Hotels
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Belle of the Ball
Text by Bill Godfrey | Published October 1st, 2009 in Architecture • B&Bs • Cape May • Hotels • Restoration
The notion of southern hospitality has long held a special place in the American psyche. So it should surprise no one (okay, maybe a few of you) that one of Cape May’s most notable landmarks is the Southern Mansion, a structure that, like Cape May, the South, and even America itself, has survived tough times only to come back stronger than ever.
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The Best of Cape May 2009
Text by CapeMay.com | Published September 1st, 2009 in B&Bs • Beaches • Best of Cape May • Birding and Wildlife • Guest Houses • Hotels • Innkeeping • Leisure • Museums • Outdoors/Water • Restaurants • Tours
Cyberspace drum roll please as we announce the 2009 winners of the 5th Annual Best of Cape May survey. Every year, winners of the Best of Cape May are determined by online voting. There were 58 categories and awards will be presented to 25 of the winners – many won awards in multiple categories. Voters [...]
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Is picking a place to stay giving you a headache?
Text by Susan Tischler | Published April 1st, 2008 in B&Bs • Guest Houses • Hotels
Cape May has a variety of choices – B&B, Guest House, condo, condo-tel, full house rental, hotel/motel. But what are the differences? Well, CapeMay.com is here to tell you – or at least try to. We polled a number of accommodations owners and asked them to discern the differences.
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150 Years of Firefighting
Text by Susan Tischler | Published November 1st, 2004 in Architecture • Cape Island • Cape May • Hotels
If any one ever tells you that history doesn’t make a difference, tell them to come to Cape May. Yes, it would have been a seaside resort no matter what, given it’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, but who knew that a fire in 1878 would ensure National Historic Landmark status nearly 100 years later? And, who knew that the impact of that same fire that occurred on Nov. 9, 1878 leveling 39 acres of land right in the heart of the city could still be felt on a sunny Sunday afternoon in October, 2004?
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Congress Hall’s Grand Re-Opening
Text by Jennifer Brownstone Kopp | Published July 1st, 2002 in Cape May • Hotels • Restoration
Hundreds of people line the lawn, stroll through the ballroom and dally on the verandah. I’m among them.
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Congress Hall in 2002
Text by Jennifer Brownstone Kopp | Published June 1st, 2002 in Architecture • Cape May • Hotels • Restoration
On June 7-8, 2002, Congress Hall Hotel opened its doors once again in Cape May. More than a grand momen… it’s a significant step in Cape May’s future.
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Renovating a Relic
Text by Jennifer Brownstone Kopp | Published September 1st, 2000 in Hotels • Restoration
It’s been a long time coming. There were Department of Interior rules and regulations to follow, million-dollar funding to secure, lawsuits to brave, mountains of paperwork to wade through and endless rolls of red tape to unwind. Now, long overdue according to some and beyond belief to others, rehabilitation of Congress Hall has begun.
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The Restoration of Congress Hall: History’s Contemporary Challenge
Text by Jennifer Brownstone Kopp | Published August 1st, 2000 in Architecture • Cape May • Hotels • Restoration
She was just one of many large hotels in the late 1800s that catered to the elite. Massive hotels they were, with broad verandahs and sweeping lawns that faced the ocean.
John Philip Sousa wrote two songs for Congress Hall. In fact, he introduced them on her lawn. For she was well-known across the nation — [...] -
The Chalfonte Saga Continues
Text by Jennifer Brownstone Kopp | Published August 1st, 2000 in Architecture • Cape Island • Cape May • Historic Figures • Hotels
What began as a simple boarding house soon grew into a reputable hotel under the direction of Colonel Henry Sawyer. He was a local hero — it was said that every man, woman and child in Cape May could recite Sawyer’s “Lottery of Death” story by heart.
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The Chalfonte Hotel: The Beginning
Text by Jennifer Brownstone Kopp | Published July 1st, 2000 in Cape Island • Cape May • Historic Figures • Hotels
A simple carpenter stares death in the eye, and lives to build one of Cape May’s living treasures. A story rooted in American history, the tale of Henry Washington Sawyer is one of courage, strength and pride.

