Day 1: Tuesday, August 25
Arrival, Mall Stroll, Mini-Golf & Dockside Dining
Home Base (Grand Hotel)
Day 1 Stops
12:00 PM • Midday Arrival
Washington Street Mall, Cafes & Bakeries
Park in town (ParkMobile). Grab coffee from Magic Brain Cafe or The Buoy Coffee Shop. Sample flavored spreads at Cape May Peanut Butter Co. and get pastries from Madison’s Bakery.
🚶♂️ ~15 mins (0.7 mi) | 🚗 ~4 mins
Pedestrian Mall
Kid Snacks
1:30 PM • Family Fun
Ocean Putt Mini Golf
Play 18 holes of oceanfront miniature golf along Beach Avenue right near the Grand Hotel.
🚶♂️ ~2 mins (0.1 mi) | 🚗 ~1 min
Kids 5 & 7
Beach Ave
3:00 PM • Hotel Check-In
Grand Hotel Check-In & Beach/Pool
Check into Grand Hotel (1045 Beach Ave). Grab your complimentary beach tags and chairs from the front desk, unpack, and unwind by the heated pool.
🏨 Home Base
Included Beach Tags
Heated Pool
5:30 PM • Dinner
The Lobster House
Dockside harbor dining. Walk along Fisherman's Wharf and explore the historic Schooner American. Walk-in seating dockside (put name in early).
🚶♂️ ~25 mins (1.2 mi) | 🚗 ~5 mins
Walk-In Dockside
Harbor View
7:45 PM • Sweet Treat
Uncle Charlie’s Ice Cream
Cap off day one with soft serve, scoops, and sundaes along Beach Ave.
🚶♂️ ~8 mins (0.4 mi) | 🚗 ~2 mins
Ice Cream
Day 2: Wednesday, August 26
Farm Fresh Morning, Winery, Spirits & Historic Congress Hall
Home Base (Grand Hotel)
Day 2 Stops
8:30 AM • Farm Breakfast
Beach Plum Farm
Order fresh scratch-made breakfast at the market barn counter. Explore shaded pathways and let the kids see pasture-raised pigs and chickens.
🚶♂️ ~45 mins (2.2 mi) | 🚗 ~7 mins
Counter Service
Farm Animals
10:30 AM • Beach & Pool
Grand Hotel Oceanfront
Walk right across Beach Ave for morning swimming, sand castles, and pool relaxation.
🏨 Home Base
1:00 PM • Winery Lunch
Willow Creek Winery
Enjoy tapas and wine/sangria flights in the rustic tasting room while the kids order lunch and their signature Willow Whip float.
🚶♂️ ~50 mins (2.4 mi) | 🚗 ~8 mins
OpenTable Available
Willow Whip Float
3:30 PM • Lawn Games & Drinks
Nauti Spirits Distillery
Sprawling 60-acre coastal farm distillery. Parents can sip craft cocktails while the kids play cornhole and giant Jenga on the lawn.
🚶♂️ ~1 hr 10 mins (3.4 mi) | 🚗 ~9 mins
Lawn Games
Family Friendly
✓ 5:45 PM • CONFIRMED RESERVATION
The Blue Pig Tavern (Congress Hall)
Party of 4 Confirmed for Wed 8/26 at 5:45 PM. Farm-to-table dinner at Congress Hall sourced directly from Beach Plum Farm.
🚶♂️ ~20 mins (0.9 mi) | 🚗 ~4 mins
✓ Confirmed 5:45 PM
Congress Hall
7:45 PM • Underground Pizza & Nightcap
The Boiler Room & Grand Lawn
Head downstairs into Congress Hall's underground brick-oven pizzeria for a fresh slice and cold draft, or let the kids run on the Grand Lawn.
🚶♂️ ~20 mins (0.9 mi) | 🚗 ~4 mins
Underground Pizzeria
Walk-In
Day 3: Thursday, August 27
Lighthouse, Sunken Ship, Italian Dinner with Friends & Sand Bar Nightcap
Home Base (Grand Hotel)
Day 3 Stops
8:30 AM • Shore Breakfast
Uncle Bill’s Pancake House
Classic family pancake house right on Beach Ave. Fresh buttermilk stacks, waffles, and breakfast platters.
🚶♂️ ~15 mins (0.7 mi) | 🚗 ~3 mins
Walk-In Only
Kid Favorite
10:00 AM • Climb the Tower
Cape May Lighthouse & State Park
Climb 199 spiral steps to the top observation deck of the 1859 lighthouse for panoramic views of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Walk the shaded wetland boardwalks.
🚶♂️ ~1 hr 15 mins (3.6 mi) | 🚗 ~9 mins
199 Steps
Boardwalk Trails
12:00 PM • Sunken Ship, Diamonds & Lunch
Sunset Beach, Fish House & Gift Shop
Grab lunch at Fish House Restaurant. Search the pebble shore at low tide for quartz Cape May "diamonds", view the sunken concrete ship (SS Atlantus), and browse the Sunset Beach Gift Shop for your Cape May Christmas tree ornament.
🚶♂️ ~1 hr 25 mins (4.1 mi) | 🚗 ~10 mins
Diamond Hunting
Ornament Shopping
2:30 PM • Beach Afternoon
Grand Hotel Beach Relaxation
Spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach chairs or swimming in the oceanfront pool before getting ready for dinner.
🏨 Home Base
🍷 6:00 PM • DINNER WITH TIM & LYNN LEE
Sapore Italiano (West Cape May)
Dinner at 6:00 PM with friends Tim and Lynn Lee. Authentic handmade pasta and Italian cuisine inside a charming historic Victorian home.
★ REMINDER: Sapore Italiano is BYOB! Bring wine/beer.
★ REMINDER: Sapore Italiano is BYOB! Bring wine/beer.
🚶♂️ ~28 mins (1.4 mi) | 🚗 ~5 mins
Dinner @ 6:00 PM
🍾 BYOB
Tim & Lynn Lee
8:00 PM • Nightcap & Fire Pits
The Rusty Nail @ The Beach Shack
Head over after dinner for open-air cocktails, cold draft beers, live acoustic music, and fire pits while relaxing on the sandy patio.
🚶♂️ ~18 mins (0.8 mi) | 🚗 ~3 mins
Walk-In
Sand Bar & Fire Pits
Live Music
Day 4: Friday, August 28
Victorian Porch Breakfast, Surrey Bike Ride & Harbor Lunch
Home Base (Grand Hotel)
Day 4 Stops
8:30 AM • Historic Breakfast
The Mad Batter Restaurant
Historic Jackson Street breakfast staple. Order the famous lemon-ricotta pancakes and breakfast skillets on the covered Victorian porch (walk-in for breakfast).
🚶♂️ ~20 mins (0.9 mi) | 🚗 ~4 mins
Walk-In Breakfast
Jackson St
9:45 AM • Surrey Ride & Boutique
Promenade Bike Ride & Elaine’s
Rent a 4-person Surrey canopy bicycle to cruise the Promenade before the 10:00 AM bike cutoff, then stop by Elaine’s to browse the boutique shop and lawn games.
🚶♂️ ~15 mins (0.7 mi) | 🚗 ~3 mins
Promenade Surrey
Elaine's
11:00 AM • Hotel Check-Out
Pack the F-150 & Check Out
Check out of Grand Hotel of Cape May. Load luggage into the truck for the afternoon waterfront lunch.
🏨 Home Base
12:00 PM • Waterfront Lunch
Mad Viking (or The Crab House)
Mad Viking (Snug Harbor Marina): Casual dockside lunch with a giant pirate ship playground right by the dining tables.
Alternative: The Crab House at Two Mile Landing in Wildwood Crest for steaming garlic blue crabs over paper tables.
Alternative: The Crab House at Two Mile Landing in Wildwood Crest for steaming garlic blue crabs over paper tables.
🚶♂️ ~55 mins (2.6 mi) | 🚗 ~6 mins
Pirate Playground
Marina Waterfront
2:00 – 2:30 PM • Drive Home
Depart for Long Island
Head north on Garden State Parkway. Target a quick 10–15 minute fast-charge stop at Ocean View or Forked River Service Plaza if needed.
🚗 ~3.5 - 4 Hrs (Long Island)
GSP North
~3.5 - 4 Hrs
⚡ F-150 Lightning EV Hub
Cape May Island & Northbound Highway Corridors
Home Base (Grand Hotel)
Fast / L2 Chargers
Ford Lightning Charging Strategy:
Use public CCS1 / J1772 chargers or Tesla V3/V4 Superchargers with your Ford NACS adapter.
Use public CCS1 / J1772 chargers or Tesla V3/V4 Superchargers with your Ford NACS adapter.
Cape May Welcome Center
DC Fast 125 kW + L2
Location: 611 Lafayette St (near Washington St Mall)
Network: ChargePoint (CCS1 & J1772). First hour free parking while charging.
Network: ChargePoint (CCS1 & J1772). First hour free parking while charging.
🚶♂️ ~20 mins (0.9 mi) | 🚗 ~4 mins
Station One Garage (Near Grand Hotel)
Level 2 (6.5 kW)
Location: 1317 Beach Ave (2 blocks west of Grand Hotel)
Network: ChargePoint J1772. Convenient overnight top-up.
Network: ChargePoint J1772. Convenient overnight top-up.
🚶♂️ ~5 mins (0.2 mi) | 🚗 ~1 min
Cape May Court House Supercharger
Tesla 250 kW (V3)
Location: 11 Court House South Dennis Rd (Acme Plaza, Exit 10 off GSP)
Network: Tesla Supercharger (8 stalls). Open to Ford NACS Adapter.
Network: Tesla Supercharger (8 stalls). Open to Ford NACS Adapter.
🚗 ~15 mins (11.5 mi north)
GSP Service Plazas (Northbound Route)
DC Fast 150-350 kW
Milepost 18.3: Ocean View Plaza (EVgo CCS + Tesla Supercharger)
Milepost 76: Forked River Plaza (Applegreen High-Speed CCS)
Milepost 100: Monmouth Plaza (EVgo CCS + Tesla Supercharger)
Milepost 76: Forked River Plaza (Applegreen High-Speed CCS)
Milepost 100: Monmouth Plaza (EVgo CCS + Tesla Supercharger)
🌧 Rainy Day & Heat Escape Plans
Interactive Indoor Family Alternatives
Home Base (Grand Hotel)
Rainy Day Spots
Top Indoor Pick • All Ages
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
Located in Historic Hangar #1 at Cape May Airport. 26+ vintage aircraft, military helicopters, hands-on flight simulators, cockpit climb-ins, and radar stations perfect for ages 5 & 7.
🚗 ~12 mins (Cape May Airport)
Cockpit Climb-Ins
Large Indoor Hangar
Marine Science Touch Tanks
Nature Center of Cape May
Harborfront educational center with touch tanks (horseshoe crabs, sea stars, whelks), aquariums, harbor observation tower, and indoor nature craft tables.
🚗 ~6 mins (1600 Delaware Ave)
Touch Tanks
Indoor Discovery
On-Site Recreation
Grand Hotel Heated Indoor Pool & Arcade
Take full advantage of the Grand Hotel's indoor heated pool, hot tub, and retro arcade game room without leaving the property.
🏨 On-Site at Grand Hotel
🧳 Trip Packing & Pre-Trip Checklist
Interactive Checklist (Saves Automatically)
🍷 BYOB & Reservations
⚡ F-150 Lightning & Tech Gear
🏖 Kids & Beach Essentials
💳 Parking & Logistics
🅿️ Parking, Meters & Island Logistics
ParkMobile Zones and Town Rules
Cape May Metered Parking Rules
• Hours: Meters operate daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (May 1 – Dec 31).
• Payment: Managed through the ParkMobile App or street pay stations.
• Zone 60901: General Washington Street Mall & Central Downtown Stalls.
• Zone 60902: Beach Avenue Oceanfront Spaces.
• Free Charging Lot: 1st hour free while actively charging at the Cape May Welcome Center (611 Lafayette St).
• Payment: Managed through the ParkMobile App or street pay stations.
• Zone 60901: General Washington Street Mall & Central Downtown Stalls.
• Zone 60902: Beach Avenue Oceanfront Spaces.
• Free Charging Lot: 1st hour free while actively charging at the Cape May Welcome Center (611 Lafayette St).
Promenade Bicycle & Surrey Regulations
• Morning Hours: Bicycles and Surreys are allowed on the Cape May Promenade from sunrise until 10:00 AM only.
• Helmets required for children 17 and under under New Jersey state law.
• Helmets required for children 17 and under under New Jersey state law.
📋 Direct Links & Reservations
Direct Access to Bookings and Menus
Sapore Italiano (West Cape May)
DINNER: Thursday, 8/27 @ 6:00 PM with Tim & Lynn Lee. (BYOB)
The Blue Pig Tavern (Congress Hall)
CONFIRMED: Wednesday, 8/26 @ 5:45 PM for 4 guests.
Bookable Dining Links
Walk-In & Direct Contacts
• The Rusty Nail: (609) 884-0017 (Walk-in sand bar & fire pits)
• The Lobster House: (609) 884-8296 (First-come dockside)
• Beach Plum Farm: (609) 459-0121 (Counter service)
• Uncle Bill's Pancake House: (609) 884-7199 (Walk-in)
• The Crab House at 2 Mile: (609) 522-1341 (Call-ahead)
• Mad Viking: (609) 522-0300 (Marina playground dining)
• The Lobster House: (609) 884-8296 (First-come dockside)
• Beach Plum Farm: (609) 459-0121 (Counter service)
• Uncle Bill's Pancake House: (609) 884-7199 (Walk-in)
• The Crab House at 2 Mile: (609) 522-1341 (Call-ahead)
• Mad Viking: (609) 522-0300 (Marina playground dining)
🚨 Urgent Care, Emergency & Medical
1-Tap Dial Numbers and Nearby Facilities
Hospital & 24/7 Emergency Room
Cape Regional Medical Center (ER)
Address: 2 Stone Harbor Blvd, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
Full-service emergency room located 15 minutes north on Route 9 / Garden State Parkway.
Full-service emergency room located 15 minutes north on Route 9 / Garden State Parkway.
Walk-In Urgent Care
Cape Regional Urgent Care (Wildwood / Rio Grande)
Address: 4061 Rte 9 S, Rio Grande, NJ 08242
Open 7 days a week, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM for pediatric illness, minor cuts, earaches, and stitches.
Open 7 days a week, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM for pediatric illness, minor cuts, earaches, and stitches.
🚗 ~10 mins north
Pharmacies (Rio Grande Corridor)
CVS & Walgreens
• CVS Pharmacy: 3311 US-9, Rio Grande, NJ | (609) 465-8020
• Walgreens: 1708 NJ-47, Rio Grande, NJ | (609) 886-0743
• Walgreens: 1708 NJ-47, Rio Grande, NJ | (609) 886-0743
Local Authorities & Hotel Desk
Key Phone Contacts
• Cape May Police (Non-Emergency): (609) 884-9500
• Grand Hotel Front Desk: (609) 884-5611
• Grand Hotel Front Desk: (609) 884-5611