Get back on track with the Cape May Trolley for ghost stories, oddities and history in the open air.
Updated: Aug 4, 2020
When writing 100 Things to Do at the Jersey Shore, I had to explain Victorian Cape May in 150 words or less. My answer -- jump on a Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) trolley tours. The tours are relatively short and fun and give a broad overview of Cape May's resurgence in the 1970s as America's premier Victorian vacation destination.
Having been temporarily sidelined by Covid-19, the red and green trolleys are back on the streets of Cape May as of this week. The trolleys have always been open-air (with roofs) and now they've reduced seating to enforce social distancing.
For first-time visitors, take the combination Historic District Trolley Tour/Emlen Physick Estate Tour, starting either downtown on Washington Street or at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street. It last two hours and runs daily at 11:45 am, 1 pm and 2:15 pm.
Looking for some different. How about the 30-minute Cape Mayhem & Victorian Oddities Trolley Tour which runs Saturday evening at 7:45 pm and 8:45 pm. Headless photography? Electric corsets? Coffin torpedoes? Those are some of strange beliefs, oddities, fads and superstitions of the Victorians explored on the tour.
Or take the 30-minute Ghosts of Cape May Trolley Tour Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:45 pm. and 8:45 pm; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:45 pm; and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm. Will the undead of Cape May come back to settle their scores?
A more scary in-depth tour, Historic Haunts Combination Tour, including the Physick House Museum on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate and runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:15 pm.
For information about year-round schedules of tours, festivals, and special events, visit capemaymac.org or call 609-884-5404.
