I absolutely lose my mind over historical gems such as the Physick Estate that have the entire…read morehouse to peruse! The tour guide was fantastic & really went through every possible detail on the family & the history. Came with my friends on the first day of our CM vacation on a weekend. Pretty easy enough to purchase tickets ahead of time at the gift store. All in all a perfect way to spend a few hours learning about the local history! Highly recommend!!!!

Whenever I'm traveling I do my best to look up if there are any museums or historical points of…read moreinterest I can check out. Even though Cape May is known mostly as a Jersey Shore resort community, there's a lot of eye candy in the form of Victorian architecture - including some historic estates. One of these is the Emlen Physick Estate, and since they offer tours of the house I thought it would be a great way to spend part of my afternoon. Located on Washington St slightly away from the main hustle and bustle of CM, the Emlen Physick Estate sits on a sizeable piece of land somewhat inward from the street. The property contains the main house, a carriage house which now holds the gift shop and a restaurant, and another building used for administration. The estate is run by Cape May MAC, who worked to restore the house back in the 70s. In addition to the standard estate tour, they also offer trolley tours and evening "haunted" tours on the property. The Estate was built for Dr. Emlen Physick, who came from a prominent family. I won't give away the details of the tour, but they did a really good job discussing the history of the property, Physick and his family, as well as all of the architecture and decor of the estate. Our tour guide did a great job with every aspect of the tour, including answering our questions. One thing I noticed was that the promo pictures here on Yelp show historical interpreters guiding the tour, but we didn't have that. Our guide was great, but a historical interpreter would have been a funner touch. The tour took about 45 minutes to an hour, and afterwards we were given free-reigns to explore the carriage house which had merch and a small self-guided tour area. Overall, I enjoyed my time at the Emlen Physick Estate; it's definitely worth taking the time to explore and a welcome contrast to the typical beach things to do in the area.

What great staff!! Every staff member we interacted with made the experience that much better! We…read morewere on the boat for about 3 hours and saw SO MANY dolphins! I even had a hotdog- yum! Great announcer, staff, and overall experience! I would've been happy even if we didn't see anything- they were just that great! They continued to turn the boat so everyone could see the views. The gift shop was also a must- we walked out with sweatshirts, stickers, an ornament, and a magnet! We will definitely be recommending this!

GREAT staff-fun experience. It's locally owned and they do an outstanding job of making you feel…read morewelcome. Lots of dolphins, regrettably no whales, but great experience! Highly recommend this experience. Don't miss the Antique/resale shop just around the corner!

LOWER TOWNSHIP/CAPE MAY: Cape May has a lot of military history and the World War II Lookout Tower…read moreplayed a key role in keeping New Jersey and Delware safe. Fire Control Tower No. 23 is one of a series of towers with observation decks that was used to triangulate the position of enemy ships and direct the artillery fire from nearby coastal batteries. This tower is all that remains in NJ and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Leashed dogs are allowed to explore the property and you can learn about the history through signage dotted along the path. There is also a Veterans Memorial eternal flame sculpture. Dogs are not allowed inside the building, but it is still an impressive stop on your visit.

I've been curious about these strange concrete cylinders that dot the skyline of Cape May and…read moreRehobeth/ Dewey/Bethany Beach DE (directly across the bay from Cape May). This was the first opportunity to learn about them, and I of course took it! These were built during WW II as part of the Fort Myers Delaware Bay defense system. They were observation posts used to report enemy ship activity, directing nearby artillery. They were not in service for long as advances in technology made them obsolete. This is one of two that have been restored & are open to the public- the other is at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. I had an interesting chat with a volunteer, who told me that people often think these were used for spotting fires, which was never their purpose. He told me you can go inside and climb stairs to the 6th level & look out the slotted view. I elected not to as I've recently fractured my ankle & I didn't think my physical therapist would be happy with me climbing all those stairs just yet. I'm looking forward to a return visit once my rehab is complete. Note: They have reduced hours in the off season (October to April).

Have visited twice - nice collection of aircraft all under one roof & not overwhelming. Staff…read moreon-site were very friendly and helpful. Also nice is the fact that you can get close (sometimes even inside) to the displays, as compared to some of the larger museums. A lot of local history and the NAS's contribution during WWII. There is also a cool little gift shop at the end (isn't there always) where you can pick up memorabilia. I would plan on spending an hour or so minimum - more if your really want to dig in to the displays & videos available. Great for the family & history/aviation buffs. PS - if you're there earlier in the day - check out the Flight Deck Diner for some good comfort food and displays of patches/aircraft models..

Such a great place to visit! I came with 4 kids under the age of 10, and they all really enjoyed…read moreit. There are airplanes to climb into, boats to explore, and cockpits to take great photos in. There is a lot to read and learn about for adults too. Admission is reasonable, and so where the airplanes that my sons HAD to have before we left the gift shop :) Great rainy day activity, or, when you just need a break from the heat of the day.

So much fun! This was my first time trying it, and I had an amazing experience. The instructions…read morewere simple and easy to follow, making it perfect for beginners. The young man helping us was incredibly informative and had a great sense of humor, which made the experience even more enjoyable. As an added bonus, it turned into a great workout without even feeling like one! I had a fantastic time and would definitely do it again.

It was 'cute' but should be 1/4 of the price. Even though…read morecape May is notoriously expensive for $100 you could go on the dolphin watching boat, rent kayaks or bikes, get a birding boat tour - just about anything here . And I've done those and they are worth the money. This was a well run activity, professional. I knew it was an hour and a half "trip" but it is actually just 20 minutes riding the bike rails in One Direction and then you turn around and do the same thing back for 20 minutes. There's a few stops where teenagers give a very memorized explanation about one of the parks you stop at (which you can drive to and walk around for free). If $100 is a drop in the bucket for you then you should do this.

Another visit to the museum and even though this visit I did the self guided tour, I still learned…read moreadditional things I didn't hear before. I love supporting this small museum. So much rich history that we weren't taught about in history class.

My museum bestie & I lucked out as we entered this beautiful gem of a museum thinking we would only…read morebe able to hang out for a short time -- well we walked right into the beginning of a tour that lasted well over an hour! I hate that I can't recall her name but she was fantastic at explaining the history & evolution of HT & all the others that were involved. She even offered to chat up with folks well after the museum close time had passed. I love my huge massive MET museum but can feel the history in these smaller places that NEED to remain open. So much history here -- bravo to all that helped to preserve this HT museum. Walked out nearly 90 mins later utterly in love!

My family and I have been coming to Cape May for as long as I can remember, however it's been a…read morewhile since we have done a carriage ride! We were killing time before our dinner reservation this week and decided to see if they had any availability. We were in luck and able to get on the Cinderella carriage right away! It is the perfect size for a family of 4. Our driver was so nice. I forget her name but she was a brunette and so sweet! She gave us great history of the town as we drove around. Our horse's name was Oreo and he was so adorable. It was about a 30 minute ride. I definitely recommend doing this at Christmastime so you can see all the beautiful lights on the historic Cape May homes! I look forward to taking another carriage ride some time soon :)

We had a wonderful time touring the town of Cape May on this beautiful carriage ride. Our driver…read morewas very knowledgeable about the Cape May history and the history of each individual home. The carriage was very clean and it was quite comfy. I look forward to returning to Cape May and trying out the night time carriage ride, I am sure it is beautiful.

Wonderful tour company in Cape May. Well organized and knowledgeable drivers especially our driver,…read moreJerry. Went to 3 wineries - Cape May Winery, Willow Creek and finally Natali. Cape May reminded us of a smaller version of Napa wineries. Natali had interesting wines. Kate at Natali was very helpful & knowledgeable. Kathy at Cape May Winery was excellent describing their wines, the wine making process and general questions about wine. But Willow Creek was unorganized, the server was not interactive with our group, very minimal explanation of the wines and was not very knowledgeable about general questions about wine. Very young vineyard and the wines tasted immature. Please offer other wineries as part of the tour package and eliminate Willow Creek.

Literally just finished the tour and it was absolutely a blast. I booked it for my friends…read morebachelorette party and while we had some hiccups at the end about pickup for the tour... It all worked out completely fine. Rich was totally accommodating and worked with me. Don, our driver, is seriously the best!! He's so sweet and always had water ready for us. He took pictures for us everywhere and really completed the experience for us. So happy he was our driver! The food at lunch was GREAT. And the winery tours were so much fun. I'm so glad I booked with tastings and tours and would again in a heartbeat!!

I love National Parks…read more Not just because I'm patriotic with an environmentalist sensibility -- but because they are time warps of sorts -- a glimpse back at the way things once were and (hopefully) will be for our descendants -- long downstream. The Cape May National Wildlife Refuge is a pleasant respite from the commercialism of Jersey Shore holidays -- its' boardwalk attractions, fast food and fast living. It is well marked and you can bring your binocs along to spot wildlife and unique plants and flora found nowhere else. Better still -- bike in and hop scotch around between dunes and other natural formations -- but avoid crossing into the restricted areas that are clearly marked by Area 51 type warning signs -- lest you want automatic weapon toting humans rousting you. We walked the trails in sand, alongside more poison ivy in one 2 square mile stretch than I have probably seen in my entire life. Bring bug spray, a fishing pole to cast off the jetty -- and maybe even long pants and an epipen if you are especially sensitive to insect stings and poisonous plants. Free bird watching walks are regularly available and -- thankfully -- it is a relatively unpopulated attraction so it is soulful in its solitude.

THIS IS THE TWO MILE LANDING WILDLIFE REFUGE LOCATED IN WILDWOOD CREST. There are 3 ways to get to…read morethis beautiful refuge: first is off Ocean Ave/pacific ave, second turn Down Madison to the end and it is on the right, or access from the beach -only Oct-March. Access from the beach is closed off by ropes and volunteers monitor those trying to walk the refuge from April thru September 31st. Protected area for migrating and nesting birds. There is a great trails to see the wildlife refuge. It runs parallel to the beach. Guided tours are available. We saw some great birds this summer landing on the beach! My first spotting of an American Oyster Cracker. I only wish I was able to get a picture, happened so fast. Don't forget your binoculars! The butterfly migration in October is really something to see, nature at its best. We have spotted white skunks, and have seen one coyote.