Cape May is beloved by a lot of different people for a lot of different reasons: a great dining and bar scene, amazing architecture, lovely, unique lodging, a lively entertainment scene, and the occasional ghost or two. Somehow, Elaine’s manages to encapsulate all of these elements under one beautiful, centrally-located roof. You probably know it as Elaine’s Famous Dinner Theater – and that’s not just you, as it was rated one of the Top 5 dinner theaters in the nation by the Food Network – thanks to their spooktacular Haunted Restaurant and hilarious theater productions. Or maybe you’re familiar with their popular Ghost Tours, departing nightly on a stroll through town highlighting some of Cape May’s more supernatural spots. But now Elaine’s has expanded their offerings, and have opened their porch and the oh-so-cozy pub to the public. You can now enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner or some cool cocktails on their gracious, Southern-style porch all season long – with live steel drums, or acoustic music on most days. Their happy hours are rapidly becoming must-do events, with local musicians playing on the lawn. And of course, their hilarious dinner theater offerings are always an excellent, one-stop way to spend an evening. Oh, and theme weekends packages in their boutique hotel accommodations are always a hit, like the Murder Mystery and Ghost Investigations weekends. If you like those, you’ll lover the grape-stomping weekend they’ll be adding this fall. Follow them on Facebook and keep your eyes open for that one – like everything else at Elaine’s, it’s sure to be a hit.

The post Elaine’s Dinner Theatre appeared first on Cape May Today.

It’s been a long-standing tradition for Cape May to have a jazz festival, so when the previous incarnation went through a bit of a kerfuffle and it became clear it’d be no more, it was a great to see the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival step up to fill the void… and then some. Our photographer was on hand to snap some great photos at Carney’s Other Room for vocalist Sachal Vasandani‘s performance.

The post Exit 0 International Jazz Festival at Carney’s Other Room appeared first on Cape May Today.

The C-View is always a great place to while away a Sunday afternoon, but set up a tent in the parking lot, add some music, a ton of steamed crabs, and a bunch of people in silly hats and you can call it a party. Close the door on summer the C-View way with this annual event – it starts at noon and runs until 7-ish, or when they run out of crabs, whichever comes first. If crabs aren’t your thing, the full C-View menu is available outside – we’re partial to the corned beef sandwich. They’ll even have a TV outside for you diehard Eagles fans. Be there.

The post Crabapalooza at the C-View Inn appeared first on Cape May Today.

The post Photos from Oktoberfest on Jackson Street appeared first on Cape May Today.

It’s being billed as Ladies Night, but really – it’s just a great reason to get a jump-start on your holiday shopping (or finish it up if you’re one of those organized types). The West End Garage is already one of the best places to shop in town – throw in discounts of 10-20%, some food and drink, and lots of awesome items to be raffled, and it’s an event. Plus, the money raised from those raffles will go to Avery’s Angels, a childhood cancer charity which raises money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Ladies Night at The West End Garage is from 6-8pm, and yes – you can bring a guy.

The post Ladies’ Night at The West End Garage appeared first on Cape May Today.

The post Exit 0 International Jazz Festival Launch Party appeared first on Cape May Today.

Spending a leisurely afternoon eating and sipping wine doesn’t sound like a trail-blazing activity, but it is on the Cape May Wine Trail. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), it gets underway at noon today at the Emlen Physick Estate, where you’ll park your car for free and board the bus, which whisks you to Aleathea’s at the Inn of Cape May for lunch. After that, you’re off to visit two of the area’s finest wineries, Hawk Haven and Natali Vineyards, where you’ll learn how they produce your favorite vintages and then head to the tasting rooms for samples. The $60 cost includes lunch, the wine samples, and a complimentary wineglass. Visit www.capemaymac.org, or call 609-884-5404. Happy trails!

The post Cape May Wine Trail appeared first on Cape May Today.

The return of a jazz festival to the Cape May scene has been hotly anticipated, and you can find out all about it tonight at the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival Launch Party on the Congress Hall veranda. Free beer and wine are on tap, along with great food provided by the likes of Y.B. Eat Place, Mad Batter, Empanada Mama’s, and Louisa’s Chocolate Bar, among others. And, to whet your whistle for the Exit 0 Jazz Festival, there will also be live, New Orleans-style sound courtesy of the UCC Royal Brass Band. Find out about some of the stellar artists coming to Cape May for this world-class festival, the different ticket packages available, the venues and schedules, and learn about volunteering or sponsoring opportunities for the event. Snag an official Exit 0 Jazz Festival t-shirt while you’re there, and party attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to the festival. The Exit 0 Jazz Festival rolls into Cape May from November 9-11, and Cape May is ready. Tonight’s launch party at Congress Hall is a free event, and things get underway at 6pm.

The post Exit 0 International Jazz Festival Launch Party appeared first on Cape May Today.

It’s usually white wine with fish and red wine with dark meats (usually), but what if you’re a beer drinker ?Well, then you can enjoy an awesome four-course dinner tonight by Chef Tai Menz at Aleathea’s at the Inn of Cape May, while beer authority and award-winning writer Gary Monterosso walks you through the how and why which beers pair best with which foods. Monterosso’ first book, Artisan Beer, was published last December, and he has written for several regional and national publications. You may sit down to your delectable Aleathea’s dinner a novice, but you’ll stand up a pro, as Monterosso discusses the pairings of beer with appetizer to soup to entrée to dessert. The elegantly casual environment of Aleathea’s is the perfect environment to enjoy Chef Tai’s healthy, organic, locally-sourced offerings. The dinner is sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities (MAC) as part of its 16th Food and Wine Celebration this week. The cost for the dinner is $65, including gratuity, and it runs from 7-10pm. Seating is limited, so go to www.capemaymac.org to view the menu and selected beers and to purchase your ticket. Cheers!

The post Beer Tasting Dinner at Aleathea’s appeared first on Cape May Today.

If you’ll allow us a generalization, most women like to shop. And whether you’re a serious shopper or a browser (or you’re just looking – a window shopper, if you will) the Annual Mermaid Guild Bachelor Auction, being held tonight at The Rusty Nail from 5-8pm, has something to offer you. This event is simply so much fun – local bachelors of varying ages, shapes and sizes have been rounded up to be auctioned off to the highest bidder – along with the date-night activity or service offering of their choosing. Most importantly, the proceeds benefit the New Jersey Food Bank, Southern Division, which offers assistance to needy families right in our community. The Mermaid Guild, a collection of local women business owners, has collected tens of thousands of dollars for this worthy cause in the past few years, and they just have such a good time doing it. And not to worry if you’re not shopping for a man – there are also plenty of great silent auction prizes to be had – no shopping required. Tickets are $25 and available at the door.

The post Mermaid Guild Bachelor Auction appeared first on Cape May Today.