top of the Cape May Lighthouse for unforgettable views of the Atlantic Coast, Delaware Bay, and the surrounding community. Built in 1859, this beautiful historic structure is the third lighthouse built to guide ships to safety on Cape May Point.

The Coast Guard continues to operate the light as a navigational aid, which flashes every 15 seconds and is visible 24 miles out to sea.

While the hours of operation vary through the seasons, the Cape May Lighthouse is open year-round.

For $12 ($8 for ages 3 to 12), you can take a self-guided tour, but to reach the top and enjoy the gorgeous view, you must climb the 199 original cast-iron steps.

Walk Cape May’s National Historic District

Cape May’s renowned collection of Victorian homes includes more than 600 buildings designed, built, and lovingly restored to include intricate gingerbread trim, steep-gabled roofs, and vibrant color combinations.

While the ocean put Cape May on the map, the National Historic District sets the town apart from other seaside towns and attracts visitors from all over the world.

The first resort in Cape May, Congress Hall, began welcoming guests in 1816, and many more followed, along with numerous opulent summer ‘cottages’.

Fire was a constant threat in a town built of wood, and the Great Fire of November 1878 burned about 30 blocks of the town center.

When it was time to rebuild, the new buildings went up in the style of the day, with fanciful Victorian trim and intricate dormers and gables.

My suggestion for exploring Cape May’s Historic District is to wander on foot and see where it leads. Most homes are private residences or vacation rentals, but you can easily view them from the outside.

During our visit, we walked many of the side streets between Beach Avenue and Washington Street and found so many beautiful homes. Our favorites were on Ocean Street, Jackson Street, and Decatur Street.

As much as I enjoyed the Victorians, I was smitten with the bungalows and Craftsman homes from the early 1900s.

Be sure to check out the historical tours available through Cape May MAC or visit during Victorian Weekend in October.

Tour the Emlen Physick Estate

Philadelphia architect Frank Furness designed the Emlen Physick Estate, built in 1879 for 24-year-old Dr. Emlen Physick Jr., his widowed mother, and his aunt. The Stick-style Victorian stayed in the Physick family for decades, then fell into disrepair after they left.

The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (Cape May MAC) was formed in 1970 to save the Physick Estate from demolition and now offers year-round guided tours of the restored property.

Visitors can walk through the house’s first and second floors, which feature many of the original furnishings.

Catch the Sunset over the Delaware Bay

Head to the bay side of Cape May to catch beautiful sunsets over Delaware Bay.

Our vacation rental overlooked North Cape May Beach during our April trip, so this was the easiest sunset spot for us, but there are many great natural areas for a sunset picnic or a walk on the beach.

We watched a pod of dolphins frolicking from David Douglass Sr. Memorial Park one evening and walked the dogs at Higbee Beach another.

We’ve also heard that Higbee Beach is another excellent spot to find Cape May diamonds sparkling in the setting sun!

Shop and Eat on the Washington Street Mall

I’m a sucker for pedestrian-only streets, especially when they’re lined with boutiques, galleries, and eateries. The Washington Street Mall is three blocks of shopping and dining, with plenty of benches for people-watching.

Come to Washington Street Mall to grab t-shirts, saltwater taffy, and postcards, plus eclectic artwork, high-end jewelry, and a pint of beer. It’s the place to be on a sunny spring afternoon.

Explore Historic Cold Spring Village and Cold Spring Brewery

The largest open-air living history museum in New Jersey, Historic Cold Spring Village, features dozens of restored and preserved buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, with interpreters demonstrating skills from the time period, including printing, blacksmithing, bookbinding, weaving, and more.

Historic Cold Spring Village runs a spring and summer season, with weekend hours (11 am to 4 pm) through early October and special fall events. When we returned in October, the village was closed, but we could still walk through and view the buildings from the outside. Leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds but not in the buildings.

After touring Cold Spring Village, be sure to stop into Cold Spring Brewery, New Jersey’s first non-profit brewery supporting the mission of Historic Cold Spring Village. Grab a flight or a pint of craft beer, many created using historic recipes.

We tried eight beers in the name of research. Our favorites on that visit were the malty, refreshing Cold Spring Red and the Cape May Farmhouse, brewed with a single malt and a single hop and hardly any bite. Our dogs were welcome at Cold Spring Brewery, inside and out.

Check out the SS Atlantus at Sunset Beach

Yes, Sunset Beach is a lovely spot to catch the sun sinking into the ocean, but there are more reasons to visit this popular beach.

The SS Atlantus rests on a sandbar off Cape May Point, and today it’s almost fully sunk. Depending on the tide, you’ll see a weathered concrete slab. This massive hull section is all that remains of the most famous of the twelve concrete ships built by the Liberty Ship Building Company.

Because of a critical steel shortage during World War I, the US government funded the design and creation of 12 concrete ships. The Atlantus was 250 feet long, 3,000 tons, and had a five-inch-thick hull. She was commissioned in 1919 and served for a year as a commercial coal steamer in New England.

A company attempting to start a ferry service to and from Lewes, Delaware, towed the ship to Cape May in 1926. Before the Atlantus could be used, it went aground in a storm, where it remains to this day.

Thousands of visitors come to Sunset Beach each year to view the wreck and to look for the elusive Cape May diamonds, quartz crystals from the Delaware River.

The tidal flow against the wreck of the Atlantus causes the Cape May diamonds to wash ashore here in large numbers, and when cut and polished, these crystals look like real diamonds.

Where to Stay in Cape May, New Jersey

Where to Stay in Cape May, New Jersey

I can’t even begin to describe all the fantastic places to stay in Cape May.

Depending on your travel style and budget, you can choose from opulent historic inns, Victorian bed & breakfasts, and high-end vacation rentals. There are hundreds of choices, which makes it so hard to pick.

For our recent trip, we were looking for something small, dog-friendly, affordable, and within walking distance of the beach, and we found a lovely Airbnb on the bay in North Cape May.

While this tiny duplex will not please everyone, it has everything we were looking for, and we would absolutely recommend it to couples or solo travelers visiting Cape May with dogs.

We especially loved the location, right across a quiet street from the beach, with amazing sunset views over the water from our deck.

This home is perfect for two people, with a queen-size bed and a small kitchen, bathroom, and living room.

Thomas, the Airbnb host, provides a collection of bikes for guests, which we took full advantage of, and he is quick to recommend restaurants and attractions.

Cape May Off-Season FAQ

When is the off-season in Cape May?

Roughly mid-September to mid-May, outside the Memorial Day to Labor Day rush. September, October, April, and May are the shoulder months, when most restaurants and attractions are still open.

Is Cape May worth visiting in the off-season?

Yes, if you can live without swimming. You get empty beaches, open sidewalks for Victorian gawking, and some of the best bird migration on the East Coast. On our April trip, most restaurants and attractions were open and flowers were blooming all over town.

What is there to do in Cape May in the winter?

Climb the lighthouse (open year-round with shorter hours), tour the Emlen Physick Estate, walk the beach with your dog, and bird the state park. November and December bring Candlelight House Tours, holiday trolley rides, and Winter Wonderland at Congress Hall.

Are dogs allowed on Cape May beaches?

Only in the off-season. Leashed dogs can use Cape May’s city beaches and Promenade from September 15 to May 15. The Washington Street Mall and the Cape May Point State Park trails are off-limits to dogs all year.

What is the best time to visit Cape May?

I’d go in April or September. You get mild weather, open restaurants, and a fraction of the summer crowds. If you love Christmas, December in Cape May is its own reason to go.

Can you combine Cape May and Lewes in one trip?

Yes, and it’s my favorite way to do it. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry crosses the mouth of Delaware Bay every day of the year and takes leashed dogs, so two days in each town makes an easy four-day trip.

Ready to plan your off-season getaway in Cape May?

This historic seaside resort town is one of our favorite beach destinations in the US, and we love that it isn’t just for beach lovers! Have you been?

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