(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Share a special holiday tradition with friends and family on a festive tour of Victorian Cape May during Christmas Candlelight House Tours, presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Every year since 1974, a large selection of Victorian inns, homes, churches and hotels open their doors and welcome visitors to share the warmth and hospitality of the season during these popular, self-guided, walking tours.

You will be welcomed inside with holiday hospitality and cheer. Enjoy Christmas carols by candlelight, strolling musicians along the historic streets of Cape May and beautiful holiday decorations. Walk from site to site, stopping at hospitality centers for warm beverages and holiday treats during your travels. Free heated shuttles make limited stops along some routes.

The first of three Christmas Candlelight House Tours of the season is Saturday, December 7 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. Choose from featured properties on Saturday, Dec. 7, including:

Angel of the Sea, 5 Trenton Ave; Beauclaire’s B&B Inn, 23 Ocean St.; The Bedford Inn, 805 Stockton Ave.; The Blue Heron, 1102 Lafayette St.; Cape Island Baptist Church, Columbia Avenue and Gurney Street (restrooms only); Casablanca, 709 Columbia Ave.; Cavalier Cottage, 1109 Washington St.; The Colonial House Museum, 653 ½ Washington St.; The Dormer House, 800 Columbia Ave.; Franklin’s Key, 313 Franklin St.; George Ogden House, 737 Washington St.; The Harrison, 613 Columbia Ave.; The Henry Sawyer Inn, 722 Columbia Ave.; The Hotel Macomber; 727 Beach Ave.; John F. Craig House, 609 Columbia Ave. (Christmas decorations by Carole Roache Design); The Mainstay Inn, 635 Columbia Ave.; The Mason Cottage, 623 Columbia Ave.; The Mission Inn, 1117 New Jersey Ave.; Pharos at The Harrison, 617 Columbia Ave.; and The Physick House Museum and Carriage House, 1048 Washington St.

Two conveniently located hospitality centers, the Carriage House at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and Episcopal Church of the Advent, 612 Franklin St., will be open Saturday, Dec. 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., allowing visitors to enjoy warm beverages and traditional holiday treats.

Christmas Candlelight House Tours include admission to Cape May’s authentically decorated Victorian house museum at the Emlen Physick Estate, the Physick House Museum, 1048 Washington St., and the exhibit “An Old-Fashioned Christmas: Holiday Traditions through the Years” in the Carroll Gallery in the Carriage House located on the grounds of the Physick Estate. The exhibit’s main attraction is a display featuring a Dept. 56 Dickens Village, model trains and vintage Christmas memorabilia, all beneath the boughs of a giant Christmas tree. While there, letters to Santa can be deposited for mailing to the North Pole.

Admission to Christmas Candlelight House Tours is $40 for adults and $20 for children (ages 3 to 12). The tour is limited; it is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased online by visiting www.capemaymac.org or reserved in advance by calling 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278.

Any remaining tickets on the day of the tour may be purchased at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth, Washington and Ocean Streets.

Properties on the tour are subject to change.

The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org. For information about restaurants, accommodations and shopping, call the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May at 609-884-5508 or visit www.capemaychamber.com. For information about historic accommodations, contact Cape May Historic Accommodations at www.capemaylodging.com.

Photo by Susan Krysiak/Courtesy of MAC