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Although there is no historical documentation, it is believed that the first lighthouse in Cape May was established as early as 1744. There has been 3 'documented' lighthouses in Cape May since then.
The current lighthouse was built in 1859, under the supervision of First Lieutenant George Meade, prior to Meade commanding the Army of the Potomac for the Union at Gettysburg and eventually reaching the rank of Major General. Meade also served as the architect for the New Jersey Lighthouses of Abescon and Barnegat.
During Word War II, Cape May Lighthouse's location was used as coastal defense base for America.
Majesty Score: 5
Just climb the 218 steps to the top of this wonderful lighthouse and you will not need to give its majesty rating another thought! For those who might need another thought though, the lighthouse is 157 1/2 feet tall! This is a towering lighthouse that is very majestic!
Its slender tower standing alone without an attached keeper's house (in the style of many great Mid-Atlantic lighthouses) and reaches high into the sky which makes this lighthouse carry itself very well. Some lighthouse fans might prefer to have a light keeper's house attached to their 'perfect' lighthouse, but the Cape May Lighthouse is non the less extremely impressive!
Water View Score: 3
A small critique of this lighthouse is that the ocean can not be seen from the base. It is a short walk though a parking lot and a walkway in the dunes to reach the ocean.
The view from the top of the light tower is great! The span of this great view can be seen immediately below (that is the ruins of a WWII bunker that you see near the shore on your left). The beach is somewhat 'short' in the beach front width area, but is still nice.
Preservation Score: 5
In 1986, the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) took over the restoration of the Cape May Lighthouse and has done an outstanding job in restoring this beacon and its ground to their former glory! Fans of this lighthouse are indebted to MAC. This lighthouse is beautifully painted in its original colors, which were determined from taking old layers of paint chips from the beacon.
There is a small gift shop in the lamp oil house right next to the tower that offers souvenirs.
The grounds are very well taken care of. This is a pristine lighthouse, thus the score of 5!
Surrounding Area Score: 5
Cape May is a very gorgeous and romantic town! The town is lined with more than 600 charming victorian capes homes and does not have any chain restaurants nor hotels chains, thus maintaining its charm.
If you are going to stay there, you can take advantage of the great bed and breakfasts that are abound in the town. The majority of them residing in large, renovated cape houses.
For those who love to shop, a section of the town is blocked off to traffic and consists of little boutique shops with many quaint stores.
This town is beautiful during the holidays as they celebrate it in the "Old Style" with strips of evergreens and vintage decorations.
The main strip of ocean front street is Beach St., and has many bed and breakfasts that overlook the ocean (see right). A pedestrian concrete pier that spans Beach St. makes for a good ocean front walk.
One caution, if you are going in prime season, get a bed and breakfast close to everything. Parking is sometimes difficult.
Also I must mention Cape May is known for bird watching, and there is a bird sanctuary adjacent to the lighthouse. You will see hotel signs welcoming "Bird Watchers"!
Accessibility Score: 5
The tower is open for climbing daily from April through November, and open on the weekends for most of the rest of the year. The top of the tower has been caged so that visitors can step outside to really enjoy the breeze and the view. One caveat, 218 steps to the top might be a concern for those with health problems, or parents of children who decide they would rather be carried midway through.
Beacon Score: 3
Cape May's original lens, which was a first order Fresnel lens, is on display at the Cape May County Court House. For those who haven't seen a first order Fresnel lens, it looks like a seven foot tall carved diamond! It was said the lens was so large that the light keeper could change the bulb for the light while standing completely inside on the lens.
Recently, the DCB-36 Beaon -- that gave 56 years of service within the light tower (See Above Right) - - was replaced with a DCB-224 beacon in November of 2002. The new beacon flashes a white flash every 15 seconds, as did its predecessor, and can be seen for 24 miles out to sea.
Overall Score and Overview: 30
The Cape May Lighthouse and town is on of the best and most enjoyable lighthouse vacations you can have! The town is steep in romance and ocean winds. The lighthouse and its grounds are pristine!
The bed and breakfasts in town tend to bring the price of a weekend getaway up, but if you can afford it and find an off peak weekend with warm weather, you will really enjoy it!
Directions: Take The Garden State Parkway all the way south, to the end. It becomes Lafayette Street. Take Lafayette to West Ferry Street/Sunset Blvd and turn right. Take a few blocks and turn left on Lighthouse Avenue and proceed to light.
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