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Edition 8, Volume 3
April 15, 2008
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Welcome to our Newsletter...
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Well, hello there! How are you? Are you already for fun? Those summer days aren’t far off now, and this promises to be a great vacation season. With April half gone, the days are warming, everything is growing, and we’ll all be on the beach as soon as possible!
Given the price of energy these days, a Great Vacation at the New Jersey shore makes even more sense this year for folks who would prefer to spend their money on all the fun that’s nearby and not too far from home.
With a simple click of your mouse you can check out all the things in this issue, including accommodations, activities and attractions, dining, shopping, real estate, the town calendars, things to do, featured businesses and more. Share this newsletter with everyone you know, and send it on to people you don’t know, as well. It is FREE, of course, and a great source of vacation planning information for everyone.
Check out www.GreatVacationGuide.com for all sorts of additional information, including all the previous archived issues of this newsletter. You can also log onto www.GreatVacationShoreRentals.com for more information about accommodations, and you’ll also find information about every shore and bay town in the state of New Jersey under the town names on the www.GreatVacationGuide.com website as you scroll below the home page.
(Example: www.GreatVacationOceanCitynj.com or www.GreatVacationCapeMaynj.com or www.GreatVacationWildwoodnj.com etc.
When it comes to vacations, we’ve got you covered! So, have your very own Great Vacation this year! Memorial Day isn’t far away…thank goodness!
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Sincerely,
The Staff at Great Vacation / Successful Seasons Inc.
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Wow! Check Out This New Feature!
All right…you’ve found your way to GreatVacationGuide.com
Now, click on the word “Search”
Yes! That’s right…we just made finding things really easy by county and region.
See the map? See the counties? See the county names? Let your mouse take you where you want to go…by region or county, and quickly navigate the Great Vacation sites to find exactly what you’re seeking…lodging, dining, and much, much more.
The best vacations ever in the Garden State are merely a mouse click away!
Great Vacation: we’re becoming more User Friendly everyday, because we are your
Direct Connection to the good times!
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Are you searching for your weekly vacation rental property?
Great Vacation News! We’ve changed the world for vacation property owners and vacationers.
Our service is called: GreatVacationShoreRentals.com - and it provides all you need to find the perfect vacation rentals! How is it different from other listing services? It’s very different, but you’ll need to log on now to discover what makes us unique. Log on now and learn why we refer to ourselves as”…your Direct Connection.” Our sister site GreatVacationGuide.com provides you all of the tools you’ll need to plan every detail of your next Great Vacation!
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2008 Photo Contest
Please join our Photo Contest for 2008! Send us copies of your favorite photos from “…down the shore.” Include your name, address and phone number so we can properly identify your photo if it’s featured. We’re running a special contest featuring photos that are shown in the newsletter during the year, and the best photos chosen by Great Vacation newsletter readers will be in the final competition. Winners will receive wonderful prizes, and the best photos will appear in the newsletter, and also in 2009 Great Vacation in-room guides!
Send all photos here info@greatvacationguide.com
All photos must be no larger than 640 pixels wide and 72 dpi ( formats can be .jpg - . jpeg - .gif )
All photos submitted and/or used become the property of Successful Seasons and Great Vacation enterprises. Proper credit/acknowledgement will be given to those who have taken the photos.
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MAKE A WISH
The 2008 Cape May Lewes Ferry Make-A-Wish Weekend in Cape May County presents Garden State Dredging Celebrity Bartender’s Night @ Menz Restaurant featuring a live band and LOTS of prizes! Thursday, May 1st. Doors open at 5PM. Live & silent auctions. Tickets $10 (available at the door); Cape May Par 3 Golf Outing Friday, May 2nd with NOON & 4 PM starts, 5 person scramble.
Call Rick at 609/889-2600 or Cindy at 609/861-3080 for tickets or to make a donation.
All proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Children in Cape May County. www.wishweekend.com |
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Cape May Stage Celebrates 20 Years of Theatre
"Twenty consecutive years producing glorious theatre in Cape May.... two decades of amazing artists coming to Cape May to grace our stage and entertain our audiences", notes Cape May Stage Marketing Director, Alicia Grasso. "It's been quite a ride and the best is yet to come - our very special 20th anniversary season, which kicks off May 22."
Executive Director Joe Pannullo pitches in, "By the end of this season, Cape May Stage will have produced one hundred and twenty one plays, almost three thousand performances right here in Cape May, and will have played to over one hundred and twenty THOUSAND audience members. That's quite a remarkable record for the Equity regional theatre company that Michael Laird founded back in 1988."
Artists from Cape May Stage have gone on to Broadway and Hollywood and original scripts that were created here have gone on to productions across the country and around the world. Many of Cape May Stage’s premier actors and directors will return to the theatre this season to appear in several of the scheduled productions.
Artistic Director Michael Carleton adds, "In addition to the special events and features throughout the season to commemorate this milestone, audiences will continue to experience the diverse and engaging programming they have come to expect from Cape May Stage — stories that entertain, challenge, and provoke." Carleton continues, "And, this season audience members will finally get to enjoy our productions in comfortable stadium-style seats that we installed this month in the newly restored interior of our Robert Shackleton Playhouse."
Our thrilling 20th season opens with an immensely entertaining one-man tour-de-force, followed by a classic Noel Coward romantic comedy, a Pulitzer Prize winning drama, a perfect ‘World Series’ theatre treat, a smoky, jazzy story about a legendary blues singer, and a tender homage to one of the greatest holiday films of all time. Join the Cape May Stage family as a Season Ticket Holder so you don’t miss a moment! The 2008 schedule is as follows:
“Fully Committed” by Becky Mode...May 21- June 28
“Private Lives” by Noel Coward...July 2- August 16
“Doubt” by John Patrick Shanley...August 20- September 27
“Rounding Third” by Richard Dresser...October 1- November 1
“Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill” by Lanie Robertson...November 5- November 22
“This Wonderful Life” by Steve Murray, Conceived by Mark Setlock...November 28- December 21st
Be a part of an ever-growing audience of season subscribers who enjoys professional productions at a 33% savings off the regular ticket prices. In 2008 at Cape May Stage you will experience intimate performances in one of our new 110 stadium-style seats, and a variety of productions — all of the highest quality.
Why not get in on the act? Season Subscriptions are on sale at $140 for the six Main Stage productions presented from May through December at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse in downtown Cape May. Subscriptions can be purchased three ways: call the theatre office at (609) 884-1341 (click here)
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East Lynne Theater Company
Get East Lynne Theater Company's 2008 Season Tickets now. One size fits all and the recipient can choose what days to attend – and even bring friends! Purchase between now and July 1, and the price is $75 for 5 tickets, a considerable savings. 2008 ticket prices are $25 for general admission; $20 for senior citizens; and $10 for full-time students.
For 2008 Season Tickets, mail a check to the office at 121 Fourth Ave., West Cape May, NJ 08204, and tickets will be mailed to you. For information and reservations, call East Lynne at 609-884-5898 or (click here) for information.
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NJ's Tall Ship AJ MEERWALD
is coming to a port near you!
Take a sail on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Camden, or Burlington
Bivalve, NJ - The AJ MEERWALD began her 2008 sail season by traveling from her home port in Bivalve, NJ up the Delaware River to Philadelphia, Camden and Burlington during the month of April.
The next public sail opportunity is on Friday, April 18th. Passengers can join the MEERWALD for a Transit Adventure from Philadelphia to Burlington, NJ for the annual "Oyster's Overboard" event on Burlington's Riverfront Promenade. This is a one-way trip, but light rail back to Philadelphia is available in Burlington.
"Oyster's Overboard", sponsored by the Greater Burlington Chamber of Commerce, costs $30 in advance or $35 at the door. From 5:30 to 7:30pm a steel drum trio will provide entertainment while guests enjoy appetizers, desserts, beer & wine, and of course, oysters! The MEERWALD will be open at dockside for deck tours. This evening of entertainment and refreshments on the waterfront is frequently a sellout. Advance tickets for "Oyster's Overboard" can be purchased around Burlington or by calling 609-387-7265.
MEERWALD stays in Burlington for the next week and there are opportunities to sail on April 19, 20 & 26, including the popular Pirate Sail on Saturday afternoon! Sails depart from the riverfront dock near the Oneida Boat Club where York Street meets the river. On Monday April 21 there will be a free open house on board from 5:00 to 7:00pm for those who want to visit the ship at the dock.
Finally, for adventurous spirits, there is another Transit Adventure on Sunday April 27th. This will be a 14-16 hour sail from Burlington to our home port of Bivalve, NJ. The MEERWALD will depart the Burlington dock at 7:00am, sail down the Delaware River and into the Delaware Bay, and arrive in Bivalve well after dark. This trip offers a unique rivers-eye view of the Delaware Valley, from city-scapes and bridges to historic forts and lighthouses. It should be wonderful trip for photography buffs, bird-watchers, or anyone wanting to live the life of a Tall Ship Sailor for a day.
Tickets may be purchased at the boat if space is available, but advance reservations are highly recommended. Call 856-785-2060. For more information visit the Bayshore Discovery Project (click here), or e-mail info@bayshorediscovery.org. |
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Great Vacation Things To Do
Avalon
April 2008
19...Cape May County Little League Opening Day: 9 a.m. at Recreation Fields
19...Dune Grass Planting: 9:00 a.m.
26...Performing Arts Spring Show – Irish Night
May 2008
9...Chamber Wine Tasting
10...Town wide yard sale: Information: 609-967-3936
10...Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary Plant Sale: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
10...Fire Company Hoagie Sale: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
15...Garden Club Fashion Show & Card Party: Golden Inn – 12 Noon
Cape May
April 2008
18,25...Mommy & Me Children’s Program – Nature Center of Cape May: 10:30 a.m. 609-898-8848
18–20...Cape May Jazz Festival: 609-884-7200
19...Earth Day Clean-Up Workshop: Nature Center of Cape May: 609-898-8848
19...Kids Can Grow Crazy Container Gardens: Nature Center of Cape May: 609-898-8848
26...Awakening the Garden: Prepping the garden for spring: Nature Center of Cape May: 609-898-8848
26...Tanks-Up: Saltwater aquarium set-up workshop: Nature Center of Cape May: 609-898-8848
26–27...Spring Home Décor & Garden Show: Convention Hall: 609-884-5508
26-27...Secret Garden Tours: 609-884-5508
30...Beauty of the Wing: Gardening for butterflies and hummingbirds: Nature Center of Cape May: 609-898-8848
May 2008
3,10,24,31...Mommy & Me Children’s Program: Nature Center of Cape May: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 609-898-8848
3 - 4...Secret Garden Tours: 609-884-5508
3,10,24,31...Harbor Safaris: Nature Center of Cape May – 609-898-8848
7,14,21,28...Cape Island Eco Tour: Nature Center of Cape May – 609-898-8848
10...Twenty-fifth Annual World Series of Birding: 609-884-2736
15 – 18...Spring Sidewalk Sale: Washington Street Mall & Square
Ocean City
April 2008
19...Second Annual End-to-End Family Bike Tour: Registration – 7:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. at 59th Street Lifeguard Station north ending at Longport Bridge
190...Citywide Yard Sale: Ocean City Tabernacle Grounds – Fifth & Wesley Avenue, 8:00 a.m. – Noon:
Information: 609-398-4662
19–20...Boardwalk and Downtown Merchants Table Sales (No vendors). Sixth to Fourteenth Streets on the Boardwalk, and Asbury Avenue: Information: 609-398-4662
20...Earth Day Celebration: Bayside Center, 520 Bay Avenue. Noon to 4 p.m. Children’s activities and more. Information: 609-525-9285
26...Doo Dah Parade – a comedy parade featuring over 500 basset hounds. Begins at noon On Asbury Avenue from Sixth Street to Twelfth Street, then onto the boardwalk ending at The Music Pier. Information: 609-525-9300
26...Choral Festival: Ocean City Tabernacle. Hear 150 voices from area choirs. Information: www.octabernacle.org
27...March for Babies (March of Dimes): Five mile walk begins at 8:00 a.m. in front of the Music Pier, Moorlyn terrace and the boardwalk. Information: 856-667-2220
May 2008
1...Switchfoot in Concert with special guest “Athlete.” 6:00 p.m. at the Music Pier: Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace. Information: www.fcasurf.org
1...Martin Z. Mollusk Day – 11:00 a.m. at the Ninth Street beach. 609-525-9300
2,4,6...Boardwalk & Downtown Merchant Table Sales (No vendors). On the Boardwalk and Asbury Avenue. 609-398-4662
3...Spring Block Party – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fifth – Fourteenth Streets on Asbury Avenue. Over 350 crafters, food vendors, music and more. 609-525-9300 or 609-399-2269
4...Walk MS 2008. Ocean City boardwalk: Walk For The Cure. 1-800-883-9255.
5...City of Ocean City Vehicle Auction: 10 a.m. at the Abandoned Vehicle Compound, Shelter Road off Tennessee Avenue. Call 609-525-9356 for details.
10...Cystic Fibrosis 10K Walk. Register at 10 a.m. at the Music Pier. Four mile walk begins at 11 a.m.
Information: 1-800-378-8423 or www.cff.org
10–11...Mother’s Day Weekend: Information: 609-398-4662
11...Ocean City Barons Soccer. 7:30 pm. at Carey Stadium. Come celebrate their 12th season! Information: 609-525-9999
Sea Isle City
April 2008
21,28...Pre-school Story Time at the Sea Isle City Library
18...Chamber of Commerce Art Auction. Location: Sea Isle City Yacht Club. Preview at 7:00 p.m., auction at 8:00 p.m. Advanced admission: $12.00; $15.00 at the door. For tickets and information: 609-263-9090
May 2008
2...Aromatherapy Lecture: Sea Isle City Public Library. 2:00 p.m. Valid library card required. Information: 609-263-8485
10...DVSA Surf Fishing Tournament, Marina Building, 346 Forty-second Place. Registration: 5:30 a.m.
Fishing: 7:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Stone Harbor
April 2008
Nothing to report at this time.
May 2008
3–4...Boat Show and Seafood Festival Weekend: Ninety-sixth Street. May 3 from 10 to 5, and May 4 from 10 to 4.
The Wildwoods
April 2008
18...Cape Assist Peer Leadership Conference: Wildwoods Convention Center meeting rooms. Information: 609-522-5960.
19...Fourth Annual Postcard Show & Open House: George F. Boyer Museum, 3907 Pacific Avenue, Wildwood. Free admission: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Information: 609-523-0277.
19...NWA Professional Wrestling Showcase: Wildwoods Convention Center: Information: www.nwawrestling.com
23...Business at the Beach Expo. Networking Event: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Wildwoods Convention Center Starlight Ballroom. Information: 609-465-7181 or www.capemaychamber.com
25,26.27...Sensational 60’s Weekend: Friday: Sensational 60’s Record Hop – Jerry Blavat – Wildwoods Convention Center –7 – 11 p.m. Saturday: Free street fair: Fox Park opposite Convention Center: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Live entertainment, food, vendors, classic car show. Sensational 60’s Concert: 7 p.m. at the Convention Center. Sunday: Motown & the 60’s: Second and Olde New Jersey Avenue, North Wildwood – noon to 3:00 p.m. Information: 609-729-4000.
May 2008
1–4...Tournament of Bands Weekend: Wildwoods Convention Center and Middle Township High School.
Tickets: 856-935-4940
3...Sixteenth Annual Surf Fishing Tournament. Register 5:30 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. at Anglesea Firehouse. Tournament to be held of Wildwood Crest beaches.
8–11...Sixteenth annual East Coast Boardwalk National Car Show on the boardwalk and at the Wildwoods Convention Center. Information: 609-523-8051 or www.Thundermoto.com
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| Featured Businesses |
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Aleathea’s
Aleathea’s, in the extraordinarily lovely Inn of Cape May, brings dining to a pinnacle of perfection with their Victorian Parlour or Front Porch settings (in-season), making your dining experience wonderful with their gourmet menu selections, extensive wine list and wide range of imported beers from around the world in their full bar.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner become what they were meant to be at Aleathea’s, as patrons enjoy the beautiful ocean views, period furniture, antiques, and the atmosphere of an era when service and attention to detail were paramount, and the comfort and satisfaction of guests was the number one goal.
Open March through December, Aleathea’s is the restaurant in lovely, historic Victorian Cape May where dining is superb in every season of the year, and the relaxed pace is designed to help you fully enjoy your meal, whether you’re starting your day of fun, or winding down from a full day of the sights and sounds you enjoyed throughout your day in Cape May. For more details: (click here)
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Atlas Inn
This is the place for you to stay in lovely Cape May! You’ve arrived at Cape May’s friendliest oceanfront hotel – with spacious deluxe rooms and suites with seaside balconies or sundeck, and very well-equipped efficiency suites with microwave ovens, among many other amenities.
The Atlas Inn offers you a sparkling oceanfront swimming pool, only steps away from the fantastic beach and ocean, plus their on-site tropical seaside restaurant and the fast-becoming-famous Bloody Mary’s Bar & Grill! Plus, the Atlas Inn brings new meaning to the word “Free!”
How about…?
· Free breakfast-by-the-sea.
· Free on-site parking.
· Free wireless Internet.
· Free local and toll-free calling.
· Free HBO.
· Free daily newspaper.
· Free ice.
You’ll also enjoy the Atlas Inn exercise room, on-site laundromat, poolside barbecue grills (in season), and much, much more. Atlas Inn is smoke-free, handicapped accessible, and they have some very special packages available this year:
You’ll enjoy…
· The Midweek Escape Package (May 4 – June 19; Sept. 3 – Nov. 6).
· The Gotta Getaway Seaside Weekend Package (same dates as above).
· The Seaside Memorial Weekend Package.
· The Deluxe Weekend Package for the Cape May Jazz Festival (November)
· The Seaside Victorian Weekend Package (October).
Packages are in addition to all the on-going fun of the summer season in beautiful, historic Victorian Cape May, New Jersey. For complete Atlas Inn details: (click here)
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Angel of the Sea
It began in 1850 as a summer “cottage”…a single-family home at the corner of Franklin and Washington Streets in Cape May. The Angel of the Sea has witnessed a rich history of events, different owners, the ebb and flow of commerce, storms, and even being moved to its present location and becoming not one building, but two.
Now, the Angel of the Sea is Victorian Cape May’s most elegant bed & breakfast inn, and just half a block from the beach and the ocean in the quiet East end of town. Consisting of two Victorian buildings sitting side-by-side at 5 Trenton Avenue in America’s only National Historic Landmark City, your stay at the Angel of the Sea is doubly enhanced by being mere steps away from the beach and the ocean, and by its extraordinary atmosphere and reputation for unmatched service to guests.
Voted “Best Victorian Building,” “Best Bed and Breakfast,” and having the “Best Service!” …and receiving awards and accolades from patrons through the years, your stay at the Angel of the Sea is made even more marvelous by its porches and balconies overlooking the beach and the sea, and by its easy access to great shopping, dining at wonderful Cape May restaurants, the availability of many fun and interesting local tours, and a virtual host of special events, leisure activities and area attractions.
Angel of the Sea is open year round, and whether you stay with them in spring, summer, fall or winter you’ll want to return again and again – perhaps in every season of the year.
Today, the Angel of the Sea beckons vacationers and travelers to come and stay in their lovely guest rooms, and to breathe the air of a time when Victoriana was supreme, and courtesy, exact attention to detail, and a pleasant “Welcome!” was the way of hospitality – and of life itself. For even more information: (click here)
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Pier House Restaurant and Wine Bar
Many good things in life have a beginning, middle and an end. This is true of good movies, good books, and a truly good restaurant.
At the Pier House Restaurant and Wine Bar in Victorian Cape they begin with breakfast – from 8:00 a.m. until noon – continue with lunch – from noon until 2:30 pm., and end with dinner – from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
While the hours may be compared favorably with the hours that others may keep, what makes breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Pier House so extraordinary is a brotherly thing: specifically – the Brothers Mallous: George and Argerious.
George Mallous, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), with campuses in Hyde Park, New York and St. Helena, California in the wonderful Napa Valley region, serves as your host, and Argerious Mallous, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, serves as your chef. Because of their culinary training and experience, the upscale dining experience at the Pier House Restaurant and Wine Bar ranks among the finest in Cape May and throughout the region.
With beautiful ocean views, a menu that is simply marvelous, outstanding service, and a casual-to-dressy atmosphere, the Pier House is the perfect place for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Victorian Cape May. The Pier House Restaurant and Wine Bar is also perfect for parties, special events and corporate functions.
The Pier House is open year round. For more information: (click here)
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