If the prospect of Christmas seems daunting in the year of the Covid-19, Historic Smithville provides an array of shops and restaurants in an outdoor setting decorated for the holidays.
With more than 60 restaurants and shoppes surrounding a lake, avoid the hustle and bustle of the indoor mall scene and have to wear a mask the entire time. Starting on Thanksgiving, November 26, take a ride on the Holiday Train with your kids or enjoy the evening Holiday Light Show on the Lake which happens every night at dusk. Weekends in December, there are special events such as Dickens Fest, the Magic Talking Tree and Girls Night Out.
Post-Thanksgiving hours are: 10am-6pm Monday-Wednesday, 10am-8pm Thursday-Saturday and 11am-6pm Sunday.
Find out more about Cape May and other Jersey Shore attractions, cultural events, outdoor activities, shopping and food and dining options. Give the gift of the Jersey Shore for the holidays with my book 100 Things to Do at the Jersey Shore Before You Die. Click on this link and use the discount code JerseyShore for $2 off the price AND get an autographed copy.
In Cape May, the Holiday Preview Weekend November 21-22 promises to be the biggest live holiday celebration in New Jersey and the tri-state region. The Atlantic Brass Band will perform holiday classics on the outdoor stage at the Physick Estate at 5pm Saturday followed by Santa flipping the switch hundreds of lights and a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Santa will be practicing proper social distancing; letters to Santa are welcome. Go to capemaymac.org
And don't forget to make your reservation for Storybook Land's Christmas Fantasy with Lights in Egg Harbor Township, just east of Atlantic City. They are open weekends in November including the Friday after Thanksgiving. In December, they are open EVERY DAY between Dec. 2-23. Advance tickets are $26.95 online.