Join this annual tradition and see inside a large selection of Victorian inns, homes, churches and hotels all beautifully decorated for the holidays.
CAPE MAY — Share a special holiday tradition with friends and family on a festive walking tour of Cape May’s historic district and surrounding areas during Christmas Candlelight House Tours, sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Every year since 1974, a large selection of Victorian inns, homes, churches and hotels open their doors and welcome visitors to share the warmth and hospitality of the season during these popular, self-guided walking tours.
You will be welcomed inside with holiday hospitality and cheer. Enjoy Christmas carols by gaslight, strolling musicians along the historic streets of Cape May and beautiful holiday decorations, inside and out. Walk from site to site, stopping at hospitality centers for warm beverages and holiday treats during your travels.
The third and final Christmas Candlelight House Tour of the season is Saturday, Dec. 19, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Featured properties on the final Christmas Candlelight House Tour Saturday, Dec. 19 include: Angel of the Sea, 5 Trenton Ave.; The Bacchus Inn, 719 Columbia Ave.; Beauclaire’s Bed & Breakfast Inn, 23 Ocean St.; Cape May United Methodist Church, 635 Washington St.; The Carlin Family Residence, 1102 Lafayette St.; Cavalier Cottage, 1109 Washington St.; The Colonial House Museum, 653 ½ Washington St.; Congress Hall Hotel, Congress Place; Elaine’s Cape May, 513 Lafayette St.; The Eldredge House, 417 N. Broadway; The Episcopal Church of the Advent, Franklin & Washington Sts.; Franklin’s Key, 313 Franklin St.; The Harrison, 613 Columbia Ave.; Heather Mist, 627 Hughes St.; The John F. Craig House, 609 Columbia Ave.; The John Wesley Inn, 30 Gurney St.; The Lorelei, 238 Perry St.; Luther Ogden Inn, 815 Kearney Ave.; The Mainstay Inn, 635 Columbia Ave.; The Mission Inn, 1117 New Jersey Ave.; The Queen Victoria B&B, 102 Ocean St.; and The Wilbraham Mansion, 133 Myrtle St. Two conveniently located hospitality centers, the Carriage House at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and the First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, Decatur and Hughes Sts., will be open on Saturday, Dec. 19, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., allowing visitors to enjoy warm beverages and traditional holiday treats. Free heated shuttles make limited stops along some routes.
Christmas Candlelight House Tours also include admission to Cape May’s authentically decorated Victorian house museum, the Emlen Physick Estate at 1048 Washington St., and the exhibit “An Old-Fashioned Christmas: Holiday Traditions through the Years” in the Carriage House Gallery located on the grounds of the Physick Estate. The exhibit’s main attraction is a display featuring a Dickens Village, model trains and vintage Christmas memorabilia, all beneath the boughs of a giant Christmas tree. While there, donations can be made to support the Jersey Cape Military Spouses Club and letters to Santa can be deposited for mailing to the North Pole.
Admission to the Christmas Candlelight House Tour is $28 for adults and $20 for children (ages 3 to 12). The tour is limited; it is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased online by visiting www.capemaymac.org or reserved in advance by calling 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278. Any remaining tickets on the day of the tour may be purchased at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth, Washington and Ocean Sts. Properties on the tour are subject to change.