Cape May · New Jersey · United States · Atlantic Ocean

Cape May

Cape May’s beach day usually means the City of Cape May Atlantic bathing beaches from The Cove to Poverty Beach — Convention Hall and the Beach Tag Office on Beach Avenue — or Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, or Sunset Beach on the Delaware Bay side.

Cape May BeachHigbee BeachSunset Beach

Choose your stretch

  • Cape May Beach — City beaches / Convention Hall / Beach Tag Office · The Cove to Poverty Beach
  • Higbee Beach — Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area · swimming prohibited · no City tag
  • Sunset Beach — Lower Township / Delaware Bay side

Full stretch cards

Parking at a glance

City of Cape May beaches (Cape May Beach / The Cove to Poverty Beach): Beach tags ages 12+ Memorial Day weekend Sat May 23–Labor Day Sep 7, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. — $10 daily / $20 three-day / $25 weekly / $40 seasonal; children 11 and under free. The 2026 tag window ended Labor Day Sep 7. Beach Tag Office 704 Beach Avenue (next to Convention Hall); in-season booths at Broadway, Gurney, Howard & Madison Avenue.

City meters (follow the posted zone at the space): Green/Orange Beach Avenue-adjacent $2/hr 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Apr 1–Oct 31; Blue $2/hr 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Apr 1–Oct 31; Yellow $3/hr 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Apr 1–Dec 31; Red $2/hr 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Apr 1–Dec 31.

Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area: No City beach tag. Statewide WMA rules prohibit swimming. Closed 9 p.m.–5 a.m. unless lawful hunting, fishing, or trapping. Tuckahoe field station (609) 628-2103.

Cape May Point State Park (related official node): 303 County Hwy 629, Cape May, NJ 08204; open daily dawn to dusk; office 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; lighthouse admission $10 adults / $5 ages 3–12 / free under 3; phone (609) 884-2159.

City beach tags · City beaches · City meters · Higbee Beach WMA · WMA regulations · Cape May Lighthouse

Best stretches and who they’re for

Cape May Beach

City of Cape May Atlantic bathing beaches — official “ALL City Beaches” / Beach Patrol The Cove to Poverty Beach (~2.5 mi). Beach Tag Office 704 Beach Avenue, next to Convention Hall. Tags ages 12+ Memorial Day weekend Sat May 23–Labor Day Sep 7, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. ($10 / $20 / $25 / $40). The 2026 tag window ended Labor Day Sep 7. Dogs on the promenade and beach Sep 15–May 15, leash and waste device required.

Higbee Beach

Official Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife). No City beach tag. Swimming prohibited (statewide WMA rule). Closed 9 p.m.–5 a.m. unless lawful hunting, fishing, or trapping. Official WMA rules cover dog training Sep 1–Apr 30.

Sunset Beach

Lower Township / Delaware Bay side. Check the posted parking when you arrive.

Notes before you pack

  • Dogs: On City of Cape May beaches and the promenade, dogs are permitted only September 15 through May 15, on a leash, with a waste-disposal device (Code §158-9); public-place leash no longer than 6 feet, and no dogs on the Washington Street Mall. On Higbee Beach WMA, official rules cover dog training September 1–April 30. City Code Ch. 158 · WMA regulations.
  • Flags / surf: Prefer NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly / marine products and on-site lifeguard or posted warnings.
  • City of Cape May beaches (The Cove to Poverty Beach) are municipal bathing sand; Higbee Beach is a NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife WMA; Sunset Beach is in Lower Township; Cape May Point State Park is NJ DEP Parks (dawn–dusk; lighthouse $10 / $5).
  • Tide: NOAA CO-OPS 8536110 Cape May, NJ / Cape May Canal, Delaware Bay (primary). Alt city-ocean lat: 8535962 Cape May, Atlantic Ocean (Tide Predictions only).

FAQ

What is there to do near Cape May?

Near Cape May: dolphin and wildlife tours, sunset sails and cruises, and fishing charters. See Off the sand for tours and tickets.

Beach safety — who to trust