Travel Blog: One Night in Cape May

Take a trip to Exit Zero and join Stoney at a beautiful town named Cape May, New Jersey.

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I would never, ever, ever work on vacation…especially one with my wife and family. But, every once in awhile, a place speaks to me and I feel it deserves the proper travel blog treatment. Plus, my vacation ended a few weeks ago, so technically, I never did work on vacation. I’m doing the work now instead. Nonetheless, for years, my wife has been telling me about a beautiful little place at the southernmost tip of New Jersey named Cape May. This holiday season, after over a decade together, she finally got to take me there. My father in law rented an AirBnB for the night a few days after Christmas for a nice little family trip. We loaded up the car, the niece, and the nephew, and made way for Exit Zero around 9:30AM on a brisk, but sunny, New Jersey morning.

Stop 1: Uncle Bill’s Pancake House – We had to start our trip off with a hearty breakfast, as one does. So, we set our sights for Uncle Bill’s Pancake House, and after our roughly two-hour drive, it felt like finding an oasis in the desert. I had potato pancakes, slathered in apple sauce and sour cream. It was fantastic – from what I gathered, Uncle Bill’s is a family staple and has been for some time. The pancake houses are a staple of any good vacation town – Cape May is no different.

Stop 2: Congress Hall – on the back side of Uncle Bill’s parking lot sat Congress Hall, touted as America’s first seaside resort. Even in the cold of winter, there was a neat little craft market out by the pool. We wandered around the hotel, appreciating its history and charm before we strolled around the market. My father in law contemplated doubling down on breakfast and getting a bratwurst at a stand, but ultimately, the ghost of Uncle Bill grumbled in our stomachs and convinced us that was a bad idea. I could’ve milled about that property for hours. Beautiful hotel!

Stop 3: Washington Street Mall – From Congress Hall, we crossed the street to get in some shopping at the Washington Street Mall. As soon as I stepped up on the brick sidewalk that separated the shops from across one another, I could visualize the mall teeming with activity on a breezy summer day. The shops offered a little bit of everything – from beef jerky to salt water taffy to cheesy tank tops to post cards. For me, it was the Cape Atlantic Book Co. where I dropped the most money.

Stop 4: Sunset Beach – After making the drive down, getting a hearty meal in, and then walking it off, it was time to go check into our AirBnb and work in a little rest (it was vacation, after all). A few hours later, the gang was off to Sunset Beach to watch the sun set. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea on my part considering I was running a fever and could barely get out of bed a couple of days later, but that’s neither here nor there. Point is, it’s a beautiful spot to watch one of Mother Nature’s greatest creations. It was the type of sunset that makes you feel small and insignificant in the grand landscape of the universe, but you still can’t help but be in awe of its beauty.

Stop 5: Cape May Brewing – Nothing says rest and relaxation quite like a good cold beer. So, the cousins, my wife, and I took off to Cape May Brewing as the night sky began to creep in after the sunset. I can’t speak for the rest of the table, but I at least pounded five beers by myself. I plan on writing about Cape May Brewing in detail later, so I’ll save my review for the sake of brevity (hey, whaddya know? I’ve written about it now. Signed, Stoney from the future). We’re already creeping up on 800 words at this point! After the brewery, we returned to our rental to eat pizza, drink more, play some Uno, and turn in for a good night’s sleep.

Stop 6: Emlen Physick Estate – The next morning, we hopped in the car and ventured back into town to check out the Emlen Physick Estate. No tours were running at the time, but we wanted to get tickets to hop on a trolley and learn about the history of Cape May. They pointed us to the old fashioned Christmas display they had set up, and I’m not too embarrassed to say I held the family up by reading about the history of A Christmas Carol for way longer than anyone wanted to stand there. I found it to be a fascinating exhibit, and I’m always down to inspect a well-constructed Christmas village.

Stop 7: Out There Coffee – We had to head back to the Washington Street Mall to catch our trolley tour, so when we pulled up and I spotted a coffee shop, I had to jump in line. A “Lumberjack latte,” are you serious? Any kind of latte with maple in it is just my speed. Hats off to that cup of coffee – it was obviously worth me inserting a paragraph here dedicated solely to it.

Stop 8: Trolley Tour – The last thing we had to cross off of our Cape May to-do list was the historic district trolley tour. I’m a nut for that kind of thing, but since we were reminded on the tour that it is a copyrighted tour, I’ll leave it at that and just say that it’s obvious the guides have a thorough recollection of Cape May’s history, and you can’t beat a nice, gentle ride through a beautiful town, learning about its history in the process.

When we hopped off the trolley, it was time to head back home. Our time in Cape May was over. But, not before we made a pit stop in Smithville to do some shopping and eat at the Lantern Light (if you know, you know). All in all, I found myself thinking, “yeah, I could spend a week here.” It seems like we got the 10,000-foot view – there were plenty of highlights, but our time there slipped through my fingertips like sand. The way I’d compare it to my fellow Tennesseans is, “imagine if they put Gatlinburg by the ocean.” Until we meet again, stay classy, Cape May.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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