The only thing that beats Cape May Brewing Co.’s awesome can labels is the beer inside them. With so many varieties to choose from (including seltzers!), visiting the brewery for a tasting flight or 2 is definitely the way to go. But if you want to grab a few 6-packs for the weekend, I highly recommend the Cape May IPA.

Want to match your outfit to a pastel Victorian-era home? Searching for a mural to brighten up your feed? Cape May has so many picture-perfect spots – from vintage structures to unbelievable sunsets – you’ll have to plan multiple trips to capture all of them.

I’ve been going down the Shore with my boyfriend’s family every summer since we started dating 8 years ago, and their trip is never complete without a dinner at Spiagetta. I spend all year dreaming of the rich sauces and handmade pasta made fresh by their Italian Nonna every day. This yearly dinner might be the main reason why I’m still in this relationship, which is saying something because John’s also pretty great.

Nothing could have warned us that ordering 2 “regular” sandwiches at this Atlantic City staple would mean being handed a wrapped-up hoagie the length of our entire arm. We were almost upset with how much food we ordered, but one bite into their famous cheesesteak and turkey hoagie made us confident we could finish them both. (Just maybe not in one sitting.)

I get it – people love the ocean – but have you ever had happy hour as the sun sets over the bay?! The Reeds’ bayside makes me feel much fancier than I am as I sip on a martini on the water, and I’m not rushing off to the beach when I can drink my morning coffee while I look out over the water in a fluffy robe.

If there was ever a way to round out a day spent sitting on the beach and exploring shore towns, it’s with a seafood tower. With a 2-tiered tray of Cape May salt oysters, clams, shrimp, crabmeat cocktail and a poached whole lobster, we were the envy of the patio..

When my family stays down the Shore, we always get these sticky buns on the first morning – and we get enough to last all week. You can get them with raisins or nuts, but our family goes for all raisins. At this point, it’s a Shore tradition.

The Kismet Bagel stands at Margate and Ventnor’s Farmers’ Markets are so popular that there are lines starting to form before they’re even set up. (And I know that because I started some of those lines to grab a black ’n white sesame bagel with spicy everything schmear.) The owners started baking bagels for fun during the pandemic and have turned it into a fulltime gig with pop-ups all around SJ, and I’m all about supporting a quarantine dream.

My dog, Thatcher, is certainly not a summer pup, so I always grab him a tasty treat to make up for leaving him home alone in the air conditioning while I go lay on the beach. Salty Paws has trays and trays of the cutest dog treats you’ve ever seen, and pups who like the summer heat can cool off with a big dog-friendly ice cream cone.

If you catch us down the shore and we aren’t on the beach, you bet you can find us with a glass of wine in hand. As aspiring wine connoisseurs (and by that we mean venturing out of the boxed-wine phase of our lives), this is the perfect place to try different types of wines while basking in the sun in a beautiful vineyard. Cheers to that.