Travel Tour: Cape May

Know you want to go? Click here to get the reservation forms!

Join our executive director Wayne Goodman and Landmark staff in autumn 2016 for an all-inclusive tour to Cape May, NJ, America’s original seaside resort. Enjoy a charming seaside community like no other, with over 600 Victorian era buildings. No wonder the whole town’s been designated as a National Historic District.  Did we mention the seaside, the seafood dinners, the boat cruise, and the incredible historic resort? On this four-day, 3-night trip you’ll experience delightful streetscapes, beaches and refreshing sea air while exploring historic sites and indulging in delicious shore dinners.

We’ll stay at Congress Hall, a Cape Resort. A destination in its own right, this beachside site has welcomed resort guests for almost two centuries, with the current building constructed in 1878. A favored destination for the Victorian summering socialites of New York and Philadelphia, it so impressed famed composer John Phillip Sousa that in 1882 he wrote the “Congress Hall March” in its honor. During the early decades of the 20th century the resort fell into disrepair. Unlike other large Cape May hotels, it escaped demolition and replacement by modern motels. In the late 1990s Congress Hall underwent an extensive renovation and reopened in 2002, once again showcasing its former glory.

Our tour activities will be varied and engaging, including
– A trolley tour of the historic district, giving you a close up look at some of those 600 elaborate gingerbread decorated Victorian houses on the island.

– A two hour narrated cruise around the island of Cape May, seeing historic sites from the water, and perhaps spotting dolphins or even a whale.

– A visit to the fully-restored 1859 Cape May lighthouse. Climb the tower for the view, or enjoy the exhibits in the ground level Oil House orientation center.

– A tour of The Physick Estate (attributed to famous architect Frank Furness.) Built in 1879 in the Stick Style and restored to its original grandeur, we’ll visit the house and the exhibit gallery.

– A visit to the Southern Mansion, an opulent 1860 Italianate set among over an acre of award-winning gardens. The largest bed and breakfast in Cape May, they are opening the doors for our tour.

– A walk along Washington Street Mall, one of the first and most successful “pedestrian only” shopping streets, closed off to vehicles in 1972. It’s comprised of small, independent shops (many family-owned) in historic structures – the epitome of small town shopping.

– A living history presentation by the composer himself, Mr. John Phillip Sousa.

You’ll also have time to stroll the beaches of Cape May, or perhaps indulge in a visit to the spa at our Congress Hall hotel.

As usual on a Landmark trip, our dining experiences will be at interesting and historic locations. They will give you the wide scope of Cape May dining experiences, from fine dining to beach casual to an elegant Twinings Tea Room supper.

What’s included:
3 nights’ accommodation, all meals (from Monday lunch through Thursday lunch), deluxe motorcoach transportation, taxes and gratuities, and the company of Landmark Society executive director and staff.

Cost:
Member double Occupancy: $1,520
Nonmember double Occupancy: $1,720
Single supplement: $412.

Registration deadline is June 20, 2016. Please note that in the past three years our tours have sold out well in advance of the deadline. Reserve your spot soon by clicking here to download the registration forms, or calling (585) 546-7029 x.11