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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey

Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey
Cape May Point State Park is located on the southern tip in the state of New Jersey. Most people think of this state park as just having the beautiful Cape May Lighthouse. However, there are a lot of fun things to see and do while visiting the park!

When you enter the park you will find ample free parking. There are numerous handicap parking space up close to the actual lighthouse grounds for those who need them. In addition, there are handicap parking spaces & a public restroom near the lighthouse that is also handicap accessible.
Cape May Lighthouse

You can walk all around the Cape May Lighthouse for free but if you want to enter the lighthouse and climb to the top, you will have to pay an admission fee. There is a little gift shop located right beside the lighthouse where you can purchase some souvenirs but I did find them to be on the expensive side.

If you are NOT in great health...I suggest you avoid climbing up the hundreds of stairs to get to the top of the lighthouse. If you are in good health, you will absolutely LOVE the gorgeous 360 degree views that you get of the Cape May area.
Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey

On site they have a little sea life and coastal area educational building that is 100% free. It's air conditioned and takes about 10 minutes of time to walk through and read all of the educational displays that they have set up inside.
Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey

We learned all about horseshoe crabs, various coastal birds that call this area home, fish and sea turtles that are native to the area and I absolutely loved learning about the seashells of the world, especially the ones that are found in the state of New Jersey. Oh yeah, I almost forgot...they did have an aquarium or two set up with live snakes in them...but I quickly bypassed those!
Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey

Once you come back outside you will see the jaw bone from a deceased whale. Oh my gosh, that jaw bone is a lot bigger than you think! They have it beautifully preserved and on display. It makes for a great picture taking opportunity.
World War II Bunker on Beach in Cape May New Jersey

We decided to head up their little boardwalk and walking trails and took a peek at the beach. Once up on the observation deck you will be able to see the World War 2 Bunker on the Beach. That's right, it's still there and was made mostly out of concrete. One of the locals said that the military mainly used it to store ammunition and to keep an eye on any submarines or boats by the enemy that may try to come up on shore. Very interesting history.
Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey

If you head down one of the other walking paths and up onto the second observation deck you will be able to look out over some of the surround marshland areas. I found these areas to be absolutely GORGEOUS! We saw numerous coastal birds, mostly Egrets and Gulls. Others told us they spotted some song birds and a swan further up...but we didn't take a walk up there to see all of that.
Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey

There are two to three large covered picnic pavilions on the grounds and you can bring a picnic lunch along with you and enjoy the afternoon there. There are two different beach accesses so bring some beach towels, beach chairs and spend a little bit of time sitting out on the beach too! One of the beach accesses has a ramp, so it's handicap accessible for those who need it.
Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey

You can learn more about the Cape May Point State Park in New Jersey by visiting their site online. We really enjoyed ourselves and spent a total of 2 1/2 hours there. We definitely will be visiting again.

Note: You can click on each image in this post. The image will open in a new window and will automatically enlarge so that you can see all of the beautiful details. Enjoy!

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