Well, local summer, it was nice knowing you. The chill and the rain moved in this past weekend, but not before we squeezed in a few more sweet moments of fun: a parents-only weekend in Cape May, a stroll on the Henry Hudson Trail that was much more pleasant in the cooler weather, and a lively afternoon at the Spring Lake Italian Fest.
Tuesday night was spent at Sandy Hook National Park for the Sandy Hook Foundation’s annual danceFLOORED x The Post Chapel with Tootsie Olan. Picture this: golden hour in a restored 1940s military chapel, sea breezes blowing through the open windows, peak sunset vibes, DJ Skillz dropping live beats, and a room full of women absolutely crushing a choreographed dance by the end of the hour.
Don’t believe us? Just watch.
Field Trip: Cape May
Usually we cover the northernmost part of the Jersey Shore, but recently we took our exploration down, way down, all the way to Exit Zero.
We’re giving you our exact 48-hour itinerary for a weekend in Cape May. We did this as a couple for our 8th wedding anniversary, but we plan to come back as a family and in a different season. There’s so much to do, we barely scratched the surface.
Friday:
Lunch at The Lobster House: Sit on the outdoor deck by the raw bar if it’s nice or aboard the Schooner American, their docked boat bar. (We ate inside but we’d save the more formal dining room for evening next time.)
Check in at The Virginia Hotel: If your room isn’t ready yet, head over to sister property Congress Hall.
Take a history tour: A great way to get your bearings in Cape May is with a guided tour of Congress Hall, one of the seaside resort’s most famous hotels dating back to 1816. It’s free if you’re staying at a Cape Resorts property.
Afternoon Poolside: Guests at the Virginia can enjoy Congress Hall’s pool, so order a Hugo or Aperol Spritz and settle in. The drink of the moment, the Sarti Spritz, was a bit overrated in our opinion.
Happy Hour: Grab a cozy red wicker loveseat on the porch of the Virginia Hotel and enjoy a briny dirty martini and the ocean breeze.
Dinner at 410 Bank Street: Definitely get the macadamia-crusted halibut with vanilla island rum sauce, or the spicier redfish special in Creole sauce. Note: no European dining hours here — they close at 8:30 pm, so book early.
After Hours at The Boiler Room: Congress Hall’s basement bar, which we learned about on our tour, has a wood-fired pizza oven and a live band around 10:30 pm. The bachelorette parties loved it!
Saturday:
Rise and Shine: Enjoy a healthy breakfast on the Virginia’s porch (it comes with your stay), then head over to Congress Hall for a Pilates class on the Great Lawn.
Beach it Up: Grab a lounger on the sand (another perk of staying at a Cape Resorts property). When you need a break from the sun, head to The Rusty Nail for allegedly New Jersey’s coldest beer and a basket of fried shrimp or nachos.
Grab some souvenirs: Stroll the pedestrian-only Washington Street Mall for gifts to bring home to the fam. We especially loved Jackson & Perry, Tommy’s Folly, and Fralinger’s Salt Water Taffy. You might break your teeth on it, but it’s a Shore rite of passage.
Happy Hour at Congress Hall: Reverse last night’s route and grab a table on the Great Lawn. Oysters and a glass of prosecco start the night off right.
Dinner at The Ebbitt Room: Reserve a table on the porch. Order the Parker House rolls, the hand-cut lump crab pasta, and roasted chicken. Much of the produce comes from nearby Beach Plum Farm, and we also loved the tomato & melon salad and roasted carrots.
After Hours at The Brown Room: Hop back over to Congress Hall for an espresso martini at the Brown Room, recently named “The No. 1 Hotel Bar in America” by USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Sip while listening to Billy Joel hits at the piano.
Sunday:
Climb on Up: Before leaving Cape May, make the short drive to the Cape May Lighthouse. Climb all 199 steps to the top — it’s definitely worth the view.
Farm Haul: Before getting back on the Parkway, visit Beach Plum Farm. It’s especially appealing when you’re ready to make something healthy for dinner after all the indulgent eating and drinking. Plus there are chickens roaming around and the market smells like pumpkin spice.
Weekly Forecast
Time to start switching over your closets — the first day of fall is officially upon us this week. And with that, some blustery weather…
Monday 9/21 - 67°/63° Cloudy
Tuesday 9/22 - 64° /61° Light Rain
Wednesday 9/23 - 66°/57° Cloudy
Thursday 9/24 - 64°/56° Cloudy
Friday 9/25 - 68°/56° Rain Showers
Saturday 9/26 - 67°/60° Heavy Rain
Sunday 9/27 - 65°/59° Light Rain
And for the surfers out there, here are the weekly surf conditions in Belmar courtesy of Surf Captain:
Surf Conditions | |
|---|---|
Mon 9/21 | AM: Choppy, 1-2 ft PM: Choppy, 2-3 ft |
Tues 9/22 | AM: Choppy, 3-5 ft PM: Choppy, 5-7 ft |
Weds 9/23 | AM: Choppy, N/A ft PM: Choppy, 6-8+ ft |
Thurs 9/24 | AM: Choppy, 6-9 ft PM: Choppy, 6-9 ft |
Farmers Market Roundup
Holmdel, 9/23: Bell Works FRESH Farmers & Makers Market
Long Branch, 9/24: West End Farmers Market
Wall, 9/24: Wall Twp. Farmers Market (last of the season)
Atlantic Highlands, 9/25: Atlantic Highlands Farmers Market (last of the season)
Brick, 9/26: Brick Farmers Market (second-to-last of season)
Highlands, 9/26: Highlands Farmers Market
Howell, 9/27: Howell NJ Farmers Market
Matawan, 9/26: Matawan FRESH Farmers & Makers Market
Asbury Park, 9/27: Asbury Park FRESH Farmers & Makers Market
Red Bank, 9/27: The Galleria Red Bank Farmers Market
And if there are any markets we should definitely feature this season, let us know!
Happenings Down the Shore
We will officially enter the Fall season on Tuesday, so we wanted to make sure we highlighted some autumnal activities to pumpkin spice up the gloomy weather.
A few that have caught our eye this week are the Harvest Home Festival in Holmdel (perfect Sunday activity for families) and Oktoberfest at Source Brewing in Colts Neck (pro tip: couple this with a trip to Delicious Orchards).
Assuming the weather cooperates, you can also check out a ton of local music talent at Asbury Park’s 10th Porchfest on 9/26 (the rain date is Sunday the 27th).
Lastly, the long-awaited Lobby Bar at Anderson Market will be opening on Saturday!
As always, if there’s an upcoming event you’d like us to cover, feel free to pass it along!
Monday 9/21
Belmar - Line Dancing Mondays at Beach Haus Brewing (6 pm)
Holmdel - Complimentary Intro to Pickleball Clinic with Jersey Pickleball Club at Bell Works (9:30 am)
Loch Arbour - Trivia Night at Deal Lake Bar + Co (7:30 pm)
Oceanport - Weekly Trivia at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:30 pm)
Tuesday 9/22
Belmar - Music Bingo Tuesdays at Beach Haus Brewing (7 pm)
Red Bank - Trivia with Jenn at Jamians (7:30 pm)
Wednesday 9/23
Red Bank - Coasst x Josie Bo Studio Table No. 1 Fall Equinox: Breathwork & Intention at The Residency, Anderson Market (10 am - P)
Red Bank - Karaoke at Jamians (8 pm)
Spring Lake - September Book Club (reading To Kill a Mockingbird) at Thunder Road Books (6 pm - learn more)
Tinton Falls - Bingo & Brews at Twin Lights Brewing (6 pm)
Thursday 9/24
Asbury Park - Ryan Zimmerman at Asbury Park Brewing (7 pm - live music)
Belmar - Trivia Night Thursdays + Oyster Night on the Rooftop at Beach Haus Brewing (7 pm)
Fair Haven - Author Event: Jersey Shore on Film Book Talk and Signing at River Road Books (7 pm - learn more)
Manasquan - Frank Fotusky at Harpoon Willy’s (8:30 pm - live music)
Red Bank - Coasst x Crazy Story Books Leaders & Readers Series: Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour w/ Fran Hauser (5:30 pm - get tix)
Red Bank - Connor Quigley at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm - live music)
Tinton Falls - Trivia on Tap at Twin Lights Brewing (7 pm)
Friday 9/25
Asbury Park - Angelica Gianna at Asbury Park Brewing (7 pm - live music)
Holmdel - Shade Tree Mechanics at Fox Hollow Vineyard (6 pm - live music)
Loch Arbour - Charlie Brown at Deal Lake Bar + Co (5 pm - live music)
Long Branch - The Music + Film Series at the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music (7:30 pm - get tix)
Manasquan - Jayson Soltys at Harpoon Willy’s (8:30 pm - live music)
Oceanport - Burlap To Cashmere (Steve and John) at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6 pm - live music)
Red Bank - James Larsen at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm - live music)
Tinton Falls - Open Mic Night at Twin Lights Brewing (6 pm)
Saturday 9/26
Asbury Park - Asbury Park Porchfest (learn more)
Asbury Park - Asbury Park Fall Bazaar at Convention Hall (12 pm)
Colts Neck - Source Brewing Oktoberfest (Prost!)
Highlands - Brew by the Bay Craft Beer Festival (12 pm - get tix)
Holmdel - Working Dogs at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm - live music)
Holmdel - Rooftop Yoga at Bar Bella with Fitness Factory (7:30 am - learn more)
Loch Arbour - Quincy Mumford at Deal Lake Bar + Co (8 pm - live music)
Long Branch - Local Summer Party at Beach Bea Meadery (6 pm)
Manasquan - The Brue Crew at Harpoon Willy’s (8:30 pm - live music)
Oceanport - Sean Collichio at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6 pm - live music)
Red Bank - Coasst Community Class Popup with JetSet Pilates at The Residency, Anderson Market (9 am - signup here)
Red Bank - Grand Opening of The Lobby Bar at Anderson Market (learn more)
Red Bank - Frank Rainey at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm - live music)
Sandy Hook - Free Yoga on the Beach (8 am - learn more)
Sunday 9/27
Asbury Park - Asbury Park Fall Bazaar at Convention Hall (12 pm)
Holmdel - Monmouth Moms Fall Festival at Bell Works (11 am - learn more)
Holmdel - Sherri Pie Band at Fox Hollow Vineyard (3 pm - live music)
Holmdel - Harvest Home Festival at Longstreet Farm (11 am - learn more)
On Deck
October 2: Tinton Falls: Brews & Brats Oktoberfest at Twin Lights Brewing (6 pm - prost!)
October 2-4: Bradley Beach: Wellness Retreat at The James Bradley Hotel (learn more)
October 3: Wall Township: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Live Adaptation at Allaire State Park (6 pm - get tix)
October 9: Wall Township: Night of Frights Opening Night at Allaire State Park (6 pm - get tix)
October 10: Red Bank - Red Bank Oktoberfest (1 pm - learn more)
October 10: Spring Lake - The Witches of Spring Lake Paddle for a Cause (10 am - learn more)
October 15: Fair Haven - Author Event: “Gather Around My Table” with NYT Cooking Contributor Kay Chun (7 pm - learn more)
October 24: Bradley Beach - Murder Mystery Dinner at The James Bradley Hotel (6 pm - get tix)
Did we miss an event? Let us know.
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