July 02, 2015
Willow Creek Winery/Facebook
Cape May's sandy soil and moist climate make this an ideal grape growing environment.
Summer isn't summer without a family vacation to the Jersey Shore, but sitting on the beach all day isn't for everyone.
Some people prefer air conditioning. Others can't sit still for more than five minutes.
If you fall into the sans-sand, heat-haters club, don't fret. There's plenty to do during the day at the Jersey Shore that doesn't require the beach or boardwalk, even on a rainy day.
Atlantic and Cape May counties are home to several award-winning wineries offering wine tasting and tours, some within walking distance of the beach.
For a relaxing afternoon of wine tasting by the beach, try an impromptu Cape May wine tour by rental bike.
Get out your map and mark off a route to Cape May Winery & Vineyard, Willow Creek Winery and Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery, all located within a few miles of each other.
The Cape May County Park & Zoo is free and is open year-round. It houses more than 550 animals representing 250 species. (Cape May County Park & Zoo/Facebook)
The Jersey Shore is home to lots of animals - and we're not talking about those sandwich-stealing seagulls and sharks.
The Cape May County Park & Zoo, located off the Garden State Parkway at Exit 11, has more than 85 acres of wildlife exhibits housing lions, snow leopards, exotic birds and more.
Lucy the Elephant, a six-story oddity that was built by a real estate developer in 1881 in the hopes that it somehow would attract property buyers to this Atlantic City suburb, stands near the beach in Margate, N.J. (Brian Branch Price/AP)
Lucy the Elephant is a historic site in Margate - a beach town a few miles from Atlantic City - and is said to be one of the oldest roadside attractions in the country, according (appropriately) to Weird U.S.
The 65-foot-tall structure in the shape of an elephant overlooks the ocean and, when you stand on top of her howdah, offers a 360-degree view of Margate and the Jersey Shore skyline, including the Atlantic City casinos.
Atlantic City is home to the largest pipe organ in the world. (Wikimedia Common)
Located inside Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall sits the world's largest pipe organ.
The music-making marvel, which was built from 1929-1932, is one of only two organs in the world with a true non-digital, acoustic 64-foot stop, according to the city's tourism website.
Two-hour tours and short performances are held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.
The Cape May Peninsula is a resting stop for millions of migratory birds each year, making the Cape May Bird Observatory one of the country’s top birding hot spots and drawing birders from around the world.
