Emien Physick Estate
1. You can avoid cooking on Thanksgiving.
Preparing a Thanksgiving meal at home involves a lot of planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning (so many dishes to wash). When you travel for Thanksgiving you get to enjoy only the best part of the meal – the eating part. Some of the best restaurants in Cape May, NJ are open on Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy a traditional turkey meal with all the fixings or choose a completely different style of food for the day. Reservations are highly recommended; many of these restaurants can be found on OpenTable.
Peter Shields Inn Restaurant will be serving a prix fixe menu on Thanksgiving Day. The prix fixe menu will cost $95 per person. The a la carte dinner menu will not be available that day. The restaurant boasts five dining rooms. They feature wine from Cape May Winery and Vineyard but are also an BYOB establishment.
Union Park Restaurant features tables in the dining room, solarium, and library. Executive Chef, John Schatz, has led the restaurant to receive numerous awards including Zagat Top Rated, OpenTable Diner’s Choice Winner, and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. This year, they plan to offer a three-course prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner. The drink menu includes local wine; diners are also encouraged to BYOB.
Hemingway’s Restaurant has the best steak and seafood in Cape May. They have reservations available for dinner on Thanksgiving Day. They are typically open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; consider trying them out for breakfast on Thanksgiving weekend.
Beach Plum Farm Kitchen is located in an Amish barn. The farm-to-table restaurant strives to use ingredients harvested directly from their fields. They are offering a family-style meal at communal tables for $162 per person. All meals in their Dinner Series events are BYOB.
The Ballroom at Congress Hall offers a Thanksgiving buffet each year. Prices for 2024 have not been announced. In 2023, tickets for adults were $79 and tickets for children 4-12 were $40.
2. It is a great place to start your holiday shopping.
The shops along Cape May’s Washington Street Mall will be open for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. The pedestrian only outside mall is a lovely place to shop, support local businesses, and people watch. Forget about the crowds at the big box stores and spend a delightful day shopping. The Washington Street Mall is less than half-a-mile from Wilbraham Mansion if you want to walk off calories from your Thanksgiving dinner.
Cape May MAC (Museums. Arts. Culture.) hosts multiple crafts and collectibles shows throughout the year. On Friday, November 29 and Saturday, November 30, they are hosting a show at the Cape May Convention Hall. Step inside for a cozy day of looking for the perfect gifts created by vendors and crafters from throughout the northeast.
Congress Hall will turn into a Winter Wonderland from Friday, November 29, 2024 until Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Step out on the lawn for the Enchanted Vendor Village to shop local and regional merchants. While you are there, check out the festive decorations inside Congress Hall and take a ride on the carousel.
3. The beaches are less crowded and they are free.
Everyone loves the sun and sand on a beach during the toasty summer months. Those summer months also bring lots and lots and lots of people. It can be difficult to find a parking spot, a place to put your beach towel on the sand, and any moment of quiet. When you visit Cape May in November, the beach may be chilly but it is even more lovely. Suddenly you can take photographs on the beach without anyone else in the picture. You can listen to the birds and waves without someone else’s music blaring next to you. You can get a parking spot that is super close or even right next to the beach. You even need less stuff when you go to the beach in November. Simply bring yourself, a toasty jacket, and something to sit on. From Memorial Day until Labor Day, the main Cape May beaches require a seasonal or day beach tag. You do not have to worry about that in November. Simply stroll onto the beach without paying.
4. There are lots of fun activities in Cape May.
Cape May has some fun museums to visit. The NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum has hands-on exhibits where visitors can learn about aviation and military history; plus the museum is located inside a World War II hangar. The Emlen Physick Estate is the only Victorian house museum in Cape May; visitors are welcome to take a tour of the first and second floors. The Cape May Fireman’s Museum houses an antique 1928 American Le France alongside firefighting memorabilia; this museum is free.
The Cape May Park and Zoo is open every day of the year except for Christmas. The free attraction features more than 550 different types of animals on 80 acres. Want to get up close and personal with one of the animals? The zoo offers small group animal encounters for a fee. Visit on Saturday, November 30 for the tree lighting celebration that will include collectibles and crafts for sale, live music, and an ice sculpture demonstration.
Thanksgiving Eve is one of the biggest drinking nights of the year. Check out one of the bars in Cape May, NJ to get a cocktail or glass of wine or beer. If the night is chilly, The Rusty Nail has a fireplace. Washington Inn has an entire menu devoted to wines by the glass. You can never go wrong with a beer at Delaney’s Irish Pub and Grill.
The Wilbraham Mansion offers onsite activities and relaxation that may make you decide to spend the entire holiday there. If you simply cannot go to the beach without swimming, checkout the indoor heated swimming pool. It is definitely the only place to comfortably swim during the colder months in Cape May. Every one of the suites boasts a gas fireplace and a two-person whirlpool bath. Add chocolate covered strawberries or a dessert plate and snuggle up together for a romantic evening. All guest rooms feature a flat screen television and DVD player; make it a movie marathon weekend.
