Lighthouses and History Day Trips in Cape May County NJ

Cape May County, NJ, has been a resort, a fishing port, a military outpost and a farming colony, and the history is easy to visit. Here are the best lighthouses, museums and history day trips in Cape May County, with addresses and admission where available.

Cape May Lighthouse

• Town: Lower Township (Cape May Point State Park)
• Where: 215 Lighthouse Avenue
• Admission: $12 adults, $8 children 3 to 12 and veterans, free for active military

Built in 1859, the lighthouse is the third beacon on this spot. Climb the 217 steps, 199 of them on a cast iron spiral staircase, for a view of the ocean, the Delaware Bay and Cape May. The light is still an active aid to navigation, visible 24 miles out to sea.

Climbing hours change by season, and the tower can close for lightning or severe weather. A combination ticket with the World War II Lookout Tower is $18 for adults and $12 for children.

Cape May Lighthouse

World War II Lookout Tower

• Town: Lower Township
• Where: Sunset Boulevard, next to Sunset Beach
• Admission: $8 adults, $5 children 3 to 12, free for active military and veterans

Fire Control Tower No. 23 was built in June 1942, poured in about two and a half days, to help aim coastal artillery guarding the mouth of the Delaware Bay. It was one of 15 such towers between North Wildwood and Bethany Beach, Delaware, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

World War II Lookout Tower

Emlen Physick Estate

• Town: Cape May
• Where: 1048 Washington Street

This 1879 Victorian house museum is the home base of Cape May MAC. Guided tours cover the first and second floors, followed by the Carroll Gallery exhibit in the Carriage House. In December, the estate hosts Evening Yuletide tours and is the starting point for the Christmas Candlelight House Tours.

Physick Estate tours

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse

• Town: North Wildwood
• Where: 111 North Central Avenue

Built in 1874, the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is the oldest structure in the Wildwoods. Its gardens are packed with flowers, arbors and birdbaths and run right up to the seawall on the inlet. The lighthouse is open to the public from May to December, and its gardens are lit for Christmas starting December 5, 2026.

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

• Town: Lower Township (Cape May Airport)
• Where: 500 Forrestal Road
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, March through December; weekdays only in January and February
• Admission: $16 adults, $12 children 3 to 12, free for active duty military

Military aircraft and artifacts fill a historic hangar from the World War II naval air station. The hangar is not climate controlled, so dress for the weather. The museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and December 31, 2026, through January 3, 2027.

Plan your visit

The Museum of Cape May County

• Town: Cape May Court House (Middle Township)
• Where: 504 Route 9 North
• Hours: Guided tours Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. through December 14; gallery open Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Run by the Cape May County Historical and Genealogical Society, the museum’s 90 minute guided tours cover the Cresse-Holmes House Museum and the Smith Barn. The gallery is free. The museum closes for the season after December 14.

Hours and directions

Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage

• Town: Woodbine
• Where: 610 Washington Avenue
• Hours: Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Woodbine was founded in 1891 as an agricultural colony for Russian Jewish immigrants, funded by the philanthropist Baron Maurice de Hirsch. The museum tells that story inside the former Brotherhood Synagogue, built in 1893 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visit the museum

Day trip idea: Start at the Cape May Lighthouse in the morning, walk to the World War II Lookout Tower and Sunset Beach, then head into town for a tour of the Physick Estate.