Where are the closest bathrooms?
Free public restrooms are located every half-mile along the promenade in the summer.
Cape May City’s beaches are family friendly, clean, and close to restrooms and food. They run approximately 2.5 miles parallel to Beach Avenue and are within walking distance from most accommodations.
From July 1st through Labor Day, the Cape May Beach Patrol is on duty from 10am to 5:30pm
Beach tags are required for beach goers 12 and up from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day during guarded hours
Beachfront meters are in effect every day from April 1 – October 31 from 10am to 10pm
Even though we give them unique names, our beaches are really one long stretch of sand. Your Cape May City beach tag is good at any beach entrance. Figuring out the name of the beach closest to your accommodation is easy. With three exceptions, they're named for the street intersecting Beach Avenue.
Looking for Sunset Beach or Higbee Wildlife Management Area?
The following activities are permitted on Cape May City beaches.
Swimming is welcome. For your safety, the Beach Patrol recommends not swimming past chest-deep water (areas may be marked with flags). Ocean conditions may change quickly. Please check with the nearest lifeguard stand before you attempt distance swimming.
Skimboarding is allowed with the permission of the lifeguards
Volleyball nets are available at Steger Beach (Beach Ave & Jackson St) and at 2nd Avenue Beach (2nd Avenue & Beach Ave). They’re located on the beach, so you will need a beach tag to play, and please BYOB (bring your own ball).
Surfing is permitted at Poverty Beach (Wilmington Avenue), The Cove, Surfing Beach (Gurney Street), and South Queen (Queen Street)
During guarded hours, fishing is permitted along the quarter-mile stretch east of the Brooklyn Avenue storm pipe. Fishing is prohibited at all other beaches during guarded hours.
Kayaking is permitted past the bathing zone. You can launch east of Poverty Beach and west of The Cove stand.
Food and beverages are welcome on the beaches. Just don't bring any alcohol or use any portable cooking devices. And please remove everything you bring with you.
Create the sand sculptures of your dreams. If you dig holes, make sure they're no more than waist height of the shortest person in your group. And please fill them in before you leave the beach.
Memorial Weekend through June:
Saturdays at 7pm
July & August:
Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 7pm
The last ceremony of the year is the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend at 7pm
Flags flown are veterans’ casket flags that families bring with them. Reservations for 2025 will begin on May 1st
For beachgoers 12 and older, beach tags are required for entrance to Cape May City beaches from 10am – 5pm, Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day. Children 11 & under are free.
| Beach Tag Type | 2024 Rate (per person) |
|---|---|
| Seasonal beach tag For personal use. Memorial Day - Labor Day |
$40 |
| Weekly beach tag For personal use. Saturday to Saturday, 8-days |
$25 |
| 3-day beach tag For personal use. Any three consecutive days |
$20 |
| Daily beach tag For personal use |
$10 |
| Commercial tags For use by hotels, B&Bs, campgrounds, and house rentals |
$125 |
You have two choices when it comes to buying beach tags: a physical tag you can pin to your swimsuit or bag, or a digital tag displayed on a smartphone.
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, tags are available at the Beach Tag Headquarters, 704 Beach Avenue, and at promenade kiosks located at Howard, Gurney, Madison, and Broadway.
They accept cash or check only.
Choose either a digital tag or physical tag pick-up. For digital tags, be prepared to show your phone at the beach entrance. Pick up physical tags at promenade kiosks located at Howard, Gurney, Madison, and Broadway.
The City of Cape May provides free beach tags to active military and veterans of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and New Jersey National Guard. Proper identification (military ID) must be presented.
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, tags are available at the Beach Tag Headquarters, 704 Beach Avenue, and promenade kiosks at Howard, Gurney, Madison Avenue, and Broadway.
Free to military personnel, spouse/civil union partner, and dependent children twelve (12) years of age and older. Qualifying Active Military personnel must be present at the time of request and must be picked up in person.
Free to any individual who has served and was released through Honorable Discharge with at least 90-days active duty or released from active duty by reason of a service-incurred injury or disability. These tags must be picked up in person.
Get in touch with the City of Cape May for assistance.
Free public restrooms are located every half-mile along the promenade in the summer.
Cape May has outdoor showers located at various beach entrances where you can wash off sand. If you need a full shower and change, you'll need to head back to your hotel. You won't find lockers along the beachfront, so keep your personal items with you or lock them in your car.
See our Beach Rentals page for info on how to rent beach cabanas, umbrellas, beach chairs, surf boards, beach carts, coolers, and beach storage boxes.
The signature blue cabanas and beach boxes belong to Steger Beach Service and are available for rent.
You'll also see cabanas affiliated with specific area resorts. Those are reserved for their guests.
A lot of people ask for the address of the beach so they can enter it into their GPS systems. If you navigate to 251 Beach Avenue, that will put you in front of Congress Hall, and you can’t miss the beach once you’re there!
There are no public swimming pools in Cape May. Many hotels and motels offer this amenity, so consider this accommodation choice if a pool is on your must-have list. If you need an indoor pool, the Grand Hotel and the Wilbraham Mansion B&B offer this amenity.
This state park is free to the public. It's an ideal location for birding, picnics, and nature walks. Explore ponds, coastal dunes, marshes, and forest habitat. The beach is home to endangered birds, so pets are not permitted on the beach from April 1–September 15. Cape May Point State Park is also home to the Cape May Lighthouse, which you can climb for a fee. Free on-site parking. You can also rent the 60-person group picnic area year-round. Contact the state for info.
Higbee Beach is a State Wildlife Management Area. Higbee is a great place to take your dog in the off-season and a great beach for birders.
Located at the end of Sunset Avenue, Sunset Beach is in Lower Township so you don't need a beach tag. Pets are permitted from September 16th to March 30th. Sit on the pebbly sand and comb for Cape May diamonds, but due to underwater hazards, you might want to pass on swimming. Sunset Beach is smoke free.
Sunset has free on-site parking, gift shops, food, mini golf, and is home to the SS Atlantus, an experimental concrete ship wrecked offshore.
Cape May Point's beaches run from the State Park (Lighthouse Avenue) up to and including the Alexander Avenue Jetty. These beaches are guarded by the Cape May Point Beach Patrol. Beach tags are required from the third Saturday in June through Labor Day. CMP beach tags are only good at Cape May Point beaches. They will not accept Cape May City beach tags for entrance (and vice versa, CMP beach tags won't get you onto a Cape May City beach).
Lower Township beaches include North Cape May, Villas, Cape May Beach, and Sunset Beach. They are open to the public year-round and are not guarded. Please be careful and don't swim alone. These beaches are on the Delaware Bay. Limited street parking is available.
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