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.

The reason is that many of the restaurants open in February cater to locals. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys experiencing new places through the eyes of a local, then local joints are perfect. This isn’t to say that restaurants open only during the summer months aren’t good – in fact, many of them are outstanding. It’s just that we have a soft spot in our hearts (and our bellies) for restauranteurs who stay in Cape May with us over the winter, rather than flying south.

If you are planning to vacation at our Bed and Breakfast Cape May this February, consider dining at one of the following establishments.

Heminway’s: tender, juicy steaks in a stylish atmosphere. Where else can you find six different steaks on the menu?

Lucky Bones Backwater Grille: thin crust pizza, hand-cut fries, and fresh, “made from scratch” food with Zero Trans Fat. There is a variety of good, gluten free food (including sandwiches and pizza). Stop by for Happy Hour (Monday – Friday, 4 – 6 p.m.) and share a plate of Baby Back Ribs, or use their curbside service for a meal on the go.

Blue Pig Tavern: stellar seafood. Oyster shooters, steamed NJ little neck clams, crab cakes and seared scallops. There are plenty of other options, too, from big burgers to bbq pork ribs. The cozy atmosphere often includes live music.

C View: the local’s local place. Generous glasses of wine, plentiful plates, and a casual atmosphere.

The photographs are from Marie Rose’s 2010/2011 stay at our Bed and Breakfast Cape May. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Marie Rose Bloomer on the front steps of our inn.

20 years of welcoming the New Year on the beach of Cape May, and still going strong!

Thank you, Marie Rose, for sharing these wonderful photographs.

Craig McManus at our Cape May B&B, February 4, 5, 2011.

Craig McManus lives in our world – the world of the living, that is – but he has strong connections to the dead. Craig feels ghostly spirits and they in turn communicate with him. It may be difficult for skeptics to believe, but once you’ve met Craig, doubts tend to vanish.

Craig is a sleuth at heart. He feels presences and does his best to figure out who and what they are. He is drawn to places with a good deal of paranormal activity, and thus he is drawn to the Victorian Seaside town of Cape May, New Jersey. He’s been coming here regularly for about twenty years.

Our Cape May Bed and Breakfast, the John F. Craig House, first caught Craig’s attention in the early 1990s; but it wasn’t until a few years later that he visited the house during a house tour. Once inside, his curiosity was truly piqued.

Over the ensuing years, Craig has stayed at the inn many times. He now regularly offers weekend events at John F. Craig. Guests have the opportunity to participate in a group séance and to meet with Craig one-on-one. We never know what we’ll get, but thanks to Craig’s warmth and humor, we always have a good time.

Upcoming Craig McManus weekends are February 4-5, 2011 and March 18-19, 2011. As of this writing, there are two rooms available for the February weekend.

For more information about the Craig McManus weekends at our Bed and Breakfast Cape May, please see our events page or call 877-544-0314. For some of Craig’s observations about our inn, please see his recent article in capemay.com.

Spend an afternoon touring Cape May County’s wineries: Cape May Winery, Turdo Vineyard, Hawk Haven Vineyard, or Natali Vieyard, where you may taste locally crafted wines and learn a bit about the wine making process. Have tea at the Carriage House at the historic Emlen Physick Estate; while there, be sure to visit the Carriage House Gallery’s exhibit entitled, Can I Get a Witness! A Testament to the Black Church in Cape May County. Bundle up and enjoy a Trolley Tour through town.

Of course, you may just want to devote your time to blustery walks on the beach and reading by the fire. Sometimes the best mini-vacations are the ones during which we make no plans at all.

Our Bed and Breakfast Cape May is just 90 minutes from Philadelphia, and two hours from Wilmington, DE, and Trenton, NJ. Treat yourself to a few days of quiet this winter at our Cape May Bed and Breakfast, where you can sleep in, eat well, and simply relax.

Maybe these days, with computers on every lap, i-phones in every pocket, and e-books in every purse, electric trains under the tree just don’t have the same allure. Yet for some of us, the thrill of watching the train circle the tree on Christmas morning is one of the best memories from our youth, permanently embedded with the scent of evergreen and the taste of eggnog.

Well, we have an electric train under the tree in our Cape May NJ Bed and Breakfast. In fact, we may be the only B&B in Cape May that does. Chip’s small, but intense, layout features mostly prewar Lionel.  One train dates to 1925. They’re well built and never let us down. It’s the perfect accompaniment to Barbara’s beautiful, live (dare we say alive?) tree.

We hope you’ll come see Chip’s pride and joy this holiday season. Enjoy a glass of eggnog and the company of friends old and new as you watch the train bring in the spirit of Christmas.

Holiday cheer runs rampant at our Cape May B&B.

Have we said that the very best part of our job is the people we meet? It’s true. Like the Gibbs and the Downhams, many have become friends over the years.

The Christmas season is our favorite time of year, and a time when we see many old friends. The entire town of Cape May decks itself out in colorful lights and festive decorations. People ride the trolleys to see the holiday lights, learn about the Ghosts of Christmas past, and hear tales of Victorian Christmas traditions.

Here at John F. Craig, guests come and go, busily shopping and enjoying a host of festive events around town. Many of us come together as the sun sets to enjoy good company, a glass of wine, and to watch our antique train travel around the Christmas tree. We then head our separate ways for dinner and the evening’s activities.

Weekends are filling up at our bed and breakfast Cape May, but we still have room during the week, when the shops of Cape May are a bit less crowded. As of this writing, we have two openings on New Year’s Eve.

The tour lasts two hours. As you travel about town in a historic trolley, learn how the Cape May area was impacted by the war. You’ll pass coastal fortifications at Cape May Point and tour the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum.

The World War II Trolley Tour takes place on Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 12:30 pm. That gives guests of our bed and breakfast Cape May plenty of time to sleep in, eat a gourmet breakfast, walk along the beach, and grab lunch before the tour. Tickets are available at World War II Trolley Tour.

If you can’t make the World War II Trolley Tour this weekend, there are many other trolley rides throughout the year. Holiday Lights Trolley Rides through Cape May’s Historic District start November 19, 2010, and run through January 1, 2011. Please visit Holiday Lights for more information.

Spend a weekend here with paranormal expert Craig McManus.

According to Craig, the John F. Craig house is one of the most paranormally active homes in Cape May. No one knows exactly why some spots draw more ghosts and spirits than others, not even Craig. It is true that our Cape May bed and breakfast is located on Columbia Avenue – formerly the town’s Beach Avenue, close to the dunes and the sea. Most of the homes on this street were built just after the Civil War.

Craig has felt a number of presences here. At times he has felt Emma Craig, second wife of John F. Craig, while other times he’s met ghosts that have wandered in and have no known connection to the actual place. Craig says that “ghosts are transient”; and really, why wouldn’t they be?

Of course, many of the guests who participate in Craig McManus weekends hope to have news from a departed loved one. Craig cannot guarantee any particular experience of course, but past events have at times drawn many such spirits.

No matter what your hopes or expectations, we think you’ll find a weekend with Craig McManus at our Cape May inn fascinating. We know that we always do. For more information, please contact us. The weekend of November 5 – 6, 2010 is full, but we would love to invite Craig to return in the future.

2010 Victorian Week Poster: Thomas Pohlig's painting of the John F. Craig brochure house.

Victorian Week in Cape May is a tribute to the Victorian era. It is also a lot of fun. In 2010, Victorian Week takes place October 8 – 14. Guests of our bed and breakfast Cape May can look forward to a host of exciting activities and an all around festive air in town. Take this opportunity to dress in Victorian garb and learn several Victorian dances – they’ll come in handy at the Victorian Ball, Saturday October 9. Learn more about the era in general – such as architecture,  important historical figures, and customs – at various lectures throughout the week. Take part in the Tea and Temperance debate while enjoying Afternoon Tea at the Physick Estate Tearoom. Tour the interior of several Victorian bed and breakfasts in town. The list goes on and on.

We are delighted to announce that the 2010 Victorian Week poster features a painting of the John F. Craig brochure house by local artist Thomas Pohlig. This is the second time the John F. Craig house has been Tom’s choice for the Victorian Week Poster (see 2003 poster), and we are truly honored. Chip, who built the brochure house, is especially pleased. To see more of Tom Pohlig’s work or order a copy of the Victorian Week poster, please visit his website.

We still have a few scattered openings at our Cape May b&b during Victorian Week, so it isn’t too late to join the fun.