Page 24 - 2023 Southern NJ Vacationer

CAPE MAY MAC
Museums + Arts + Culture
THE IMPRESSIVE Emlen Physick Estate, brought back to its original majesty by dogged determination, a Phoenix rising from the ashes. The Cape May Music Festival, 34 years and going strong, a gem of a festival featuring classical music, jazz and Americana. A fleet of shiny, comfortable trolleys criss- crossing the historic district, a far cry from the tractor that hauled an open-air trolley around town in the 1970s. The restored 1859 Cape May Lighthouse, open to the public in 1988 with over 2.5 million people since who have climbed to the top. An award-winning restoration of the historic World War II Lookout Tower, Fire Control Tower No. 23, part of Fort Miles.
None of these places and events would have happened if not for the non-profit organization Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture), celebrating more than 50 years of preservation, history and education that helped this small town reinvent itself.
The renaissance of Cape May is linked to a huge mansion on Washington Street that appeared beyond salvaging around 1970. When plans circulated that the building was going to be sold and demolished, a stalwart group of volunteers banded together determined to save – and ultimately – restore the Emlen Physick Estate. They not only saved the Physick Estate but revitalized Cape May, forming the organization Mid-Atlantic
Center for the Arts (MAC), later known as Cape May MAC. In 1976, the entire city was declared a National Historic Landmark, thanks to its 19th century buildings, one of the largest collections of seaside Victorians in the country. The resort rebloomed.
Guided tours of the 1879 Emlen Physick House Museum provide an in-depth look at Victorian architecture, detailing how the Physick family and their staff lived, worked and spent their leisure time. The 18-room mansion is an architectural gem by famed American architect Frank Furness, one of the best examples of Victorian Stick Style architecture
in the country. Cape May MAC hosts a variety of trolley tours, walking tours, and golf cart tours around town with knowledgeable guides who share Cape May’s history, architecture and how and why it has survived.
But Cape May MAC celebrates more than its Victorian history. Each year a Carroll Gallery exhibit explores history topics that often feature local stories. Also, through a decades-long partnership with the Center for Community Arts and a recent partnership with the Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey, visitors can learn about the role Cape May played in the Underground Railroad and about Harriet Tubman’s presence here.
Fast forward to December when the Candlelight House Tour on three Saturday evenings before Christmas is a highlight of the holiday season, as it has been since 1974, with homes, inns, churches and hotels, decorated beyond description, including the Physick Estate and the holiday exhibit at the Carroll Gallery.
Throughout the year there are crafts shows, concerts, scavenger and treasure hunts, garden tours, cruises, murder mystery dinners, Victorian Weekend, ghost tours, boat trips to lighthouses in Delaware Bay, visits to Fisherman’s Wharf, two Museum Shops, food and wine events, Halloween Happenings, a full six weeks of Christmas tours starting the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and plenty of events more popular than Queen Victoria herself. Guess what? You’re going to need a longer vacation! Cape May MAC; 1048 Washington St., Cape May; 609-884-5404; www.capemaymac.org G
22 SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY VACATIONER