Winter may be quiet in Cape May, but we wouldn’t all stick around if we couldn’t enjoy a meal out from time to time. While some Cape May restaurants have limited winter hours, most are open during the weekends. Since there are fewer people in town at this time of year, there are more open tables.

One of our favorite places to eat in Cape May is The Pier House. We enjoy eating dinner here, but sometimes we just slip in to the lounge for drinks, mezethes (small plates), and dessert.

Dive into dessert at Tisha's. Photo by Erika Letitia Photography.

Tisha’s is also fantastic. The Smoked Salmon Parfait and the Lobster Risotto are amazing, and those are just the starters.

Although the porch overlooking the sea is a bit chilly this time of year, Peter Shields Restaurant is still a favorite. The view and ambiance create high expectations, and the food meets them. If you are able to spend the night at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast on Valentine’s Day, try one of the lovely dinner menus at Peter Shields. We like the Chef’s Tasting Menu.

The Blue Pig Tavern at Congress Hall is open seven days a week, and features a special Valentine’s Day menu that includes Cape May Salt Oysters on the Half Shell and a Death by Chocolate cake. Oh, there are entrées, too.

Martini Beach is opening just to celebrate Valentine’s Day, February 11-15. They’ll be serving a special five-course prix-fixe menu. We may just have to go.

Freda’s Café has some very tasty dishes. We love to start with the Crab and Spinach Wontons with raspberry dipping sauce and the Warm Goat Cheese rolled in Pecans with poached pears and watercress.

The Valentine’s Week Prix Fix Menu at the Washington Inn sounds tantalizingly good. Grilled Merguez Sausage. Duck Confit and Shiitake Crepe. Raspberry Cheese Cake. Yum. The Washington Inn is open Saturday evenings until it expands its hours in the spring.

The Mad Batter Restaurant is another fun spot to dine during the winter. They offer a unique twist on the classic crab cake, and have many gluten free selections.

As of this writing, we still have space for this weekend (February 10-12) and one room open during the long President’s Day Weekend. We also have availability midweek, on Valentine’s Day. Looking for a way to wow your sweetheart? Bring him or her to our Cape May Bed and Breakfast.

Picture yourself at the beach in Cape May on a sunny winter's day.

We’re offering a Winter Special at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast that’s too good to pass up. It really is.

The winter months are quiet in Cape May; fewer people come here when it’s too chilly to sunbathe. Because of that, it’s deliciously peaceful. We can stroll the beach any time of day and have it mostly to ourselves. We can bike all over town at our leisure. We can eat where we want, when we want.

Yet it is just as beautiful here as it always is. Many inns and historic homes are still festively lit after dark, making evening strolls a delight. On sunny days, it’s good to feel the warm sand between our toes. On blustery days, we curl up by a warm fire, book in hand.

Between now and Easter, weekend nights are a mere $195; Sundays through Thursdays are just $165 for one night and $300 for two nights. If you stay at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast for a third night during the week, it will cost you only $99.

The bikes await. The beaches beckon. The fire is crackling in the fireplace. Winter is still here. Make the best of it. Come to Cape May.

Please see our specials page for more details.

CAST YOUR VOTE TODAY

We always knew our home town was cool, and now we know that many other people agree. Cape May, New Jersey has made the budgettravel.com short list of “America’s Coolest Small Towns 2012″.

Vote for Cape May! America's Coolest Small Town!

Readers nominated 647 towns, and budgettravel.com whittled the list down to 10 small communities. Cape May shares the honor with Beaufort, NC, Cooke City, MT, Damascus, VA, Hammondsport, NY, Jerome, AZ, Nashville, IN, Port Townsend, WA, Ste. Genevieve, MO, and Weaverville, CA.

Budgettravel.com raves about our beaches, our Victorian architecture, and the town’s much-lauded paranormal activity. Excellent restaurants, birding, and Cape May Point State Park are also mentioned, as are Cape May’s Bed and Breakfasts.

Back in 2010, Forbes Travel listed Cape May as one of the prettiest towns in America. We’re hoping we’ll also be known as one of the coolest.

We’re casting our votes for our home town, and we hope past, present, and future guests will do the same. If you feel like you need to be reminded of Cape May’s charms, come spend a few days at John F. Craig House. We’re currently running a Winter Weekends Special and a Midweek Special at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast.

Budgettravel.com is accepting votes through January 31, 2012.  Please see America’s Coolest Small Towns for more information and to cast your vote.

Join Psychic Artie Hoffman at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast, January 27 and 28, 2012. This is a great opportunity for folks who have never had a psychic reading to experience one; Artie will give a free, private 15 minute psychic reading to any guests who are interested. Longer readings are also available.

Artie Hoffman joins us at John F. Craig House, January 27 and 28, 2012.

Artie Hoffman has been in touch with his psychic abilities since 1988. Since that time, he has used his gift to help individuals heal and follow their hearts. After a session with Artie, many people feel like they’ve rediscovered themselves.

We figure this kind of experience can’t hurt. It might even help.

Artie is a fascinating man, with deep insights about human character and a great sense of humor. It will be fun to have him as a guest of our Cape May Bed and Breakfast once again.

We still have a few openings the weekend of January 27, 2012. Join us, and Artie, for what could be the experience of a lifetime!

Learn more about Artie Hoffman at his website.

How many New Jersey Bed and Breakfasts have inspired songs? At least one: the John F. Craig House!

Bill Johnson reveals his hit song, Bad Barb'ra.

Among their many talents, Bill and Mary Lou Johnson love to sing, and they add lots of fun to talent nights around Cape May in the summer. You can only imagine how great it was when Bill surprised us with his latest creation – Bad Barb’ra – the new theme song for the John F. Craig House. You can listen to it and read the lyrics at Bad Barb’ra.

Bill and Mary Lou are part of our inherited Craig House family. They stayed with Connie and Frank Felicetti before Chip and I bought our second Cape May B & B in 2002. All the guests enjoy the festivity of Bill and Mary Lou’s wedding re-enactment each August. They bring their original wedding dress and tux, and hire Cape May Carriage to pick them up and take them to the Washington Inn for dinner. As so often happens, deep friendships are developed among guests; Cindy and Frank Yablinsky have become the honored attendants at Bill and Mary Lou’s wedding re-enactment each year.

Actually we are honored, as we start our 21st year innkeeping, by how many of you have become such an intricate part of our lives and the John F. Craig House family.

We’re delighted with Bill’s song, and with the fact that he took the time to create and share a song about our Cape May Bed and Breakfast.

 Happy New Year!

Bad Barbara and Chip

Each year, we celebrate the arrival of the new year in the best way we can–down on the beach, with guests of our Cape May Bed and Breakfast. It’s become a tradition for us to congregate at the inn a bit before midnight with any guests who choose to join us; together we wander down to the beach where we open champagne, toast the New Year, and dip our feet in the icy Atlantic (at least, some of us do). We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Happy New Year, from Chip and Barbara at John F. Craig House.

You, our guests, make each day a celebration. Running an inn is a lot of work, to be sure, but it’s the best work there is. Our job allows us to meet people from all over the country, and even the world. It allows us to see many of the same faces, year after year. And since folks usually come to our Cape May Bed and Breakfast for a holiday, the mood at the inn is light and cheerful. We couldn’t ask for anything more.

As we welcome 2012 this year, we’re thankful for good friends and good heath. What more is there in life?

Happy New Year,

Chip and Barbara

At this time of year, Chip is always reminded of the fact that our generation grew up with trains. The railroad still had a huge impact on travel when we were kids–more so than it does now, what with the affordability of automobiles and the prevalence of air travel. The whistle of a train signaled adventure, and many of us heeded its call.

Embrace the magic of Christmastime at John F. Craig House.

We pay homage to the history of trains each Christmas at our whimsical Cape May Bed and Breakfast. Chip spends a good day setting up his Lionel train garden, and frankly, it doesn’t feel like Christmastime until the trains have made their first pass around the tracks. Many of the trains and garden accessories date from the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Chip has had many of them for a very long time.

When the steam train whistle blows, guests of our Cape May Bed and Breakfast know it is time to “play trains”. It’s astounding how the trains bring out the playfulness in even the most steadfast of grown men and women. Witnessing these transformations is one of the most delightful aspect of the holidays for us.

Christmas in Cape May is in full swing everyday at the John F. Craig House, from Thanksgiving until New Years. We still have a few openings Christmas week. Come join the fun!

Join us for the 20th anniversary New Year’s Eve Celebration at John F. Craig House, our whimsical Cape May Bed and Breakfast. As of this writing, we have one opening left for the 2011 New Year’s Eve, in the Dudley Suite.

Spend New Year's Eve 2011 at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast.

As evening falls on December 31, we invite our guests to gather for a cocktail party. We’ll all go our separate ways for dinner, then meet back at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast around 11:30. Any guests who would like to join us for a wintry beach walk then don warm winter coats, hats, and scarves, and we stroll the block to the beach for a champagne toast.

Will Chip dare to dip his toes in the Atlantic this year? If he does, will others join him? We don’t expect polar bear plunges – just a refreshing wash of the feet. It readies us for the new year.

Chip and Barbara bidding 2010 farewell and saying hello to 2011.

Once warmly back at the inn, we sing Auld Lang Syne and eventually make our way to bed. Breakfast in the morning is a leisurely affair.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this for 20 years, but the calendar says we have, so it must be true. It’s a tradition we embrace. Each year, we find ourselves surrounded by a mix of old friends and new faces. Each year, we give thanks for all the guests who made the past year so wonderful. And each year, we look forward to all that will come in the new year.

If you’d like to join us on New Year’s Eve this year, please reserve the Dudley Suite at your earliest convenience. The Dudley Suite features a king-sized bed, a fireplace, and a rooftop balconette. We can’t think of a better place to awake in 2012.

See Cape May by candlelight.

Candlelight is magical.

It’s easy to keep the lights on high during long winter nights, but from time to time, it’s worth turning them off and lighting a candle. Small flickering flames work wonders on the ambiance of any room.

Two upcoming events in Cape May embrace this philosophy:

• The annual Cape May Christmas Candlelight House Tour. Twenty Victorian homes, inns, and churches in Cape May open their doors to the public on December 3, 10, and 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. A free shuttle will transport tour-goers to all the stops on this self-guided tour. It is guaranteed to lift your spirits.

• Cape May Candlelight Hospitality Nights. Merchants along the Washington Street Mall will stay open late on December 8-9. They’ll light candles, and serve treats to holiday shoppers. The best part? You can walk to the Washington Street Mall from our Cape May Bed and Breakfast.

We invite you to get in the holiday spirit with these candlelit events, or simply by relaxing in our festively decorated, whimsical Cape May Bed and Breakfast.

People who enjoy shopping tend to enjoy the holidays. It’s fun to browse through shops in search of the perfect gift for your friends, your siblings, your parents, your spouse…. Folks less enamored of shopping may need a bit of incentive. They imagine crowded malls and long lines of stop-and-go traffic. Frankly, they’d rather stay home and order gifts online.

Come to Cape May this holiday season for holiday shopping and to get it a festive mood.

Online shopping is convenient. However, it lacks a certain “je ne sais quoi.” Rarely do those wonderful “Eureka!” moments happen while browsing the Amazon.com catalogue. Rarely do we find something we wouldn’t have thought to seek.

At the same time, it’s true that large shopping malls can be grim, and shopping outings at large malls can be dispiriting. But there are alternatives to crowded malls and the internet.

Shopping in and around Cape May is wonderful. Many guests of our Cape May Bed and Breakfasts have discovered the joys of holiday shopping at the nearby Washington Street Mall. This charming street lined with shops and closed to traffic is a delightful place to shop. A tiresome task is suddenly convenient and fun.

Favorite shops in the Washington Street Pedestrian Mall:

•  Whale’s Tail. Unique jewelry and gifts inspired by the sea.

• Bath Time. The best place in town to find sumptuous body care products.

• Madame’s Port. Fantastic home accents, as well as furniture and fashion items.

• Kaleidescope and Just for Laughs. You really will smile while browsing through this store.

Several blocks beyond the Washington Street Pedestrian Mall is another Cape May treasure–The West End Garage. Its cool market stalls are filled with locally made art and jewelry, clothing, antiques, collectibles, and, at this time of year, holiday gifts and decorations. You can even find  fresh, locally made food at the West End Garage.

Even the most bah-humbug mood can be cheered by a few days at our festively decorated Cape May Bed and Breakfast. Leave your car parked, and allow Cape May to work its magic.