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Dorothy knew her stuff. It took her a minute to get there, but she knew her stuff. The feeling of going home is one of the happiest feelings most of us know. The comfort, the familiarity and the calm that comes from being where so many memories were made is one that I know I value greatly. Driving over the bridge to New Jersey is the first leg of heading home for me and it still makes me smile. Many greats have called New Jersey home including Paul Rudd, Nathan Lane, Meryl Streep, Whitney Houston, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and Anthony Bourdain. Some will insert some smart comment here regarding Jersey, a few friends are even included in that “some”. Some have even called my home state “the armpit of America”. And while like most states, there are a few rough spots in it, the area I’m from is a far cry from an armpit. Like I mentioned in my first entry on Jersey week, I’m going to focus on the area that I spent that majority of my life in and in my own opinion, the area that gets the least praise: South Jersey. And in that specifically, Cape May and Wildwood.
Like Dorothy, it took me a minute to realize how there really was no place like home. My family had a camper down in a south jersey campground where we spent many weekends and many summers from when I was 3 until I was 12. At 12 years old, my Father decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of living at the shore and we moved down from Pennsylvania to Cape May, NJ. As much as I loved the shore, I really wanted no parts of living there full time. I was happy where we were. Sadly, the first two years of living there didn’t help with crossing me over. At my new school, I was bullied horribly by many kids in my class. Things were so extensively bad, my Parents actually transferred me to a new school to put a stop to things. Thankfully, this was when things took a real turn and life thankfully changed. I made many friends, was active at my dance school and got involved in the high school musicals. My time in restaurants began in several different ones in Cape May and Wildwood, serving time as a hostess, busser, server, cooking and eventually, managing. I didn’t truly realize how lucky I was until I went away to college in Pennsylvania and spent time with some kids who had never even been fortunate enough to see the ocean. My friends and I would go every single day off in the summers. My parents and I would walk along the Cape May promenade many nights. I actually knew and was friendly with several ride attendants as a kid on the Wildwood boardwalk. My God, I was so spoiled. The area was safe, there was virtually little to no crime and the people were so amazingly nice.
As a kid, you truly didn’t care that Cape May as an entire city was on the Historical Landmark Registry, the only place in the US that has claim to that title. It didn’t matter that it was laden with beautiful Victorian Bed and Breakfasts, home to the Cape May Coast Guard Base, or that it was the Restaurant Capital of New Jersey. Obviously, as an adult, all of this has come to be appreciated. Cape May has been on several lists of the “Top Beaches” not only in New Jersey, but in the country. It’s home to a beautiful lighthouse, footing 199 steps up to the top.
Home to much history including Civil War bases and World War II bunkers, this truly was a time capsule of history, something Dad loved and instilled in my Brothers and myself. To this day, the Victorian architecture is still impressive. There is still part of the SS Atlantis sticking out of the waves at Cape May Point, a concrete ship that broke off of its dock during a storm and got stuck. And it’s rumored to be incredibly haunted, offering many Ghost Tours for people to take and hear the stories behind many rumored members of the Ghost world who are still on vacation in the town.
Now let’s get to the goods: food. While Cape May is home to so many wonderful food spots ranging from casual to some of the best fine dining spots in the state, I still have my go-to’s. Of course there are the spots like the C-View, a bar referred to as “The Office” by many of fellow colleagues who threw back a cocktail or two there after dinner shifts in the city and had the best wing nights in the area. Or the Lobster House, home to an amazing Fish Market, several dining areas including dock side casual eats and a boat you can drink on called “The Schooner”. But there are some places I just have to go to while I’m in the area.
Lucky Bones is the first in Cape May. A casual, yet delicious, restaurant owned by the Craig Family made it’s debut back in 2006 after the building had several failed restaurant attempts and the long time operation, the Anchorage, had closed. With beautiful wood work inside, a cozy fire place, open pizza oven and that comfy hometown feel, Lucky Bones was accepted by both locals and tourists immediately.
With an extensive menu featuring delicious thin crust pizzas, seafood options, hearty sandwiches and filling entree selections, you’ll be hard pressed not to find something that will please everyone. During the cold weather months, you even get a hot chocolate shot with your check!
The skipjack pizza, their classic margherita with an arugula and prosciutto salad on top, is a recent favorite. The cuban rubbed pork chop over sweet potatoes is very popular and has had a dedicated following for years now. Make sure to have a key lime pie martini at the bar before you leave. And if you wanna bring me an order of Lil’s Last Stop Fries while you are at it, I wouldn’t be mad at ya.
On the finer end of things, I can’t send you anywhere but the Washington Inn. The OG fine dining flagship of the city is located in a building from 1846 and has a stunning wine cellar, a classically styled bar and several different dining room options. Mimi Wood has been the chef at the helm of the ship for over 25 years and helped to establish what Cape May fine dining is known for: showcasing quality ingredients, especially seafood and local produce.
When I was young, my Parents would go down to Cape May for their anniversary weekends and I heard stories of their dinners at the Washington Inn. I couldn’t wait to grow up and go there one day myself. I’m thankful to say that not only have I dined there several times now, but am fortunate to call many of their staff friends.
While Cape May is the classically and stunningly beautiful Grandmother of New Jersey, Wildwood is the fun, more laid back Aunt. She loves fun, represents several decades of architecture and classic music. And by classic music, I mean Doo Wop. The Wildwoods as they are known, are home to the largest collection of Doo Wop themed architecture in the country, with loads of motels celebrating the style and feel of the 50’s era. There is even a Doo Wop Preservation League’s Doo Wop Experience Museum, which celebrates everything the city encapsulates.
If you’ve read my funnel cake post, you know that it has a large and extensive boardwalk, featuring three large ride piers, three water parks and yards of games, shops and restaurants. Wildwood is even home to New Jersey’s best free beaches, which are enormous, clean and home to many different events on the sand. They are so big, Kenny Chesney even featured a free concert on it years ago, with room to spare.
Wildwood in more recent years has built many condos and has stepped up into the AirBnB market with many beautiful seaside homes being offered as different options for staying in the city. Many restaurants have popped up as well and like most of the country, several breweries and distilleries as well. Mudhen Brewing Company , located in a former Harley Davidson store, has become the leading Brewery in Wildwood and the only one to feature a full service restaurant as well. The beer here has been voted Best Beer Pub in the state of New Jersey by New Jersey Monthly Magazine. At the helm of the Brew Room is Tony Cunha, who has been the Brew Master here since 2018 when Mudhen opened.
Offering options for those who like classics such as the MudHen Pils or for the more adventurous beer drinkers, WhimSea and Sea Tiger, the brewery keeps things seasonal and fresh by dropping new choices year round.
Then there’s the food. You could put the Pulled Pork Dip on a stick and I would eat it. And the Burgers are second to none in the city, namely the Mudhen Burger with beer cheese and crispy onions on angus beef. If you see a mac and cheese heading to a table while you are there, you’ll see why it’s made instagram several times for food porn worthiness.
There are so many other things I could touch on in the Wildwood and Cape May area. Like the Cape May County Zoo, a donation only free zoo within a beautiful park only a few short miles from Wildwood. Or Cold Spring Village, a living history museum that hosts many events including Civil War Reenactments during the year. The extensive offerings of water sports including stand up paddleboarding , waverunners, parasailing, surfing, dolphin sightseeing boats and more. Or how beautiful Cape May is during the fall and holiday season. Regardless, I can’t put into words how much this little area means to me.
The relationships I have formed and continue to have with people in town have helped build me into who I am today. The pride that exists for these cities and what they have to offer lies within the shops, restaurants, hotels and businesses. If you’ve gotten to spend time in Cape May or Wildwood, you know how lucky you are. And if you haven’t, put it on your list for when Covid is over. There’s a reason many folks call it home and others make it there home for years over in the summer months. Because there really is no place like home.