ATTRACTIONS Coming

609-884-5404 • www.capemaymac.org • 800-275-4278

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3)

For Kids

On a nice day this winter, take the kids on one of these outdoor walking adventures. The Cape May Family Treasure Hunt takes you on a search in the Historic District for fun points of history, or you can stay on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate and challenge yourselves to the Physick Estate Scavenger Hunt. Both packets can be picked up at Hill House, on the grounds of the estate, 1048 Washington St. during regular business hours and are free. Come springtime, the Children’s Trolley Ride returns. Board Cape May MAC’s red trolley for this 30-minute fun and educational guided trolley ride through the Historic District of Cape May. It’s customized for children ages 3-7. From gingerbread you can’t eat to witches’ caps on houses, kids will be fascinated by “show and tell” along the way. The tour is offered April 3-6 and April 10-13 at 1pm.

Climb the lighthouse at nighttime!

Since it opened to the public in 1988, more than 2.5 million visitors have climbed to the top of the 1859 Cape May Lighthouse, but far fewer have climbed at nighttime. During the Lighthouse Full Moon Climb, follow the light the moon up the 199 cast-iron spiral staircase steps to the top of the Cape May Lighthouse and see the full moon its glory from the Watch Gallery, with a nighttime view nearly 156 feet above the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean. During Stairway to the Stars, without the light the moon, you see the stars shine! Climb the 199 steps to the top of the Cape May Lighthouse on evenings of the New Moon and the start of a new 29.5-day lunar cycle, when the moon is so dark it blends in with the night sky and is invisible to the naked eye. Stars and constellations are more visible on clear nights during the New Moon! Binoculars are permitted if securely worn around the neck at all times. The Lighthouse Full Moon Climb is offered 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on April 6, May 5, June 3, July 2, Aug. 1 and Aug. 30, and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 29 and Oct. 28. Stairway to the Stars is offered 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on April 20, May 19, June 18, July 17, Aug. 16 and Sept. 14, and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct .14 and Nov. 13. $20 adult admission; $10 children (ages 3-12). Purchase tickets from lighthouse keeper the evening of the event.

Cape May Wine Trails

Saturdays, May 6, Sept. 22, and Oct. 6 (Feb. 18 and April 29 sold out!)

10:45am: Board a trolley at the historic Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and travel to Pier House at LaMer Beachfront Resort for a delicious lunch. Then it’s back on board the trolley for an afternoon of touring and sampling wine selections by vintners at Jessie Creek Winery and Natali Vineyards. Guests will receive a tour, tastings, souvenir glass and snacks. $125 all inclusive. Click here to purchase tickets.

Wrap-up

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) just how busy we were in that six-week period. Every day, there were multiple things to do, with more than 563 individual calendar listings in total. You could choose from five trolley tours, some day and some evening. There were Physick Family Christmas House Tours during the day and Yuletide House Tours in the evening. There were specialty house tours (Holiday House Tours and Lamplighter Christmas Tours) and of course, the granddaddy of them all, the Christmas Candlelight House Tour, offered the three Saturdays before Christmas. We are very grateful to everyone who opened their doors for us — inns, hotels, private homes, churches and local organizations like the Kiwanis Club, the Colonial House and Cape May Convention Hall — helping us to entertain the thousands of visitors who find Cape May “their happy place.”

It’s a whirlwind while it is happening, and January brings us a little breathing room. Within two weeks, we launched our 2023 programming, opening the Cape May Lighthouse, Physick Estate and sending the trolleys out for a variety of tours. On January 2, we began dismantling the Christmas exhibit so we could install “Throw Like A Girl: Women in Baseball.” A partnership with the Center for Community Arts (CCA) as our winter exhibit has traditionally been, we opened the exhibit with the help of Mayor Zack Mullock on Jan. 16 in honor of Martin Luther King Day. Hope Gaines of CCA curated and researched the exhibit while working with Steven Olszewski, who has become Cape May MAC’s in-house professional designer. The exhibit examines how women have participated and excelled in America’s favorite pastime from the first team fielded by Vassar in 1866 up to today.

The Museum Education Division has been presenting twice monthly Lunch & Learn programs. The programs are offered live at the Cape May Lutheran Church Hall and are also available by Zoom and on our website afterward. Topics have been varied, from a look at non-profit organization, to a history of Christmas Carols, to the story behind Mother Goose. Under the supervision of Brenda Leonard, the series is scheduled through 2024. We also visited the JOY (Just Older Youth) Group at the First Methodist Church of North Wildwood, the Blind Center of the Jersey Cape, Victorian Towers, Haven House, Avalon Women’s Club and North Cape Nursing Center. We’re happy to have been invited back to several schools — Dennis Elementary School and Margaret Mace Elementary for holiday programs.