A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of going to Cape May, New Jersey with family and had a blast. I had never been to any Jersey Shore before and was hesitant when I first heard that we were going there (no thanks to MTV's Jersey Shore show). But after some research on Cape May, I discovered that it was recognized as one of America's top 10 beaches by the Travel Channel and with that knowledge, I got really excited about our trip there. Turns out, Cape May was THE place to be back in the 1700s where you most definitely would have spotted one of the Founding Fathers or members of New York society relaxing.

But in 1876, a fire destroyed most of the town and so replacement homes were built in the Victorian style. The town has done a great job of preserving these historic homes, which is why Cape May is a National Historic Landmark (the only US city to be designated as such).

The first night we were there, we went out to dinner downtown. After dinner we decided to go for a drive along the beach and discovered some of the most amazing homes I've ever seen. I've seen big homes before, but these are not your ordinary, cookie-cutter homes you see in suburbia. These were unique, with well-appointed lawns/gardens and a killer view of the beach. Pretty much, my kind of dream beach home.

I told myself (and my husband) that we had to come back to this neighborhood during the day so that I could take photos of these grand homes. So the next day, we decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Ride our bikes while I take photos of the houses. It was a great idea, although some of the photos didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped so they are missing from below but I think I took enough to show you all the grandeur of this beach town.

Had to represent Maryland with this photo.







I believe this was one of the older homes turned into a hotel or b&b.





Love the craftsmen-style columns of the porch.



The flower boxes really add that punch of color needed to this house's facade.



Another historic property turned hotel.

This is my #1 out of the bunch.





This house is one of my favs that I saw - I especially like the whale at the top.

The only home we saw that was traditional and not beach-like at all but still beautiful.









No joke, the guy in the photo was sweeping the sand on his walkway with a dustpan.