The

John F. Craig House

Just when you thought things couldn’t be more swinging here at our Cape May bed and breakfast, along comes the 3rd annual Singer-Songwriter Cape May event. The weekend of March 26 – 27, 2010 will have over 150 artists performing at over 15 venues. In short, music will be flowing out of our little seaside town. We can’t wait.

This is a conference for singers and songwriters, though the public is welcome and encouraged to attend the performances. While performers learn about the music trade and how to succeed in it, you can hop from venue to venue, taking in music until there is no more room in your ears. Visit the SS Cape May Showcases by Venue to learn who is playing where, when.

Come join the fun!

Many of these performers are young, and their talent is strong. It’s worth stepping out of your routines to hear these folks sing, and to listen to the words they’ve written. It’ll do you good, and they’ll appreciate your support.

Meanwhile back at our Cape May inn, we’ll be carrying on as usual. We’ll feed you too much delicious food in the morning. We’ll gather for refreshments at 5pm, eager to hear tales of your day if you care to share them. Hope to see you there.

We are delighted to announce Craig’s return to our Cape May bed and breakfast during the weekend of March 12 – 13, 2010.

Join us for a weekend with Craig McManus

You’ll be invited to partake in spirits at the nearby Virginia Hotel on Friday evening, before an evening of spirits at Cold Spring Village. Craig will chat with guests over a tasty breakfast Saturday morning, and be available at tea time later in the day as well. He is open to communicating with your departed relatives, although he cannot make guarantees.

Should the weather cooperate, Craig will lead a tour of Cape May Saturday afternoon; he’ll point out some of his favorite haunts and provide a bit of interesting paranormal background.

The real fun will begin Saturday at 9 pm, with a seance in the parlor of our b&b Cape May. Expect the unexpected.

We never know what Craig will experience when he is here, or what he will uncover for our guests. But we do know that a weekend with Craig McManus is always fascinating and fun.

Adrea alba (Great Egret) and Cygnus olor (Mute Swan), originally uploaded by fbuderman919.

In the coming weeks, the hardiest of our feathered friends will be returning to Cape May.

We invite the hardiest of our guests to dust off your binoculars and head out birding the next time you come to our Cape May bed and breakfast.

Pictured above are an Adrea alba (Great Egret) and Cyngus olor (Mute Swan), on a warmer day than today.

Calling all sleuthing enthusiasts to our Cape May inn for the annual spring Sherlock Holmes weekend, March 19 – 21, 2010. Dust off your houndstooth cap and clean your pipe, for it is time to solve the “Case of the Demon in the Padded Room”.

If the cap fits...

The Victorian architecture of Cape May sets the perfect mood to solve a Sherlock Holmes mystery. We hope you’ll accent your cap and pipe with full-on Victorian garb, and that you’ll have fun wandering the gaslit streets of Cape May in search of clues. If you can figure out who Madame Reinhart is hiding behind the door to the padded room, you stand to win the $250 grand prize and many other gifts.

The schedule of the Cape May Sherlock Holmes Weekend 2010 is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

The 2010 dates for the Cape May Wine Trail have been selected, so mark your calendar now. This is a fun way to explore a number of Cape May County’s wineries while you stay at our bed and breakfast Cape May.

After lunch at a Cape May restaurant (TBA), you’ll board the MAC trolley and head off to your first winery. You’ll visit at least three vineyards – more if time permits – where you will learn a bit about viticulture. Of course, there will be tasting, and since you are traveling by trolley, you may taste to your heart’s content.

Cape May Winery started small, but has grown into the fourth largest NJ winery. With over twenties different varieties, you are sure to find a bottle you like.

After visiting Hawk Haven Vineyard, you will certainly be enticed to return to their wine bar some evening.

Natali Vineyard has been in operation for ten years; their focus is the vineyard, where they are producing some excellent wines.

Finally, Turdo Vineyard is one of the only North American wineries to produce Nero D’Avola – one of Sicily’s most renowned wines. In addition, it is now the only vineyard in NJ to run 100% on solar power.

This is a great addition to a weekend at our Cape May lodging. Bring back your favorite Cape May wines for your friends and family. Heck, why not bring back a few cases of this fine NJ wine, so you’ll always have a taste of Cape May with you at home.

Read on for a complete list of the Cape May Wine Trail 2010 dates.

Read the rest of this entry »

Artie Hoffman is a Spiritual Advisor who has been sharing his gift for over 20 years. According to NYTalk Radio.net, “His gift of clairvoyance and insights from the angels and spiritual world has been a tremendous blessing for himself and a benefit for thousands he has touched.”

Artie Hoffman

We are thrilled that Artie will be staying at our Cape May bed and breakfast on February 19 – 20, 2010. His experience and insights are welcome, and are guaranteed to provoke some lively discussions.

Anyone staying at our bed and breakfast Cape May NJ will receive a free, 20 minute psychic reading from Artie on Saturday or Sunday between noon and 3pm. Readings will also be available for folks who are not guests, for a fee.

What can be gained from a psychic reading? Perhaps nothing. Then again, you never know. Like tarot cards, runes and tea leaves, you can make of them what you will. Some people will take what they’ve learned from Artie Hoffman and will go on to change their lives. Others will gain a deeper understanding of themselves or someone they love. Still others may just shake their heads.

It’s impossible to know how you will react until you’ve been there. Sit across the breakfast table from Artie. Gather in the parlor with him in the evening. Hear about his life and his experiences first hand. That is the beauty of an event such as this – the opportunity to get to know Artie at our Cape May lodging. All it will cost you to hear what he says is twenty minutes of your time. Surely you can spare this?

It’s still winter outside our Cape May NJ b&b, so the crowds are still thin. That’s why this is our favorite time to walk the beaches, take in magnificent sunsets, and imagine the world is ours.

The events calendar at our Cape May inn is already filling with activities at the inn and around town. The coming months are sure to be full of fun. While there is always time and space for quiet reflection no matter what is taking place here, now is a good time to pull on your sweater and enjoy having the windswept beaches to yourself.

Just you, the wind and the birds...

I mean this seriously.

Lighthouses are romantic

Valentine’s Day is lovely and fun. The expectation, the wining and dining, the flowers and chocolate… we should not turn up noses at such displays of affection. We should cherish them, and cherish the one we love.

But some of us like to schedule our own romantic moments, thank you very much.

Take this year, for example. Valentine’s Day falls over President’s Day Weekend in 2010, which means a long weekend for many people. That is great news. It means the world really will stop for love (well, okay, not really…). It means Cape May NJ “reopens” for a new season (not that we ever left). It means more time for you and your sweetie to celebrate one another.

However, if you were looking to whisk your darling away for a quiet retreat at a Cape May bed and breakfast, with long walks on empty beaches and restaurants all to yourself, you may want to schedule your trip for another time.

Our solution? We’ve decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day twice this year. Book a room at our Cape May inn the weekend of February 5 and 6, 2010, bring your sweetie, and we’ll bring the flowers. We’ll listen to Vinny D’Amico, and enjoy a sing along. It will be fun.

And if you really want to impress the love of your life, bring her/him back for a three day President’s Day / Valentine’s Day extravaganza in Cape May, NJ.

Photo thanks to caite_maire.

We are excited about two upcoming events at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast: yoga and breathing workshops with Karen Bralove on Wednesday, January 20 and Saturday, January 30.

Surely for many of us, “reduce stress” is up there on our lists of New Year’s Resolutions. A good place to start is a trip to a peaceful Cape May b&b – especially during the winter months when you can have the beaches to yourself. An even better place to start is a stay at our Cape May Inn during one (or both) of these yoga and breathing workshops with Karen Bralove.

Karen Bralove has been practicing yoga for close to thirty years, and has been a certified yoga instructor since 2001. It will be delightful to be taught by her as she guides us in deep, intentional breathing and helps us into gentle yoga poses. At the end of the day, we should all have a better idea of how to better handle the stress in our lives.

Over the years, we have had a number of weddings at our Cape May NJ inn. We are always delighted and honored when couples choose to tie the knot at John F. Craig House.

Last month, Barbara was asked to accompany guests Charlie Devereaux and Jo-Ann Macaluso to Cape May City Hall, where they obtained their marriage license. Naturally, such an exciting moment required proper hats. It was a joyous – and fun – occasion.

Charlie and Jo-Ann were married December 29th at the Peter Shields Inn here in Cape May. Congratulations!

Barbara, Jo-Ann, in appropriate hats for the occasion

Jo-Ann and Charlie, the happy couple