LINE IN THE SAND: SEGREGATED BEACHES
IN CAPE MAY AND ATLANTIC CITY
Selected Hours: January 13, 2024 – March 25, 2024
Prior to the 1960s civil rights era, Black people were limited to recreation on certain beaches based on the color of their skin. Beaches had been racially segregated at resorts like Cape May and Atlantic City for decades through the 1950s, with boundaries that sometimes moved from season to season, but which were clear, even when they weren’t publicly advertised. See Grant Street Beach in Cape May through historic photos from West Cape May families and original artwork by Cape May County artist Chanelle René, and Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City through historic photos from the Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, and learn how people of color enjoyed their time at these beaches, despite the harsh racial divide.
EMLEN PHYSICK ESTATE TOUR
Take a guided tour of the first and second floors of the 1879 Physick House Museum, for an in-depth look at Victorian architecture and the period, reflecting one Victorian family’s lifestyle, and detailing the way the Physick family and their household lived, worked and spent their leisure time. Built in 1879, the 18-room mansion is an architectural wonder designed by famed American architect Frank Furness and is one of the best examples of Victorian Stick Style architecture in the country.
2024 CAPE MAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
This year’s 35th annual Cape May Music Festival, presented by Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture), features 15 classical, chamber, jazz, indie-pop and brass band musical performances, some free to attend, from May 26-June 23. Evening concerts are scheduled this year on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
GARDENS OF CAPE MAY TOUR
Here is your invitation to explore Cape May’s unique natural areas and the private plants, blooms and landscape designs of area gardeners. See both public and private gardens and take home ideas for your own garden. Smell and see what’s blooming and flourishing in several different seashore locations dominated by sunlight, ocean breezes, and sand and salt, each uniquely situated. Cape May’s Emlen Physick Estate gardens are included, the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate will host nature and garden-themed local vendors, plus a complimentary wine tasting by Cape May Winery.
Learn More
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture), as a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation and cultural enrichment of the greater Cape May region for its residents and visitors, proudly joins the chorus of voices decrying racism, prejudice, discrimination and injustice, in all its forms, in every corner of our nation. As the steward of three historic sites and the storyteller of more than 200 years of area history, Cape May MAC is well aware that, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” We will continue to strive to serve a broad and diverse community, to illuminate all the threads with which the fabric of history is written, seek out all voices, and include and encourage full participation.