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Jay Lloyd's Getaway: Cape May Off-Season

By Jay Llloyd

CAPE MAY, N.J. (CBS) - The Jersey shore won a major off-season bonus last weekend as crowd-averse Philadelphians headed south. Cape May scored big, but there's a lot more to come.

Virtually every room in this resort town was filled - an unanticipated boom. The explosion of autumn visitors suggests that the shore season still has a lot of life ahead, if the weather cooperates.

"The restaurants are all open," says John Cooke, a blogger of all things Cape May and operator of the Victorian Motel. "We have the ocean. The ocean's still warm."

 

cape may outdoor dining
(Credit: Jay Lloyd)

 

He also expects the traditional arrival of birders for the annual winged migration that touches down at Cape May Point. Others come for colorful architectural tours by trolley and carriage. Local winery and farm visits generate some sipping and peeping.

Then there's next weekend's Lima Bean Festival.

"Cape May used to be known for growing lima beans," explains Cooke.

And all this time I thought it was for being the 19th century retreat of Abraham Lincoln. It is a combination of Victorian elegance and 21st century dynamism.

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