The stunning Congress Hall in Cape May

Those familiar with this blog page may know that my daughter and I take a birthday trip each Spring sometime after April 13th (the actual day of our birth). Last year, I wrote about Savannah, the year before it was about a stay-cation in the District and the year before that I believe I let the readers know about wonderful Winchester Virginia. This year the final destination was Cape May NJ just before the official start of summer.

To our credit, my favorite daughter and I make an excellent team when it comes to trip planning! We find places to go and things to do that always include extraordinary food and drink as well as giving us a chance to be the HAGs (History, Art and Gardens) we truly are. This trip with the final destination being Cape May was no exception.

We departed from DC on Friday morning taking the 2 hour trip to our first stop which was the Winterthur Museum and Gardens.  Since this blog is dedicated to food and drink, I shan’t spend too much time on the wonders of Winterthur but suffice it to say that this place is absolutely perfect for HAGS. The Enchanted Garden designed for children in mind was perfect for this old soul who has believed in fairies for decades. Please put this on your list if you’re anywhere near Chaddsford PA or Wilmington DE.  The Cafe which is located within the lovely Gift Shop is perfect for a light lunch and serves wine and beer if you need an afternoon nip.

DO NOT GO INTO A FAIRY RING! Winterthur

The next stop with more focus on “boozing” was the Chaddsford Winery. While I can’t say that I found the regular tasting particularly visitor focused, the wines themselves were a delight. I’d definitely wouldn’t mind attending one of the many festivals they have throughout the year when I’m back in the area. Another winery we really enjoyed was Penns Woods Winery. The gal who poured for us was so knowledgeable and friendly. The wine was good too.

Lodging that night was at the kinda quirky Brandywine River Hotel. Since this was our annual birthday trip I spared no expense at this place by reserving a deluxe room complete with a whirlpool tub and gas fireplace. Little did I know when making our reservation that the night we stayed would be the hottest day of the year thus far tipping the thermometer at 90 degrees! Not to be deterred, my girl promptly opened the large windows in the morning after it cooled down significantly so we could enjoy the fireplace before checking out. The BR Hotel includes tea and cookies in the afternoon and a continental breakfast in the morning which makes it perfectly lovely for the price paid.

Tasty wine is at Chaddsford Winery

While spending the night at the BRH, we had dinner at the adjacent restaurant, Brandywine Prime. While billed as your typical steakhouse, I found the emphasis on local produce and appealing ambiance very nice not to mention that the beef was delicious.

After enjoying our cozy fire upon waking and eating a bit of breakfast, we checked out and headed to Cape May but not before going to the extremely fine Brandywine River Museum of Art. I am soooooo glad we didn’t pass this place up! This extremely attractive museum features the art of the Wyeth family on three wonderful floors. I learned so much…those Wyeths were/are quite the talented bunch. If you’re a bit of a HAG, make sure to put this stop on your list.

Even the lobby areas in the Brandywine River Museum are lovely

Now on to the main event, Congress Hall in Cape May for a “Presidential Cocktail” weekend! Yes, you read right, our stay at the glorious Congress Hall was booked featuring the cocktails of the Presidents. I’m not sure the package is even available during the peak of summer but for us it added just a smidgen of whimsy to our stay, perfect for two HAGs also obsessed with eating and boozing. Upon check-in we received our package perks that included coupons for 2 Presidential cocktails in the stunning Brown Room and a hardcover edition of the funny yet fact filled book “Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt”

Elderflower Cocktail

This book is so entertaining.

We had several outstanding meals during our stay but I’ll highlight just three:

Dinner at the The Red Store in Cape May Point is a must-do in my book. The establishment is BYOB, accepts cash only and the best part is that there is NO menu. Our food was expertly prepared and came in 6 or 7 courses. The attentive wait staff asks up front if there’s anything you can’t eat so they can adjust your meal accordingly (I, for instance, don’t eat oysters so I got “stuck” with a fabulous avocado ceviche instead). Dinner is served in 3 separate seatings which made the experience more enjoyable because everyone in the room (only about 20 people) were at the same place in their meal. If you like fresh, well prepared food and are a tad adventurous try this treat.

Dinner at The Ebbitt Room at The Virginia (a sister hotel to Congress Hall) was very good and is a short walk from Congress Hall. Produce there often comes from Beach Plum Farm which is associated with the Cape May Resorts group. Cocktails on the Veranda or in the small parlor is especially nice.

If your at the beach around Congress Hall have lunch at George’s Place. The Gyro and Spinach Salad I had was outstanding. I imagine dinner would be delicious as well but be warned this is another BYOB, cash-only establishment.

Delicious!

Cape May is lovely and staying at Congress Hall made our stay perfect. The charm that that CH holds is intoxicating (as well as the handcrafted cocktails!). Just sitting in lobby area with it’s grand fireplace sipping on a perfectly made Dirty Martini was a real treat. The live music coming from the Brown Room was sublime (especially Saturday night with Darin MacDonald). I can’t wait to go back and this time I might bring the old Coach with me!

The hall at Congress Hall 

“It was the most delightful wine when drank in moderation, but that more than a few glasses always produced a headache the next day.”
— James Madison on Champagne