CAPE MAY – Cape May welcomes you this spring with a wide variety of delicious tours and activities sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Come to Cape May to sample some of these new food and wine events or return for Cape May favorites that will delight your palate.
Gather your best girlfriends for a Girlfriends Getaway Weekend, April 19 to April 21. You’ll enjoy time away from your daily routine and that pesky to-do list during these events that focus on food, wine, fashion and best of all, fun, especially for you and the girls:
New in 2013! Join the Friends of the Physick Estate for a “Downton Abbey” inspired Upton Abbey Afternoon Tea in the Carriage House Café & Tearoom, 1048 Washington St., on April 19 at 3 p.m. Have fun with other fans of the Masterpiece Classic PBS hit series, “Downton Abbey,” which has just concluded its exciting third season, or learn what all the fuss is about if you’re new to the series. There will be gifts for those who come in period dress appropriate to the historical time frame of the series, along with “Downton Abbey” trivia for entertainment. Music from the series will set the mood as you enjoy an Afternoon Tea including scones, tea breads and tea sandwiches. Guests who put forward their best British accent will be eligible for a prize. Admission is $25 for Friends and $30 for non-members.
On April 20 at 3 p.m., treat your palate as you sip and swirl during a Winery Cellar Tour & Tasting at the Cape May Winery; or, choose a Cape May Wine Trail and enjoy an afternoon from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. that includes lunch at Aleathea’s Restaurant, Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St., and trolley transportation to local vineyards Natali Vineyards, Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery, and the new Willow Creek Winery in West Cape May, for wine tastings. Admission to the Winery Cellar Tour & Tasting is $20. Admission to the Cape May Wine Trail is $75 and includes a wine tasting glass.
On April 21 at 9:30 a.m., it’s Brunch, Bingo & Lace, where you’ll laugh along with your girlfriends as you play a little bingo, enjoy a fashion show by Lace Silhouettes/Cotton Company and compete for prizes, at the Inn of Cape May. Admission is $25.
New in 2013! Join the Friends of the Cape May Lighthouse for a traditional pig roast to raise funds in support of educational interpretation of the lighthouse during the First Annual Friends of the Lighthouse Pig Roast on April 20 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, 569 Seashore Road, Erma. Entertainment will be by Twelve Strings. Admission is $20.
To drink or not to drink, that is the dispute between saloonkeeper Patrick Collins and Jennie Wales, staunch advocate of the temperance movement. Enjoy the Luncheon and Temperance Debate, at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, a lively living history program, on Tuesday, April 30, at 12:30 p.m.Join Dr. Physick as he attempts to maintain decorum during this spirited debate. Admission is $25 and includes lunch.
Enjoy gracious, yet casual, dining at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. with a café menu that includes signature salads, wraps and tea sandwiches, as well as homemade soups and quiche, plus the popular Classic Tea Luncheon and Elegant Afternoon Tea. If you have a busy schedule, everything is available for takeout, too. The Carriage House Café & Tearoom re-opens for the season April 26; open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For reservations call 609-884-5111.
Cape May’s 18th Annual Spring Festival is April 26 through May 5 and features a tempting selection of food and wine events featuring some returning favorites:
Making its festival return is the Chocolate Championship Tour & Tasting on May 4 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. You are the judge as you taste some of the area’s most irresistible chocolate concoctions. Visit participating historic inns and B&Bs, sample their signature desserts and vote for your favorites. You decide who will take home Cape May’s Chocolate Champion title. Those who turn in completed evaluation cards will get recipes by email. Adult tickets are $20; children (ages 3-12) are $18. If you delight over a good whodunit, you’ll enjoy Murder Mystery Dinners at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom, on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Join the Impromptu Players as they set the scene for the original mystery, “Foul Weather Fiend” and enjoy a four-course dinner as you contemplate the clues, interact with the cast and help solve the mystery as it unfolds on Saturdays, April 27 and May 4, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person. If you prefer to mull over your mystery during lunch, Murder Mystery Luncheons include a three-course meal at Aleathea’s Restaurant at the lovely Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St., andthe thrill of unearthing clues to the mystery as it unfolds around you. Lunch is $30 per person on Sundays, April 28 and May 5, at 1 p.m.
New in 2013! The Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., becomes an outdoor marketplace complete with Beer Garden, as vendors from throughout the Northeast display their wares April 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Spring Festival Crafts & Antiques Show. The Beer Garden on the grounds of the Physick Estate is a new addition this year! Free admission to the grounds. Free parking available.
Enjoy intimate concerts over lunch as part of the 24th Annual Cape May Music Festival, May 26-June 13. Come to the Carriage House Café & Tearoom located on the beautiful grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. for Bach’s Lunches, mini-concerts by members of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, where you can enjoy an elegant Tea Luncheon and intimate afternoon concert under the tent. Admission is $30 per person. Bach’s Lunches are Wednesdays, May 29, June 5 and June 12.
Villas – Yep, here come those mask mandates again starting in, of course, a blue state. If there isn't a virus yet for the mask, they will find one before November 5th.
