Every year for six years, we’ve asked our readers for their opinions on everything Cape May has to offer, from the best restaurants to the best place to grab a martini, and everything in between. Here are this year’s winners and runners up:
Best Bed & Breakfast: The Queen Victoria
Runner Up: The Carroll Villa
Best Guest House or Inn: The Columbia House
Best Hotel or Motel: Congress Hall
Runner Up: The Victorian Motel
Best Campground: Beachcomber Campground
Runner Up: Holly Shores
Best Place to Stay with Pets: Billmae Cottage
Runner Up: Highland House
Best Place to Stay with Children: Congress Hall
Runner Up: Montreal Inn- Best overall customer service: The Queen Victoria
Runner Up: The Carroll Villa & Mad Batter Restaurant
Best restaurant customer service: Washington Inn
Runner Up: The Mad Batter- Best accommodation customer service: The Queen Victoria
Runner Up: Congress Hall 
Best store customer service: Whale’s Tale
Runner Up: Splash
Best clothing store: Klothes Kove
Runners Up: Cheeks and Colors- Best place to get beach wear: Klothes Kove
Runner Up: Great White Shark 
Best jewelry store: Henry’s
Runner Up: Whale’s Tale
Best place to find bargains: Dellas 5 and 10
Runner Up: Sunset Beach Gift Shop
Best store for accessories: Kaleidoscope
Runner Up: Whale’s Tale
Best gift store: Whale’s Tale
Runner Up: Sunset Beach Gift Shop
Best store for candy, fudge & taffy: The Original Fudge Kitchen
Runner Up: Morrow’s Nut House
Best Coffee: Avalon Coffee and Bagel
Runner Up: Coffee Tyme
Best Breakfast: The Mad Batter
Runner Up: George’s Place
Best Brunch: The Mad Batter
Runner Up: The Blue Pig Tavern
Best Place for a Quick Lunch: Hot Dog Tommy’s
Runner Up: Zoe’s
Best Pizza: Louie’s Pizza
Runner Up: Lucky Bones
Best Hamburger: The Ugly Mug
Runner Up: Jackson Mountain Cafe
Best Sandwich or Cheesesteak: The Ugly Mug and Zoe’s
Best Place for Takeout: The Lobster House
Runner Up: Depot Market Cafe- Best Fine Dining: Washington Inn
Runner Up: Tisha’s 
Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant: Uncle Bill’s Pancake House
Runner Up: The Lobster House- Best Place for Seafood: The Lobster House
Runner Up: The Merion Inn - Best Crabcakes: The Lobster House
Runner Up: Freda’s Cafe 
Best Ice Cream, Custard or Gelato: Kohr Bros.
Runners Up: Dry Dock and Ben & Jerry’s
Best off-island restaurant: Harbor View
Runner Up: Axellson’s Blue Claw- Best Overall Restaurant in Cape May: Washington Inn
Runners Up: The Mad Batter 
Best tanning beach: The Cove and Steger’s beaches
Best surfing beaches: The Cove and Wildwood Crest beaches
Best family beaches: The Cove and Sunset Beach
Best place to escape the sun: On a porch or in air conditioning
Runners Up: The arcade
Best things to do on a rainy day: Read, shop, winery tours
Best kid-friendly activity: Miniature Golf
Runners Up: Cape May County Zoo and The Nature Center of Cape May
Best winery to visit: Cape May Winery
Runner Up: Hawk Haven
Best Spa or Massage: Cape May Day Spa
Runner Up: The Sea Spa at Congress Hall
Best festival or parade: West Cape May Christmas Parade
Runner Up: Fourth of July Parade/Fireworks
Best birding spot: Cape May Point
Runners Up: Higbee Beach and West Cape May
Most interesting tourist spot: Lighthouse
Runner Up: Sunset Beach
Best area golf course: Cape May National
Runner Up: Avalon Golf Course
Best mini-golf course:Ocean Putt on Jackson Street
Runner Up: Stockton
Best watersports activity: Boogie boarding
Runner Up: Parasailing
Best bicycle route: Sunset Boulevard
Runner Up: Along the promenade
Best free or low cost activity: Walking or bicycling
Runner Up: The Cape May County Zoo
Best place for a cocktail: The Brown Room
Runner Up: Martini Beach
Best music venue: The Boiler Room
Runner Up: The Rusty Nail
Best nighttime hangout: Carney’s
Runner Up: The Brown Room- Best overall bar: The Brown Room
Runner Up: The Ugly Mug 
Most interesting architectural building: Congress Hall
Runner Up: The Queen Victoria
Best place to meet up with people: Washington Street Mall
Runner Up: At a bar
Most likely place to meet a local: The C-View Inn or the Washington Street Mall- Your favorite Victorian building: The Queen Victoria
Runner Up: Emlen Physick Estate 
Best history tour: Cape May Carriage Company
Runner Up: Emlen Physick Estate
Best ghost tour: Ghosts of Cape May Trolley Tour
Runner Up: Elaine’s walking tour
Best water/boat tour: Cape May Whale Watcher
Runner Up: The Skimmer
The one place you ALWAYS go: The Beach and the Washington Street Mall
Well, that wraps things up for the Best of Cape May 2011! We hope you pay us a visit and find out for yourself the very best that Cape May has to offer. Thanks to all of you for voting and helping to celebrate our beautiful, seaside town!
We love coming to Cape May each year. The Victorian Motel is our favorite place at Cape May.We just celebrated our 50 wedding anniversary there. We look forward to seeing our shore friends as soon as we check in. John and Suzanne are the best at Cape May. See you next year.
We are both humbled and honored to even be mentioned, let alone be Runner Up in the Best water/boat tour category! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to all of our supporters! Look forward to having YOU onboard along with your friends, family, guests and acquaintances ! 609-884-3100 for info/reservations. Thank You again ! Ginny & Ed
you forgot the “best porch” entry with the winner being the dormer house.
and best “innkeepers” with the winner being barbara @ the john craig house. she’s very informative & doesn’t skip a beat when telling the history of the house.
I think everything about Cape May is the best! I hope in my lifetime I get a chance to try all the restaurants, hotels and B&Bs….
This was my second year visiting Cape May. This year was a fantastic experience! We actually were honored to learn some of the History of Cape May through a tour. Audrey was our host, that started at the Lobster House pier and continuted from Sea to Dinner Plate. During the tour,Audrey, a lovely and gracious lady, shared a very tragic story of the Smith Family who lost several at sea. Later that day we decided to visit the memorial on our own, which gave us chills, tears, and continued respect for the men who risk their lives to bring food to our tables. I am a tourist, but would like to become involved and support some of the non-profit organizations in Cape May. There are many dedicated, proud local residents who continue to keep the History of Cape May alive. Thank you, to all the hard working people of Cape May who make it possible for people like myself to have a very enjoyable vacation.
“The Best of Cape May” is the perfect vacation guide to Cape May.
Forgot the category Best Magazine… and of course the winner is Cape May Magazine
cape may is the greatest place to go to relax. it is like a another world . it is so nice to walk around and go to the beach,stores,shop and people are so friendly.