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| There’s More
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Cape
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Cape May County, “The
Jersey Cape,” is an area famous for its beaches
and boardwalks, but the Cape offers visitors of
all ages much more to explore than surf, sand
and amusements. |
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At the Jersey
Cape visitors will find exciting indoor and outdoor
activities.
Known for some of the best
beaches in the world, the Jersey Cape has become
a destination for families generation after
generation.
Easily accessible from the Canadian cities of
Quebec and Montreal, the Jersey Cape is a vast
resource for a family vacation.
In a typical week’s
vacation on the Jersey Cape, a family with
children will likely visit the beach five days
and make at least two trips to the area’s
boardwalks. In between they may spend a day
fishing or crabbing, shopping in any of the
superlative shopping districts in the area such
as Cape May’s Washington Street Mall or Ocean
City’s Asbury Avenue; taking a nature tour,
visiting Victorian Cape May; visiting some of
the historical sites such as Historic Cold
Spring Village, Naval Air Station Wildwood’s
Aviation Museum, the Cape May County Museum or
one of the many local museums; taking a tour of
the beautiful gardens at Leaming’s Run; or
spending a day at the Cape May County Park Zoo.
From mid-May through
the end of September, the beaches on the
Atlantic Ocean are the preferred spots for those
who like nothing better than lazing in the sun,
basking in the salt air, and creating
spectacular sandcastles. For those who can’t
seem to sit still, the beaches invite long,
leisurely walks, and host communities have
created special beaches for surfing, rafting,
volleyball, and other beach games, such as bocce
and paddleball.
The beaches of the
Delaware Bay, found in western Cape May County
are an excellent alternative to the seaside
beaches. Though primarily unprotected by
lifeguards, these beaches are not frequented by
the masses, and lend themselves to more simple
pleasures, such as long walks, exploring the
dunes, or just sitting and admiring Mother
Nature’s handiwork.
One of the more
uncommon beaches in the region is Sunset Beach
at Cape May Point, the southernmost part of the
Cape, home to Cape May Diamonds and the concrete
ship, hosts a nightly ceremony in the summer
months that draws hundreds of visitors for a
perfectly exquisite view of a sunset.
Here you’ll find the
ever-sinking World War I vessel the USS Atlantus,
an experimental wartime ship constructed from
concrete. The concrete ships of the era (there
were four) were an engineering failure, but the
remains of the Atlantus provide beautiful
scenery at sunset as well as a barrier to the
harsh tides and a home for many marine
creatures.
The real treasures of
Sunset Beach, however, are those under foot.
Small pieces of quartz, rounded and smoothed
through hundreds of years traveling down the
Delaware River, converge on this beach. When
polished, these quartz rocks resemble
diamonds—hence the name “Cape May Diamonds.” An
afternoon of hunting for Cape May Diamonds is
almost a rite of passage for any youngster who
has visited the Jersey Cape, generations of
visitors return to Sunset Beach each year to
introduce their progeny to this wondrous
pastime.
Fine dining, bicycling,
sensational nightclubs, professional theater,
outdoor concerts and miniature golf add to the
list of favorite activities for families who
visit the Jersey Cape.
So when planning a
family vacation or a quick get-away, plan on the
Jersey Cape: there’s more to explore than the
world’s best beaches and boardwalks.
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