Christmas Candlelight House Tours and Holiday Lights in Cape May County NJ 2026

Cape May is one of the best places on the East Coast to spend the Christmas season, and the rest of Cape May County, NJ, adds light shows and lighthouse gardens to the mix. Here are the 2026 Christmas candlelight house tours, Victorian Christmas walks and holiday light displays in Cape May County, in date order, all confirmed for this year.

Winter Wonderland at Congress Hall

• Town: Cape May
• Where: Congress Hall, 200 Congress Place
• When: November 27 to December 31, 2026; Thursdays 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Cape May’s grand 19th century hotel turns its lawn into a holiday village with train and carousel rides (weather permitting), a vendor village and a tree lighting on Friday, December 4. Special hours may apply on select dates.

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Holiday Inns Tour

• Town: Cape May
• Where: Self-guided; pick up the tour handout and map at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth or the Physick Estate
• When: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, December 1 to 3, 8 to 10 and 15 to 17, 2026, afternoons

Cape May MAC’s afternoon tour opens decorated bed and breakfasts and private homes, with a continuous trolley shuttle. A dinner package adds a meal at The Washington Inn at 4 p.m.

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Lamplighter Christmas Walking Tour

• Town: Cape May
• When: Fridays, December 4, 11 and 18, and Saturday, December 26, 2026, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

A self-guided evening walk through decorated Cape May homes and inns by lamplight. It is a quieter alternative to the busier Saturday candlelight tours, and a dinner package at The Washington Inn is available.

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Christmas Candlelight House Tour

• Town: Cape May
• Where: Pick up your map and wristband at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street
• When: Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19, 2026, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Cape May’s signature holiday event is a self-guided walking tour of homes, inns, bed and breakfasts, churches and hotels decked out for a Victorian Christmas. Pick up your map and wristband at the Physick Estate the day before or the day of your tour, and an express shuttle runs to the farthest stops.

On December 12 and 19, a dinner package pairs the tour with a three course dinner at The Washington Inn at 4 p.m. Cape May MAC recommends buying tickets in advance.

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Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Christmas Lights

• Town: North Wildwood
• Where: Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, 111 North Central Avenue
• When: Lights switch on at the tree lighting, Saturday, December 5, 2026, 5 p.m., and stay up through the season
• Admission: Free

The gardens and courtyard of North Wildwood’s 1874 lighthouse glow for the holidays once the borough lights its tree. Call 609-522-2955 for viewing details.

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Wildwood’s Winter Wonderland at Holly Beach Park

• Town: Wildwood
• Where: Holly Beach Park, 123 East Andrews Avenue
• When: Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12, and Friday and Saturday, December 18 and 19, 2026, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Admission: Free

Holly Beach Park is wrapped in lights and holiday displays, with a light show every half hour. It is free, compact and easy to do with small kids.

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Wildwood Crest Holiday Light Walk

• Town: Wildwood Crest
• Where: Sunset Lake
• When: Monday, December 14, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
• Admission: Free

An evening stroll around Sunset Lake to see the lights, held a couple of weeks after the Crest’s December 1 tree lighting.

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Christmas Hymn Sing-Along

• Town: Cape May
• Where: Episcopal Church of the Advent, Franklin and Washington Streets
• When: Saturday, December 26, 2026, 4 p.m.
• Admission: Free

Part of Cape May MAC’s Classical Cape May series, the sing-along is a relaxed way to spend the day after Christmas. Pair it with the Lamplighter walk at 5:30 p.m. the same evening.

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Cape May MAC also runs holiday trolley rides, Evening Yuletide tours of the 1879 Physick Estate and an “An Old-Fashioned Christmas” exhibit with a Dickens Village display in the Carroll Gallery all season. See the full schedule and buy tickets on the Christmas in Cape May page.