Wineries & Breweries Aren’t Just for Drinking
Howdy folks, welcome back to Do the Shore. What you hold in your hands is the Do the Shore section of the Herald, but lo – we have an entire summertime magazine with all the good stuff ready for you to grab for FREE from newsstands across the county. This week’s special edition of the Do the Shore magazine is “Wineries and Breweries.”
Wineries & breweries aren’t just places to find locally made alcohol, they are some of the best places to hang out on the peninsula. So, grab your friends for vibrant fields, cool breezes, great live music, and gorgeous gardens. Atmosphere is almost as important as the drinks themselves, and some of the places we feature in the magazine are utterly distinct on the Cape.
Check out what’s “New at the Brew (and wineries, too)” with a guide in the magazine’s center fold.
Collin Hall, our editor, spoke with the owner of the fabulous Willow Creek Winery in West Cape May. When Barbara Wilde first dreamed of a West Cape May winery, the soil was so dead that “there weren’t even any worms,” she told us. Now, Willow Creek has acres of vibrant grape fields and some of the best gardening in the county.
Collin also talks about the many faces of Cape May in his column, explores the 100-year history of the property that eventually became Hawk Haven Winery, and wrote about the only non-profit brewery in the state of New Jersey.
Pamela Dollak, our intrepid writer out of Ocean City, spoke with the owners of Ludlam Island Brewing, which just took over the famous old bowling alley in Woodbine.
Learn about the local birding scene with the New Jersey Audubon’s column. Love monkeys? We went behind the scenes with Cape May’s crankiest primates in this week’s “Do the Zoo” feature. Lots of drama, hitting, hissing, in that one.
Now, let us take you through some of our favorite events at the Jersey Shore.
If you missed the 4th of July or are simply looking for a re-do, fireworks hit the Wildwoods boardwalk every single Friday at 10 p.m. The display is launched from the beach at Pine Avenue, but are visible most places on the boards.
We always, always recommend seeing a show at Cape May Stage. Check out their full lineup in the magazine. These guys are the real deal, and their prices are really low for the talent on offer.
Ocean City’s “Night in Venice” boat parade is July 20th – this year honors the late Jimmy Buffet. Rest in Peace Jimmy, or an old high school friend once called him, Slim Jim.
Wanna see a movie? There are some great options these next two weeks. The Muppets Christmas Carol and The Super Mario Bros movie are playing in Sea Isle, Top Gun hit the big screen in Avalon, How to Train Your Dragon and Grease come to Cape May, and Luca (the best Pixar movie since COVID) comes to Wildwood. We’ll quote the great David Lynch, director of Twin Peaks: “If you’re playing the movie on a telephone, you will never in a trillion years experience the film.” So follow this man’s advice and hit the sands!
It’s hard to keep up with all the great events happening, so we’ll rattle some off: Boogie Board Races in North Wildwood on July 13! BBQ Championship and Anglesea Blues Festival in North Wildwood on July 12 to 14! Dollar Hot Dog Day in Sea Isle on July 12! A Christmas Boat Parade in Wildwood Crest on July 20! An introduction to birding (for true idiots, like us) on July 24 in Ocean City!