Cape May, New Jersey

The Victorian-lovers paradise. If you want to lodge in an authentic Victorian bed and breakfast inn, Cape May has more to choose from than any other small town I know of. After San Francisco, this small town has the second largest collection of Victorian-era homes in the nation. In 1976, the entire municipality of Cape May was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. The town began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid-1700s and is recognized by the United States government as the country's oldest seaside resort. The town hosts the Cape May Jazz Festival, the Cape May Music Festival and the New Jersey State Film Festival. The Cape May area is also popular for the observation of migrating birds, especially in fall. The Cape May Bird Observatory is based nearby at Cape May Point. Cape May was recognized as one of America's top 10 beaches by the Travel Channel and its beach was ranked fifth in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. The town is named for 1620 Dutch captain named Cornelius Jacobsen Mey who explored and charted the area between 1611–1614, and established a claim for the province of New Netherland. EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.