The Washington Street Mall is famous for its unique shopping, dining, and more. Since 1971, thousands of people from across America and even the world have visited us each year. Wouldn't it be nice if you could stay overnight and be able to wake up right next to our boutiques and gift shops? Or if you could stay late at our famous restaurants and bars and be only a few steps away from your room? Well, you can! Many folks may not know this, but there are a few options to stay overnight on the Washington Street Mall! Let's learn more about them, which are all 2nd floor units located directly above businesses on the Mall: Airbnb above Cash and Clive Modern minimalism meets Victorian charm in this newly updated two bedroom apartment at 321 Washington Street. The unit has a private stairway and on site key pickup entry. It has one king size bedroom and one queen size bedroom, both with brand new Casper mattresses. The unit also features a furnished living room, fully equipped kitchen, and free in-house washer and dryer. Enjoy your morning tea or coffee at the dining room table. Catch up on your Netflix or watch your favorite movies on the 32 inch smart TV. The décor is modern and minimal-- less is more! The building was originally built in 1940 so you can expect some "charm" even though it has been recently renovated. Cape May Luxury Suites Cape May Luxury Suites, located at 408 Washington Street, is a collection of beautiful Airbnb apartments. Each suite features a nautical shabby sleek feel and comes with a variety of amenities. The style of the suites is sophisticated new modern-traditional with neutral tones. Some features include overhead built in lighting, windows for natural lighting, kitchens, washing machines, dryers, luxury linens, daybeds, private bedrooms, and other amenities. Congress Place Suites The Congress Place Suites, at 302 Washington Street, are your own private slice of Cape May. Reserve a suite with a balcony to enjoy ocean views with your morning coffee, stroll to dinner and cocktails, and wind down the day with a family movie on the couch. You'll love comforts like spacious living rooms with sunny picture windows as well as full kitchens perfect for whipping up an after-shopping bite. Plus, you'll have access to all the resort amenities of Congress Hall across the street, including complimentary beach service and access to the hotel's two heated pools. All of these options are perfect for lovers of the Mall, shopaholics, bachelorette parties, couples, and even families. Since they are located on the Washington Street Mall, since the Mall is known as the heart of Cape May, and because of the Mall's year-round liveliness, they are a great accommodation option all year long! We'll see you on the Mall!

Beef Jerky Experience, located on the Mall on the 500 block of Washington Street, truly is an experience in the heart of Cape May. They feature over 100 varieties of jerky, as well as other fun snacks such as popcorn, peanuts, and hot sauce. It is a one stop shop for unique wild snacks and flavors. Owners Tom and Kristie Veitch, along with their sons, Hunter and Noel, were inspired to open the store after visiting a Beef Jerky Experience store in West Virginia. They fell in love with the wide selection of fun snacks and knew that Cape May visitors and residents would love it too. It was also obvious that it would complement the Washington Street Mall's more than 75 other businesses well and fit right in. Originally from Lancaster, PA, the family moved to Cape May to open the store in their favorite vacation spot. Of course, the big experience at Beef Jerky Experience is the jerky, and there are always free samples to help you find the custom flavor and type of jerky that will keep you coming back for more! They offer both traditional beef jerky, which is thinly cut, firm, and dehydrated (old-school cowboy style); and smoked beef jerky, which is thicker cut and tender. The store is conveniently organized by flavor zones to make the experience even better. Just a few of the flavors are cracked black pepper, honey jalapeno, dill pickle, Cajun BBQ, cherry maple, and peppercorn. Besides beef, other meat choices include pork, turkey, kangaroo, alligator, and even salmon! There are also gluten free options as well as plant and soy-based jerky for vegans and vegetarians. There are so many types and flavors to choose from, you won't believe your eyes! Another part of the experience is their exciting other-than-jerky products! They offer over a dozen flavors of popcorn which change with the season. You can also find peanuts, candies, and even chocolate covered bacon. Their hot sauce selection is also quite something, featuring 30 to 40 different types of hot sauces, ranging from wicked hot to sweet. Highlighting the selection is hot sauce from Ledwon's Sauce Company, created by a chef from a few doors down at The Ugly Mug. Finally, there are even beef and pork pet treats! There is one thing for sure: no visit to the Washington Street Mall is complete without a visit to Beef Jerky Experience. It is an exciting experience, with hands-on employees ready to assist and explain more about the jerky world. They encourage you to try your favorites, but also to jump out of your comfort zone and try some of their other products. Beef Jerky Experience is also proud to support first responders. They invite any first responder to bring in a uniform patch and they will add it to their Wall of Honor. The growing wall currently features police, fire, medical, and military patches from across the country. Visit Beef Jerky Experience at 518 Washington Street. We'll see you on the Mall!

The picturesque Washington Street Mall is the heart of Cape May, New Jersey, America’s original seaside resort. The Mall serves as Cape May’s town square, a gathering point for visitors to the resort town, as well as those who call the area home. There are over 75 establishments lining the Washington Street Mall, made up of unique boutiques, shops, fine dining restaurants, bars, quick eats, activities, and services. Numerous seating areas, luscious gardens, shady trees, historical markers, Instagram-worthy photo opportunities, and more make it a welcoming and inviting downtown attraction for all. Attracting not only visitors to Cape May, the Mall also attracts visitors from other Jersey Shore towns as well those from up and down the East Coast. Dedicated June 24th, 1971, the Mall was a construction project of the City of Cape May's Urban Renewal Program, which took place from 1965 to 1971. The purpose of the program was to turn the heart of Cape May into a charming showplace complete with a revitalized downtown street to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists while also improving quality of life for residents as well. In 2008, the Mall received a major renovation, improving the street’s character, form, and function. Even with it being a pedestrian street, The Washington Street Mall does a great job of balancing the competing needs of a typical street with that of adjoining land uses. Numerous bicycle racks are located on every block, helping to promote an easy way for those staying or living in Cape May to get to the area. A “Jitney” shuttle service, with stops at Cape May hotels, neighborhoods, and the beachfront, is another way that people can get to the Mall. The Jitneys are eco-friendly, running on compressed natural gas, and are Americans with Disabilities Act accessible. They also serve as a park-and-ride, as they stop at a free parking lot further away from Washington Street as well as at other free parking areas. An expanded and modern parking setup, complete with designated areas for pick-ups, drop offs, deliveries, and even golf carts, is located along the Mall area serving those coming from out of town. Streets along the Mall are also set up well, with well-marked crosswalks and safety features to protect the pedestrian-only areas. The Mall fits in with the City of Cape May nicely. As a historic town full of structures made up of Victorian style, this translates onto the Mall as well. Buildings along the Washington Street Mall make it a Victorian showplace, with intricate designs and gingerbread-like architecture. Cape May MAC, a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the greater Cape May region, has a major presence on the Mall, where most of its tours and events originate from. Additionally, with it being only a few blocks from the ocean, the Mall also welcomes those who come straight off the beach every afternoon in the summertime. Many establishments feature beach-related items. As Cape May’s town square, the Washington Street Mall is a hotspot for social interactions of the greater Cape May area. The Mall’s is famous for its sidewalk sales, where businesses bring their wares outside among the shady, tree-lined street. Popular events such as live music and Zumba classes in the adjacent Rotary Park, the Halloween and Christmas parades, and Christmas tree lighting ceremony contribute to additional social activity. The Mall is well-liked because of its ambiance. Restaurants have outdoor patios, which are visually appealing and are a great way to enjoy the cool ocean breezes of Cape May in the summer. An antique clock, fountains, information stands, historical markers, and an authentic old ship’s bell on display complement the atmosphere. There are numerous benches along the Mall, but the planters also serve as seating areas. These planters feature well-matured trees and other flora native to coastal areas. Seasonal plantings are always added to keep the area looking fresh. The planters, along with street itself, are well-maintained, through partnerships between the City of Cape May and the Washington Street Mall Business Improvement District. A special assessment is imposed on properties within the District for the purposes of promoting the economic and general welfare of the District and the City. Funds are used for holiday decorations, landscaping, marketing, and other uses. The Washington Street Mall is truly one of New Jersey’s great streets. It represents the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow. As the picturesque heart of America’s original seaside resort, it is one of New Jersey’s most popular streets.

It has been a snowy winter on the Mall! Due to our proximity to the warmer ocean, we typically do not see a lot of snow. In fact, when it snows in the East Coast's major cities, it is typically only rain here. However, this winter has been different. We saw a significant snowstorm just after New Year's Day, which dropped 8.2" of snow in the heart of Cape May, and a blizzard toward the end of January, which dropped 12.1" of snow with higher drifts. There have been a few other minor snowfalls and dustings as well. Even with the high snowfall amounts, it has been melting quickly and the City of Cape May Department of Public Works has done a phenomenal job keeping the Mall clear. Because of that, many of our stores and restaurants that are open year round have operated with little to no interruption, and crowds have been normal. One thing the crowds have enjoyed is the picturesque scenes that the snow has created in the heart of Cape May. Don't believe us? Well, we've created a snow photo tour that will prove us right: Spring begins March 20th! We'll see you on the Mall!

The Washington Street Mall, along with our partners at the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May, are proud to say that Cape May has been voted as the 2nd Best Small Town for Shopping in America according to the USA TODAY 10Best 2021 Readers’ Choice awards! The contest took place over the last two months by the readers of USA TODAY. “We agree with the voters of the 10Best contest that Cape May has something for everyone, young, old, families, and couples,” said James Ridgway, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May. “Ranking number two in America for small town shopping really gives us some bragging rights and highlights our businesses and their contributions to our town.” Hilary Pritchard, longtime business owner of the Whale’s Tale, sums it up perfectly. “Each store is unique. Our mom and pop, individually-owned shops are the essence of shopping small and local". The Washington Street Mall, celebrating 50 years of unique shopping, dining, and more, offers more than 75 establishments in the heart of town. We thank all who voted to make America’s Original Seaside Resort also one of America’s best!

Our friends at CapeMay.com, whose offices are on the 500 block of Washington Street, conduct voting annually to find the best in shopping, dining, nightlife, leisure activities, and accommodations in Cape May. Known as the "Best of Cape May", the voting is open to the public, and Cape May lovers, both locals and visitors, participate each year. This year, as usual, the Washington Street Mall won big, with our businesses taking best in 17 categories as well as runner up in 17 categories! Check out the list of Mall businesses that won in this year's voting: Women's clothing Best: Cotton Company Runner up: Cash and Clive Men's clothing Best: Galvanic Runner up: Cotton Company Children's clothing Runner up: Tommy's Folly Boutique & KIDS T-shirts and sweatshirts Best: It's A Breeze Runner up: Great White Shark Shoes Best: Casale's Shoes Runner up: Galvanic Accessories Best: Red Oak Trading Runner up: Whale's Tale Jewelry Best: Henry's Landmark Jewelers Runner up: Whale's Tale Handbags and totes Best: Red Oak Trading Runner up: Queen May Candy and fudge Best: The Original Fudge Kitchen Runner up: Fralinger's Salt Water Taffy Gifts Best: Whale's Tale Home décor Runner up: Whale's Tale Art Runner up: tie between Cape May Art Gallery and Gallery D'May Toys Best: Whale's Tale Runner up: The Toy Shop of Cape May Cape May souvenirs Runner up: Whale's Tale Bath and body Best: Bath Time Coffee Best: Coffee Tyme Cold/frozen drinks Best: Coffee Tyme Breakfast sandwich Best: Coffee Tyme Wings Runner up: The Ugly Mug Burger Best: The Ugly Mug Ice cream, custard, or gelato Best: Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard Runner up: Uncle Charley's Ice Cream Baked goods and pastries Runner up: Madison's Bakery Walking or guided tour Best: Cape May MAC Information Booth We truly do offer unique shopping, dining, and more in the heart of America's original seaside resort. Thank you to all who voted for the Mall's businesses and be sure to plan your next visit to the Mall today!

The merchants of the Washington Street Mall along with the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) are excited to announce that the Washington Street Mall has been designated a 2021 “Great Place in New Jersey''. Through a highly competitive nomination process, the Washington Street Mall stood out as representing the gold standard of exemplary character, quality, and planning in New Jersey. The Great Places in New Jersey Awards Jury looked at each nominee’s true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and vision for tomorrow when selecting designees. Through the hard work of the Washington Street Mall merchants and the City of Cape May, the Mall emerged as a leader among all aspects of the designation criteria. Representatives of the Washington Street Mall Business Improvement District submitted pictures and an explanatory narrative outlining how the Mall was truly one of New Jersey’s great places. Specifically, the Mall was designated as a “Great Street”, characterized by how it relates to adjacent development, encourages social activity, and has a memorable character. APA New Jersey noted the Mall’s balance of the competing needs of a common street, such as its numerous bike racks and the free Jitney shuttle service that helps to ease parking. The Mall’s buildings with gingerbread-like architecture, numerous seating areas, luscious gardens, shady trees, historical markers, gas lamps, bistro-style string lights, and Instagram-worthy photo opportunities all also helped to secure the designation. The merchants of the Washington Street Mall are proud to add this award to Cape May’s ever-growing list of accolades and are eager to continue to help the heart of Cape May grow and prosper. 2021 was an exciting year for the Mall, with the launch of a brand-new comprehensive website, the beginning of the Mall’s 50th anniversary, new business openings, and the debut of the new highly-popular bistro-style string lights. The merchants are eager to continue this momentum in 2022 as they continue to welcome you to enjoy unique shopping, dining, and more in the picturesque heart of America’s original seaside resort!

In part because of our charming Christmas lights and our new highly-popular bistro-style string lights, Cape May, America's original seaside resort, has been voted one of the Best Public Holiday Light Displays in America in USA Today’s 10Best 2021 Readers' Choice Awards. “Cape May is a wonderful sight during the holiday season”, James Ridgway, President of The Chamber of Commerce Greater Cape May noted. “Our visitors tell us that we resemble a Dickens Village with the lights on our Victorian homes and businesses complemented with the gas lamps on our streets". Light Up Cape May is a community effort the Chamber and Cape May MAC started in 2015 when the town needed more holiday lights. With community partners and the support of several sponsors including Atlantic City Electric, the Chamber initiated a contest for homes and businesses. Three of our merchants took the top three spots in the contest's "Best Window" category. Congratulations to Cape May Fish Market which took 1st place, Bath Time which took 2nd place, and Victorious which took 3rd place. Thank you to all of our merchants who work so hard to make the heart of Cape May shine during the holiday season. Cape May does Christmas right, and the Washington Street Mall is at the center of it all. Santa shops here, because we have our 60 unique boutiques and shops with something for everyone. Whether you are a local or in town to visit, when you shop small, you are investing in our community. Plus, enjoying our bars, restaurants, and activities is the perfect way to celebrate the spirit of the season. Can't make it to Cape May before the new year? No worries, the charm of the heart of Cape May continues through the winter when a long weekend can chase those winter blues away!

The merchants of the Washington Street Mall are happy to announce that they are sponsoring two South Jersey high school marching bands in the annual West Cape May Community Christmas Parade, which takes place Saturday evening, December 4th. The Washington Street Mall Business Improvement District, comprising over 75 merchants in the heart of Cape May, has donated $2,000 so the Wildwood High School and West Deptford High School marching bands can participate in the parade. The bands are set to dazzle spectators with talented renditions of classic holiday music. Each band will be led by a banner announcing the sponsorship. The West Cape May Community Christmas Parade, Cape May’s biggest event of the winter, steps off at 5pm at the West Cape May Fire Hall. The parade can be expected to arrive in the Mall area sometime after 5pm, with a route that takes it on Perry Street and down Carpenters Lane. To enhance the festivities, we've invited Santa Claus to hang out on the Mall before the parade, and he joyfully accepted the invite. He will be strolling the Mall starting at 1pm, accompanied by local musician Andy Dimacale. We invite you to come early for fabulous Christmas shopping, delicious food and drink, a visit with Santa, and local live music, all among picturesque holiday décor.

The merchants of the Washington Street Mall invite you kick off the holiday season and celebrate their 50th anniversary at the Lights and Love Holiday Kickoff on Black Friday, November 26th. Decorating of the Mall will be complete, and Cape May's small town Christmas charm will be alive and well as the heart of Cape May is officially illuminated for the holidays! In the spirit of the season, the event will support the Cape May Community Food Closet, which is in dire need to donations to serve 4,000 adults and 1,000 children this year in the greater Cape May area. Donation boxes for nonperishable food items will be located on the 300, 400, and 500 blocks of Washington Street from 9am through 5pm. In addition, beginning Black Friday and lasting through Christmas Eve, the following businesses on the Mall will accept monetary donations for the food closet: Across the Way, Bath Time, Beachlove Cape May, Good Scents, Great White Shark, Import Bazaar, Madame's Port, Quirk & Co., Red Oak Trading, South of Jackson, Splash, and Whale's Tale. 100% of the contributions will go to the food closet. The event will also continue the Washington Street Mall's 50th anniversary celebration, as we will be officially unveiling our new decorative string lights! Because of the generous contributions of several Mall merchants and local citizens, we were able install "bistro" lights across sections of the Mall, which serve to enhance both aesthetics as well as lighting levels. New banners highlighting our 50th anniversary have also been installed on outer areas of the Mall. Santa Claus will be strolling the Mall from 4pm to 5pm, posing for pictures and handing out candy canes donated by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May. Additionally, local musicians Gordon Vincent, The Honeyhawks, and Bernadette & Amy have donated their time and talents and will be performing on the Mall. At 4:45pm at the Rotary Clock on the 300 block of Washington Street, Mayor Zack Mullock, Councilwoman Lorraine Baldwin, and others will provide words of welcome marking our 50th anniversary and officially kicking off the holiday season! Be sure to come early and stay late to take advantage of some of the great Black Friday deals from our Mall merchants and to indulge in our fabulous restaurants.

Fall on the Mall...it is truly a beautiful time of year in the heart of Cape May. Leaves change color and fall as our mild ocean breezes rustle them down our brick walkways. The presence of more clouds late in the days creates amazing colors to the sky, especially around sunset. Adding to this natural beauty, the Washington Street Mall Management Company, Inc., uses funds received from the special assessment on properties within the Washington Street Mall Business Improvement District to add a significant amount of décor and fall plantings all throughout the Mall. With all of this, autumn really is a special time of year in Cape May. Don't believe us? Well, we've created a fall photo tour that will surely change your mind: We'll see you on the Mall this fall!

With the record-breaking summer of 2021 now in the rearview mirror, we finally have some time to showcase our brand new website. This past spring, we totally rebuilt our website from the ground up. A new website was sorely needed, as our old website was severely outdated, not easy to navigate, and not representative of our brand of being the heart of America's original seaside resort. The project took about a month and a half and was complete by Mother's Day Weekend. The final product resulted in a comprehensive website that outlined all facets of the Mall and that showcased the fact that we are the heart of Cape May. In this blog post, we will showcase each page and how you can use the website to plan your visit and discover what you did not know about the Mall. Homepage - washingtonstreetmall.com Our homepage is the first page everyone sees when they visit washingtonstreetmall.com. It features a slider feature front and center at the top that showcases current promotions, upcoming events, or other news that we want to feature. The rest of the homepage functions as a general introduction to the Mall and everything it has to offer, with enlarged blocks linking to popular pages. Towards the bottom are our latest Instagram posts, which allow visitors to easily see what is happening on the Mall. The homepage is meant to welcome everyone to the Washington Street Mall and attract people to actually visit the Mall. About Page - washingtonstreetmall.com/about The About page goes a little more in depth in detailing what the Washington Street Mall is, including its physical boundaries. There is also a brief history of the Mall, and an introduction to the Washington Street Mall Business Improvement District (BID). This includes the BID's meeting minutes and contact information. Shopping Directory - washingtonstreetmall.com/shopping The Shopping directory page outlines all options for shopping on the Mall. Because of the large amount of shopping options, it is also divided into three subpages: Fashion & Accessories, Home Goods, and Specialty. Those looking for a store in a certain category can choose one of these subpages to narrow down their search and more easily find what may interest them. Food & Drink Directory - washingtonstreetmall.com/foodanddrink The Food & Drink directory page outlines all options for food and drink on the Mall. Activities & Services Directory - washingtonstreetmall.com/activitiesandservices The Activities & Services directory page outlines all of the different activities and services offered on the Mall. On this and the other directory pages above, each business has a link to its own page with pictures and maybe some video along with their location, website, phone number, and a brief description. Businesses may also choose to have their hours added to the page, but many prefer that you contact them for their hours as they are subject to change due to weather, crowds, and staffing. Events Page - washingtonstreetmall.com/events The Events page outlines any upcoming events that are scheduled to take place on or around the Washington Street Mall. This includes our famous sidewalk sales, summer concerts in Rotary Park, the Halloween Parade, and the Christmas Parade. Linked from this page, each event has its own page with pictures and maybe some video along with the date, time, location, and a brief description of the event. Map & FAQ Page - washingtonstreetmall.com/mapandfaq Our Map & FAQ page features everything you need to know to enjoy the Mall. The Mall's map is located front and center and can easily be enlarged. Below the map are several frequently asked questions, such as parking information and restroom locations. This page is a must visit for first time visitors of the Mall, allowing them to plan a hassle-free visit. Blog - washingtonstreetmall.com/blog If you are reading this, you found our blog! Officially known as "The Mall Messenger", it is the official blog of the heart of Cape May. You will find business spotlights, news, feature articles, and posts that go more in depth about upcoming events. New blog posts are published generally every three weeks. Live Webcams Page - washingtonstreetmall.com/livewebcams Stuck at home and missing the Mall? You can plan your next visit while checking crowd conditions and the scenery by viewing two live webcams from Henry's Landmark Jewelers. Providing views of the 400 block, the webcams are linked from this page and are provided by attheshore.com. The release of our new website was timed well, as it went live during our 50th anniversary year. A new, modern website is a great way to celebrate a birthday! The website also debuted our new consistent branding, including colors and fonts that are being used on our social media accounts and will also be used in new signage and banners. Our website is completely mobile friendly and can be viewed from any device, including phones and tablets. This allows you to be able to use it as guide via your mobile device while actually on the Mall. The top of all pages includes links to all main pages as well as a search bar. The search bar comes in particularly handy in instances such as when you may be looking for information on a particular business. You can search that business and easily navigate to its page. The bottom of all pages includes links to our social media accounts. It is also important to note that the website is updated constantly. Business changes, new features, and more are always being added to the website, allowing visitors to Cape May to always be in the know. Whether you are planning your Cape May vacation or you are a local and looking to do some shopping, our website is one of the best tools in Cape May. We hope you enjoy it. We'll see you on the Mall!