Step back in time to the gentility and charm of the Victorian Era and visit beautiful Cape May, NJ at Christmas time. This seaside town is transformed into a Dickens village for the holidays with garlands of fragrant greens and twinkling gaslights. We will spend two nights at the first class Marquis de Lafayette Hotel with oceanfront rooms, located near shops & restaurants. The first evening we will take a Holly Trolley Ride, and enjoy Christmas music as we view Cape May’s holiday decorations and hear the history of many of the Christmas traditions as our trolley winds its way through town. Dinner will be at the Lobster House Restaurant, followed by a visit from a Victorian Storyteller reading a Christmas favorite.
Tuesday morning we will join our local guide and travel by bus through West Cape May to the tip of Cape May’s peninsula - one of the most celebrated bird migratory locations in North America. At Cape May Point State Park, there is a fully restored Lighthouse, built in 1859, and at Sunset Beach the concrete ship Atlantus, that ran aground in 1926, is still visible. After a short stop for shopping or to search for “Cape May Diamonds”, we will lunch at the Washington Inn, and then get in the holiday spirit on our self-guided Holiday Inns Tour through some of Cape May’s beautifully decorated properties. Evening and dinner are on your own to explore the quaint shops & restaurants along the Washington Mall.
In the morning, enjoy a return to the era of Victorian opulence with our guided tour of the impressive Emlen Physick Estate, where you will experience the feeling of Christmas in the 1890s, and then learn about Victorian Christmas traditions and decorating at Cape May’s Victorian House Museum. Don’t miss the Carroll Gallery to see “An Old-fashioned Christmas” exhibit, a popular annual display featuring a huge Christmas tree, model trains, and an elaborate Dept. 56 Dickens village collection, and the quaint village of Historic Smithville, with cobblestone streets and lovely boutiques filled with unique and beautiful gift ideas for the holidays, before we head home with memories of a lovely visit to Victorian Cape May.
Trip includes: Deluxe motorcoach, 2 nights hotel in Cape May, 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner, sightseeing & admissions per itinerary, Tours Escort, Driver & Tour Director Gratuity
Trip fee: $789/dbl or triple or $989/single ** Please contact us with questions or help to register!** laperlan@glastonburyus.org 860-652-7253