Cape May Lighthouse Night Tours: see more than century-old site in whole new light

Stairway to the Stars highlights all-day summer fun at Cape May, New Jersey.

CAPE MAY, NJ (WPVI) -- Cape May Lighthouse has been helping mariners navigate the shores since 1839.

It's 156 feet tall with 199 steps to the top.

Make the climb during the day and you'll be rewarded with stunning views of the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and all the way across the bay to the shores of Lewes, Delaware.

You'll also see the Lookout Tower, one of 15 towers built in New Jersey and Delaware to watch for German vessels threatening the coast during World War II. And you can get an aerial view of the bunker that's still on the beach.

It's a great history lesson, and this year you can experience that history in a whole new way.

It's called Stairway to the Stars.

The special climb, held only on select evenings, is timed to the new moon in the lunar cycle, helping stargazers to see some of their favorite constellations.

There's a Full Moon Lighthouse Tour when everything is well-lit for nighttime viewing.

If you want to make it a day, there are lots to do on the islands.

Beach Plum Farm is a working farm just over a mile inland where you can feed the pigs, shop the year-round farmers market and enjoy a meal made with ingredients produced on site.

Willow Creek winery is in walking distance of the farm.
You can pop by Cape May's iconic surfer bar, The Rusty Nail, and spend some time at America's first seaside resort, Congress Hall.

If you time your visit to the lighthouse just right, Mother Nature may put on a sky-high sunset show.

The lighthouse is hosting a fireworks climb July 3-4.

Cape May Lighthouse | Facebook |Instagram
215 Lighthouse Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204
609-224-6066

Lighthouse & Fireworks Climb, July 3 & 4, 8:30-9:30pm
Lighthouse Full Moon, July 13 & August 11, 8-10pm
Stairway to the Stars Lighthouse Climb, June 28, July 28, August 27, 8-10pm

Willow Creek Winery & Farm | Facebook | Instagram
160-168 Stevens St, West Cape May, NJ 08204

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See more than a century of Jersey at the Cape May Lighthouse Night tours