I know that for many of you, Cape May has always been your paradise on earth. Though Cape May is a little different this year, I can honestly tell you that it is still as wonderful as it has always been. In some ways it is even better! As I walk down the street or along the promenade it is hard to imagine the upheaval that our world has gone through. Sure, there are people wearing masks, but beyond that Cape May seems completely normal to me. Sitting on the beach, enjoying a beautiful summer day, listening to the waves rolling in and watching the dolphin frolic in the surf it is easy to forget that our world is a little crazy right now. |
|
| |
|
One change in Cape May this summer that I really love is the expanded outdoor dining options that are available now. Outside dining has always been very popular, but fairly limited. This year the city of Cape May has made several zoning exceptions, closed a street, and closed some metered parking areas to allow for expanded outdoor dining. Restaurants all over town have gotten really creative in their outdoor dining spaces. It has been a lot of work for the restaurants, but the end result is a festive, fun atmosphere throughout the town. If Cape May has always been your escape from reality, there is more reason now than ever to visit! We've had a lot of guests whose recent visit to The Queen Victoria was their first venture out into the world in months. For many of them it has been very liberating to realize that life goes on and that they are safe to enjoy themselves in Cape May. In fact, quite a few guests have booked a 2nd (and even 3rd!) summer visit to The Queen Victoria. |
|
|
|
We're always happy to assist you find the best possible room for the dates you want to visit, or the best dates for the room you want to stay in. Call us at (609) 884-8702 to get started, or click the link below to reserve your room. |
|
|
|
Room of The Month Queen Victoria Room |
|
|
|
The Queen Victoria room has always been one of our showcase rooms. For many years the canopy bed treatment was the cover photo for our brochure. The Queen Victoria room is a large, premium room located on the first floor of the Queen Victoria building. It has always been a very popular room, for obvious reasons. The furniture has changed a little bit over the years since this top photo was taken. The room now has a different (and more comfortable) Victorian sofa, and the embroidered high back Victorian chairs in the bay window have been replaced by the much more comfortable, but still beautiful chairs in the 2nd photo. The bathroom is nicely appointed and features a large 2-person/2-head shower. The Queen Victoria room is the kind of room that many of our annual guests choose as their favorite after a few years, and is often booked well in advance. Though it is booked through most of July & September right now, there are a few openings for it in August. If you're looking for your new favorite room, you might want to give it a try. Click Here for more great photos of the Queen Victoria room. |
|
| |
|
Upcoming Events & Activities |
|
|
|
Inside Out Concert Series All Summer Long While most of our big events and concerts have been cancelled this year due to covid-19, there is one new live music venue that has arisen to entertain us here in Cape May this summer. Elaine's (the dinner theater place), has introduced its "Inside Out" music series of concerts, in conjunction with Spyboy Productions (Exit Zero Jazz Festival). This series of concerts is featuring several bands in a wonderful new outdoor venue through out the summer. Most of the bands will be performing at Elaines on multiple dates through September 5. Altogether there are 12 concerts still scheduled. - Cintron (pictured on top)
- Bluebone (2nd photo)
- Billy Walton Band (3rd photo)
- Don Shough Blues Express
- Dion Paci
Click here for more information and specific dates |
|
| |
|
Exit Zero Jazz Festival November 6-8, 2020 The Exit Zero Jazz Festival has been rescheduled from it's original April time frame due to the covid-19 shutdown. The Fall series lineup is not yet complete, but the acts already booked are really impressive, including the headliner Madeleine Peyroux, an adventurous Jazz innovator, pictured here. - Madeleine Peyroux Trio
- Joey Defrancesco's Philadelphia Reunion Band (Kevin Eubanks, Lil John Roberts & Orin Evans)
- Eddie Palmieri Jazz Sextet
- Carol Riddick & Gerald Veasley "I Got Life, the Music of Nina Simone"
|
|
| |
|
Cape May Music Festival A Completely New Format |
|
|
|
Cape May MAC (Museums+Art+Culture), formerly called the Mid Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, was forced to restructure their traditional elongated May music festival due to the covid-19 closure. Rather than cancel it, they've postponed it and stretched it out over the course of several months. This means that it will be possible for you to enjoy one of these concerts during this year's wonderful fall season! Here is the schedule: - 9/1 NJ Symphony Orchestra
- 9/8 NY Chamber Ensemble
- 9/9 Bach's Lunch*
- 9/16 Paula Johns*
- 9/17 Bay Atlantic Symphony
- 9/22 NY Chamber Ensemble
- 9/23 Bach's Lunch*
- 9/29 NY Chamber Ensemble
- 9/30 Bach's Lunch*
- 10/25 George Mesterhazy Tribute Concert
- 10/29 Backtrack Vocals (free!)
- 11/21 Atlantic Brass Band (free!)
- 11/29 Champagne Jazz Brunch*
|
|
| |
|
As always, Anna Marie and I will be pleased to present our guests (staying at least 2 nights) who wish to attend with complimentary tickets to most of the concerts, with a few exceptions, as indicated with a " *" (these are events that involve food, for which the tickets we have to share with you are not valid) Pictured above is Paula Johns, a frequent performer at the Cape May Music Festival. Paula is a Jazz singer of amazing talent, who Anna Marie and I have loved for a long time. She'll be performing at the Willow Creek Winery on Wednesday, September 16, which is the concert we are sponsoring once again this year. If you love great music, I highly recommend you plan your next visit to The Queen Victoria to include one or more of these wonderful performances. Give us a call or book your room online using the button below. Be sure to request complimentary tickets! * complimentary tickets are not available for Bach's Lunches, Champagne Jazz Brunch, Musical Desserts, or Paula Johns at Willow Creek Winery Learn More |
|
|
|
More New Stuff! New Beach Chairs |
|
|
|
Every year we roll out a dozen or so new beach chairs to supplement our existing supply, which naturally diminishes due to use and age. Several years ago we constructed our custom silk screening machine which allows us to place our logo on the back of each one. It is a bit of a process to silk screen each one of them, but the end result has always seemed worth it to us. The beaches this year are beautiful and bigger than ever. There is plenty of room for everyone to spread out and enjoy the surf and sand. I suggest planning at least one day on our wonderful beach during your upcoming visit to The Queen Victoria, even if it is just to test out our new chairs. |
|
| |
|
Favorite Photo(s) Everyone Loves a Good Sand Castle! |
|
|
|
his year the City of Cape May got creative for the Independence Day celebration and initiated a sand sculpting competition. These two fun sand sculptures were Anna Marie's and my favorites, and I couldn't resist sharing them with you. I must admit that I was never very good at sand castles (except the drip kind, which I was very good at ... does that make me a drip?). That probably explains why a creative and crisp sand sculpture impresses me so much. First of all, it takes a lot of patience and precision. In the top one, I was most impressed with the script "Cape May" that they carved. Seriously, how does one do that in sand? In the second one the intricacy of the feathers really impressed me. Admittedly, the eagle's proportions are a little off, but that doesn't diminish my admiration of the effort in the least. I was just thinking that maybe as you read this you're thinking "I could do at least that well with a sculpture". If that is the case, I strongly urge you to put your skills to work on the beach during your upcoming visit. I'll be happy to make you famous (among our guests, anyway) by publishing a photo of whatever you come up with. View Photo Gallery >> |
|
| |
|
Featured Gift Shop Item
Hand Dipped Chocolate Covered Strawberries |
|
|
|
One of the most popular reservation "Enhancements" at The Queen Victoria is an order of our Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. Lots of our guests have been adding an order of these delightful treats to their reservation this year, which is completely understandable. There isn't anything too much more enjoyable than a big juicy cold strawberry coated in chocolate. It really is an indulgent treat. If you're thinking about adding something to your visit to make it special and memorable this year, it would be hard to come up with a better choice. $45 |
|
| |
|
Fun Things to Do in Cape May
Tour the WWII Lookout Tower |
|
|
|
A few weeks ago the WWII Lookout tower, formally named "Fire Control Tower #23, reopened to the public for tours. This relic from the 1940's was beautifully restored several years ago to become a tribute to Cape May's WWII history. It is a wonderfully different kind of museum with lots of interesting photos, artifacts, and even videos. The lookout tower is about 1/2 the height of the lighthouse, and the spiral staircase which wraps its way up around the inside of the tower is much wider and less steep than the Cape May lighthouse. The WWII Lookout Tower is located on Sunset Blvd, not too far from Sunset Beach. I suggest you grab a couple of our bicycles, peddle your way down to the Lookout Tower, perhaps stopping at Beach Plum Farm for lunch, and afterward, continue on to Sunset Beach for a round of mini-golf and some shopping (they've got a great gift shop). |
|
| |
|
Restaurant Pick of the Month
Vintage (BYOB) |
|
|
|
In the entire history of this newsletter, which dates back to 2004, I have never featured a restaurant more than once in a single year. That is changing this month! Back in May I featured the yet to open Vintage restaurant, which had not even unveiled a menu at the time. My article was filled with hope and confidence that it would be a nice new addition to the Cape May restaurant scene, which was based on the fact that it was being opened by the Kara Restaurant Group (of George's Place, YB, and Shamone fame) . At that time I could only visualize what it might be, as I had not even seen the physical layout of this new operation. Four weeks after their opening, having dined there twice for dinner and once for lunch in that time, I simply could not resist sharing the reality of Vintage with you, which certainly justified all of my hopes and expectations. Anna Marie and I absolutely love Vintage. It is an amazing new addition to the Cape May dining scene. Ironically, the "outdoor seating only" dining restrictions that have been in place since its opening have been a big part of their initial success, which I see continuing into the foreseeable future. With 86 outdoor seats, Vintage is the largest restaurant in Cape May right now. Between their covered "tent" roof (the striped roof in the photo, also good if it rains), their awning covered patio area in the foreground and on the right, and their garden seating on the lawn near the wooded area in the background of the top photo, they have the space to seat a lot of people very comfortably, with lots of distance between each table. Beyond the charming setting on the beautiful grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, the food is incredibly good. The 2nd photo is the "Pork Ribeye", which I've never heard of before. Let me just say that both evenings I had it, it was the best pork I've ever tasted in my life, and I love pork. It is juicy, tender, and incredibly tasty. I simply could not resist ordering it again during our 2nd dinner visit. Every guest who has tried it agrees with me on all of the aforementioned points. It just can't be beat. Anna Marie has ordered the Salmon on both of our dinner visits, and has loved every bite. I guess you could say we are in a rut, as we both ordered the same thing 2 visits in a row, and we also shared an order of the "Steakhouse Sliders" with fig, goat cheese, bacon and arugula (3rd photo). They were absolutely delicious. Both evenings we dined with friends who loved their meals as much as we did. We also enjoyed the wines that we brought with us, as Vintage is a BYOB establishment (though they can sell you a bottle of Cape May Winery wine). |
|
| |
|
This year several of our restaurants, perhaps some of your own favorites, are only accepting "day of" reservations. Vintage is accepting "in advance" reservations, which makes it much easier to plan your dining in advance. Just one more reason to add Vintage to your list of restaurants for your upcoming visit to Cape May this year. |
|
|
|
Great Reasons to Visit The Queen Victoria
Upcoming Queen Victoria & Cape May Events |
|
|
|
NJ Symphony Orchestra (CM Music Festival) Sep 1, 2020 West Cape May Tomato Festival Sep 5, 2020 NY Chamber Ensemble (CM Music Festival) Sep 8, 2020 Bach's Lunch Concert (CM Music Festival) Sep 9, 2020 24th Annual Food & Wine Festival Sep 11-20, 2020 Harvest Brew Fest Sep 12, 2020 Paula Johns Concert (CM Music Festival) Sep 16, 2020 Bay Atlantic Symphony (CM Music Festival)
Sep 17, 2020
Harvest Dinner (at Vintage restaurant)
Sep 19, 2020 |
|
| Champagne Jazz Brunch (Food & Wine Festival) Sep 20, 2020 NY Chamber Ensemble (CM Music Festival) Sep 22, 2020 Bach's Lunch Concert (CM Music Festival) Sep 23, 2020 NY Chamber Ensemble (CM Music Festival) Sep 29, 2020 Bach's Lunch Concert (CM Music Festival) Sep 30, 2020 Victorian Weekend Oct 8-12, 2020 West Cape May Lima Bean Festival Oct 10, 2020 Lessons of History "Give 'Em Hell, Harry" Oct 11, 2020 Halloween Happenings Oct 16-31, 2020 George Masterhezy Tribute Concert (CM Music Festival) Oct 25, 2020 Backtrack Vocals Concert (CM Music Festival) Oct 29, 2020 Atlantic Brass Band Concert (CM Music Festival) Nov 21, 2020
Queen Victoria Chocolate Lover's Weekend Nov 20-21 2020 Champagne Jazz Brunch (CM Music Festival) Nov 29, 2020 |
|
|
|
Make your reservations today for a fun, romantic getaway at The Queen Victoria Bed and Breakfast. We are looking forward to helping you plan your next visit! Sincerely,
Doug & Anna Marie McMain, Owners/Innkeepers
The Queen Victoria Bed & Breakfast
www.queenvictoria.com
(609) 884-8702 |
|
|
|
|
|
