Fun Activities on a Rainy Day
Families love Cape May’s beautiful beaches, but when mother nature doesn't cooperate and gives you rain instead of sunny skies, often parents are left wondering what to do to entertain the kids. Not to worry, there are lots of fun activities to do on a rainy day in and around Cape May, if you know were to look.
Cape May County Zoo: Family Fun For Kids and Parents
Consider a trip to the Cape May County Zoo. It's really a sweet little zoo that your kids are sure to love, remember and talk about for years (really). Admission is free and the 85 acre zoo features over 250 different species including wild cats (Lions, Cheetahs & Tigers) which are a very popular attraction.
Now certainly the zoo is a beautiful experience when the weather is sunny, but here's a secret: when it's rainy (a bit rainy, not too rainy), it will be practically empty and your whole family and kids can have free reign on the place. Just make sure you wear comfortable rain gear to stay warm and dry. A Longfellow Family favorite is to walk the "African Savanna" section. They've built an extensive walkway where you can walk above a recreated African Savanna with Zebras, Ostriches and Spotted Leopards to name a few animals. It’s really well done and quite unbelievable that it's in Cape May County. We've found that if it's not raining too bad, and if you have some good rain gear, the zoo can be a really fun place to enjoy. Check out this zoo brochure for additional helpful information.
Mini Golf: A Cape May Favorite
One of the Longfellow Family's favorite Cape May pastimes was to take our group of friends and family to play mini golf. Our favorite course is the Ocean Putt Golf Course, on Beach & Jackson Street (just across from Hot Dog Tommy’s). It's had the same course layout since the 60s and is really a throw back to old style mini golf. For our taste, this is the real deal. And if you sink the 18th with a hole-in-one shot you win a free round! Michael Longfellow (of the Longfellow Family) has the course record — a fairly "unbeleivable" 27 — which he says he shot when he was 16. You get a 27 score by shooting 9 holes in one and the rest 2s.
Mini-golf is perfect for those cloudy days when the beach just won't do and you're looking for something the entire family can enjoy together.
Cape May Point State Park & Lighthouse
Here's a neat idea: walk up to the top of the Cape May Point Lighthouse. Built in 1859, this historic landmark is a must see, and visitors can walk to the top to get a fantastic view of Cape May Point Park. Side note: on a nice day the Cape May State Park has a great walk on wooden walkways that goes inland past some of the local flora & fauna and ends up on the beach. It's an easy walk with beautiful scenery and worth a visit for your family. And the kids will really get a kick out of the Lighthouse spiral staircase that takes you to the top.
That's Entertainment: Movies
And if it's really pouring rain and you've done all the shopping (Washington Street Mall) you can handle, there is of course the rainy day standby; take the family and kids to the movies. The closest (decent) movie theatre is a 12-plex in Rio Grande. And actually it's really quite a nice theater with its big comfy chairs and clean feel. It's called Frank's Theater and is about a ten minute drive from the Longfellow House up Route 9 (or exit 4 on the Garden State Parkway.) For movie listings you can call 609.889.4799 or visit this movie listings link to see what’s playing.
Good luck, and if you have any other great ideas about fun things you've discovered that you and your kids can do in Cape May on a rainy day — let us know. We'd love to hear about it!