Cape May, New Jersey is in a class of its own when it comes to shore towns. Located at the southernmost tip of the Jersey Shores, Cape May has the distinction of being the nation’s oldest seaside resort. Best known for its charming Victorian architecture, it offers so much more than just a beach experience. In addition to its robust downtown shopping district, fabulous architecture, and a fantastic selection of restaurants – which offer everything from quintessential seaside fare to fine dining -- it also boasts a strong off-season community and programming, making it a true year round destination.
Unlike many shore towns that seem to roll up the sidewalks after Labor Day, Cape May just keeps getting better once the summer rush slows down, offering all sorts of attractions, including its famous Jazz festival in November and a Dickensian Christmas display in December.
My family and I had the pleasure of spending a rather wet fall weekend in Cape May recently, and despite the gray skies and wet shoes, we managed to have a fabulous time. This wasn't my first trip to Cape May, but it was my first stay at Congress Hall, an impressive, iconic, hotel centrally located on the beach, and only steps away from the downtown shopping district.
Steeped in history, Congress Hall is a step back into a different age. Following a 22 million dollar renovation in 2001, the hotel has been restored to its former turn of the century grandeur, yet updated to satisfy modern tastes. The decor is elegant yet comfortable and hip, beachy without being garish, spacious yet cozy. Classy is the best adjective I can think of to describe this grand old hotel. It's no surprise the Brown Room- which is the main bar area of the hotel – with its oversized couches and a huge fireplace, is affectionately known as Cape May’s Living Room.
We have done a fair amount of traveling in our time and with two young children it can make for an interesting trip when we are all in one room. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the guest rooms in Congress Hall. We had plenty of room for a pack and play for our younger daughter and my older toddler slept in the second queen bed. We were able to get the kids settled on one side of the room and hunker down on the other side with a movie and a bottle of wine with no sense at all of feeling cramped in any way.
Much of the produce used at Congress Hall and the other local hotels that are part of the Cape Resorts Group, is sourced locally from Beach Plum Farm. Cape Resorts purchased the farm – which is less than two miles from the hotel and (weather permitting) an easy trip by bicycle -- about 4 years ago with the goal of creating a sustainable, local produce and farm relationship, and in that short time has transformed the 60 + acres into a working, producing farm. COnveniently bicycles can be rented right on site at the Congress Hall bike shop.
New this year, the Beach Plum Farm is hosting a Fall Festival every Saturday in October. The festivities include a pig roast, live music, tie-dying, pumpkin decorating, and hayrides. Sadly we were there on a rather wet weekend so the official festival was cancelled.
Despite the weather there was still plenty to do on the farm and the resort seamlessly created a back-up plan that included live music in the Brown Room all afternoon, pumpkin decorating at the hotel for the kids, and a special appearance by the Blue Pig himself! Honestly, the property – with its high ceilings and large rooms -- is so comfortable it didn't even feel like a back-up plan. I can’t imagine a more comfortable place to spend a rainy October Saturday than an oversized chair in front of a huge fireplace listening to a guitar and fiddle duo playing live music. Throw in a glass of wine, and, honestly, it’s a wonder they ever got me out of there.
For dinner Saturday we made a rather damp trek down the street to The Rusty Nail, a family friendly seafood restaurant that is part of the Beach Shack Hotel, another Cape Resorts property. It was a real shame about the weather, because while the dinner was excellent, the The Rusty Nail offers a unique outdoors area that is delightful for both children and parents.
With a fire pit, a large sandy area, tons of outdoor seating, and live music most nights in season and weekends off season, this is the perfect setting to actually kick off your shoes, let the kids run around and the adults just sit back and enjoy a couple of drinks and the music. Sadly The Rusty Nail closed for the season this weekend, with it's End of the World send off party, but we will be back for sure next year.
Kids meals come served on a frisbee that is yours to keep (and on non-stormy days, toss around outside after dinner) and the selection of kids entrées (including steak and mashed potatoes) is impressive. My husband and I split The Nail Broiled Combo-- shrimp, scallops, flounder, and crab cake, served with corn on the cob, coleslaw, and a large baked potato. And it’s a good thing we did, because even sharing an entree I was still full the next morning! The crab cake was fantastic, and the old bay fries we ordered on the side (as if there wasn't enough food already) were perfectly cooked and seasoned.
Blue Pig Tavern
For breakfast on the way out of town we stopped at the Blue Pig Tavern, which is conveniently located in Congress Hall and serves classic American comfort food with much of the produce sourced from the Beach Plum Farm. My Beach Plum Farm Omelet--made with free range eggs from the farm, smoked ham, wilted greens, tomatoes, leeks and cheddar cheese -- was excellent, and my husband was equally happy with the corned beef hash an eggs. In particular, the home fries were perfectly seasoned and cooked.
My daughter insisted on her staple breakfast of waffles--- only at home they don't come with bananas, whipped cream, maple syrup and candied walnuts. This tasted more like dessert than breakfast- yum! Let’s just say Mommy and Daddy “helped” her finish it. While everything was fantastic, it wasn’t until after I ordered that I noticed the blue pigs in a blanket---blueberry pancakes wrapped around sausages. Not sure how I missed that, but it will definitely be my breakfast next time around.
All in all, despite the weather, we had a wonderful weekend. If I had to be anywhere on vacation when the weather was bad, a resort is the way to go. With a selection of fireplaces to curl up in front of, a spacious guest room with free wi-fi, a mall and a pedestrianized shopping district across the street from the front of the hotel, and a stunning view of beach on a blustery day from the back, I would say we couldn’t have asked for much more. Despite a full house, and not one but two weddings this weekend, there was ample space at the hotel and the service was prompt and courteous.
Congress Hall is a beautiful hotel filled with character and charm – not to mention a full spa, fitness center, coffee shop, gift shop, and a huge lawn for running around or simply relaxing on one of the many Adirondack chairs overlooking a stunning view of the ocean. As an added bonus the pool is open until mid October, weather permitting, allowing you to capture the last of the season’s warm rays, and just maybe stretch that summer tan out a few more weeks.
There are two more weekends this season to enjoy the fall festival at the farm, so if you are looking for someplace different to pick your pumpkins this season, put Cape May and the Beach Plum Farm on your list! Only a 90 minute ride from Philadelphia, with plenty of farm stands and NO traffic this time of year, it is absolutely worth the trip for a day or a weekend.