The kids were going to get another Tuesday off so I thought, why not see if we can get to another hotel on our list. After reviewing the list of hotels, I saw Congress Hall at a great price, so I made the reservation (Sunday-Tuesday) and off we went. Congress Hall in Cape May, N.J., is located across the street from the beach and just blocks away from the downtown with all the shopping and decorations.
DAY 1 – The traffic going down and coming was great and we got in just in time for the historical tour. The tour guide was very informative, and the kids managed to stay in it for an hour (a new record!) We managed to fit in a trip to the lighthouse and climbed up its 199 steps for a great view and some learning on the way. After that, off to Sunset Beach, known for its postcard-like scenery at sunset of course. There was a restaurant, Fish House, right on the beach, which worked out perfectly because you can view the sunset from there or just walk onto the beach afterwards. In the evening we took the kids to the local movie theater to catch a show and was pleasantly surprised at the location, Cape Square. At a 10 minute or so drive from Congress Hall, this theater also had bowling, arcade games, a golf simulator and more. Very clean and with lots to do we decided we would come back the next night for some bowling.
Day 2 – We started the day with breakfast at The Blue Pig in the hotel which was very nice and reasonably priced for a hotel restaurant. It was a rainy-ish morning but off to the Cape May County Zoo we went. The zoo was surprisingly big considering it was free admission, and we got to see the new baby capybaras which were SO cute. There was also a playground in front so we spent some time there after the zoo…All in all a nice place to spend a few hours. After that we tried to do a tour of the Emlen Physick Estate but the info on the website was not updated so that was a fail, however they had a little scavenger hunt for the kids on the property we were able to do which kept them busy for a bit. We try to incorporate learning as much as we can, so they had to work on reading the map, reading the questions and reading the plaques to find the answers. We started on our way back home and drove by The Southern Mansion, but we missed the tour there too, though they let us in to take a peek. After a rest from a long day, off to The Mad Batter for dinner. We had a very tasty dinner (the pork chop was delish) in this casual spot and even had someone playing some music the kids enjoyed. Afterwards back to Cape Square for some bowling. We had no trouble getting a lane (good prices for lane and shoes) and there was a DJ that was taking all the kids requests so they really enjoyed it.
This was a great little getaway which was made possible because we chose to go in the offseason (prices are high during the summer) and was in driving distance. Though there were some things we couldn’t do, like the beach of course, and a horse and carriage tour, we were able to do a few things in a short period of time and learn a lot about the history of Congress Hall and the Cape May area.
Why is the Congress Hall iconic?
- First constructed in 1816 as a wooden boarding house for guests to the new seaside resort of Cape May, it is America’s first seaside resort
- President of the United States, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Harrison vacationed at Congress Hall, and Harrison made Congress Hall his official Summer White House
An "Iconic" Family Adventure 
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