The main stairway inside the 1879 Physick House at the Emlen Physick Estate. Photo courtesy of Cape May MAC
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Step into a town where history lingers, and not just in the architecture. Welcome to Cape May, one of America's most haunted seaside destinations, where the past is very much alive. With its grand Victorian homes and eerie charm, it's no surprise the spirits here have decided to stay. Are you brave enough to meet them?
Experience the original ghost tours curated by and presented by Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture), including Ghosts of Cape May Trolley Tour; Historic Haunts House Tour; Historic Haunts Combo Tour; Voices from Beyond House Tour; Cherry House Haunting Tales Tour; Strange Victorian Obsessions House Tour; Spirits & Oddities Trolley Tour; Spirits, Oddities & Obsessions Combo Tour; along with other spooky activities such as a Channeling Dinner with Psychic Medium Craig McManus, Clueless at the Physick Estate, a Ghost Walk with Craig McManus and more! Some tours, activities and events sell out quickly and admissions are limited.
Tour tickets may be purchased in advance by phone at 609-884-5404, online at capemaymac.org or in person by visiting Hill House Visitor Service Center or Carriage House Visitor Service Center, both at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., or the Washington Street Mall Information Booth at Washington Street at Ocean Street. Cape May MAC is committed to making its programs accessible to as many individuals as possible.
GHOSTS OF CAPE MAY TROLLEY TOUR - What was that shadow? Was it the undead of Cape May’s past wandering their beloved haunts? You might scoff, you might shudder, but rest assured: on board a trolley with an experienced guide you will begin to wonder what’s beyond when you hear the tales of hauntings unearthed in Cape May by renowned psychic medium and author Craig McManus. Begins and ends at the Ocean Street trolley stop.
VOICES FROM BEYOND HOUSE TOUR - Don’t miss the best ghost tour in Cape May — the only one to share actual recorded audio and visual phenomena of unexplained presences at Cape May’s very own “haunted house,” the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate. Cape May MAC staff have nurtured relationships with the home’s spirit residents for years, using paranormal research equipment to capture dozens of recordings. In the Voices from Beyond House Tour, learn about the history and tools of paranormal research. Hear and see astonishing electronic voice phenomena (EVPs) and photographs of ghostly presences inside the renowned Physick House. You will be forced to reassess the line between the living and the dead.
STRANGE VICTORIAN OBSESSIONS HOUSE TOUR - Victorians were fascinated with mystery and illusion and this tour through first floor rooms in the 1879 Physick House Museum shares that fascination. Learn about the famous Harry Houdini who captivated Victorian audiences with his intricate escapes, the Goddess of Mystery, Ionia, a Belgian beauty who Victorians worshipped for her spectacles of magic, The Great Lafayette, who became known as the world’s greatest magician, and Pepper’s Ghost, an illusion still used today, with Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper and more.
HISTORIC HAUNTS HOUSE TOUR - Tour select rooms with your guide and learn about Victorian Spiritualism in Cape May’s only Victorian house museum, the 1879 Physick House, widely reputed to be haunted. Guides will compare the methods of spirit contact used by the Victorians with those of today’s paranormal investigators. Select rooms on both floors are included in the tour.
CLUELESS AT THE PHYSICK ESTATE - When the guest of honor at the birthday party is found dead, everyone is suspect. Was it the daughter, the business partner, the maid or…??? Hear their stories and accusations and see if you can guess “whodunit” in the interactive murder mystery at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., as this original mystery unfolds from room to room. Don’t miss this chance to challenge your imagination and deduction skills in a one-of-a-kind historic Cape May setting. Accessible with advance notice.
HISTORIC HAUNTS COMBO TOUR - Take an evening trolley ride through the Historic District and hear stories of haunted Cape May. Step off the trolley at the Physick House Museum with your guide and see Cape May’s only Victorian house museum, reputed to be haunted, as you learn about Victorian Spiritualism. This tour combines a Ghosts of Cape May trolley tour with a visit to the Physick House. In the museum, guides will compare the methods of spirit contact used by the Victorians with those of today’s paranormal investigators. Selected rooms on both floors are included in the tour. Begins and ends at the Ocean Street trolley stop.
MURDER MYSTERY DINNERS - Enjoy a three-course dinner in the historic Chalfonte Hotel as an original murder mystery by Jacky Fazio artfully unfolds around you, in “Betrothal or Betrayal?” Another social season is drawing to a close, and Lady Richfield has yet to find an appropriate suitor for any of her three available and aging daughters. As time runs out, desperation sets in! A scandalous murder at the final ball of the season sends all of society into a frenzy. Will you be able to separate rumor from the truth? Limited event. Advance purchase required. The Chalfonte Hotel, 301 Howard St.
SPIRITS & ODDITIES TROLLEY TOUR - Cats in ghostly form purr from the beyond. Beloved family members in photographs without their heads. Graves equipped with a torpedo to put off intruders. Victorians of the late 19th century had wild notions about the passage from life to death. Belief in ghosts and spirits was common and superstition abounded. Hear several Cape May ghost stories and more strange stories from Victorian Cape May history that are macabre, mysterious or just plain weird! Begins and ends at the Ocean Street trolley stop.
SHERLOCK HOLMES WEEKENDS - A full weekend of interactive performances along with a Search for Clues self-guided walking tour. Performances take place at La Mer Beachfront Resort.
SPIRITS, ODDITIES & OBSESSIONS COMBO TOUR - Victorians of the late 19th century had wild notions about the passage from life to death, and were fascinated by mystery and illusion. Hear Cape May ghost stories as you travel Cape May by trolley, along with strange stories from Victorian Cape May that are just plain weird. Then visit select rooms in the 1879 Physick House Museum and learn about famous Victorian illusionists and magicians. Begins & ends at the Washington Street Mall Trolley Stop. Must be purchased together.
CHANNELING DINNER - Enjoy a three-course prix fixe dinner at the Inn of Cape May followed by a two-hour channeling session with Medium Craig McManus. McManus will read the energies in the room and channel messages from the spirits of departed family and friends. While he does not read everyone present and cannot control where messages come through, he will bring through as many messages from spirits as possible during the two-hour channeling. Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St.
This event is not recommended for people under the age of 16. No refunds within 14 days of the event.
GHOST WALK WITH CRAIG MCMANUS - Skeptics turn into believers as you follow psychic medium and author Craig McManus on a one-hour walking tour, and listen as he talks about the paranormal activity he has experienced at a variety of properties along the way.
CHERRY HOUSE HAUNTING TALES TOUR - The Cherry House, built in 1849 in the Federal style, is situated on one of Cape May’s oldest residential streets. It has been the subject of paranormal investigations and recordings of numerous unusual experiences. Home to Beth and Frank Acker along with their dog, Bella, the Ackers will relate the outcome of paranormal investigations at the house and the strange occurrences they’ve experienced on this guided tour of the first and second floors.
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) 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. We operate and manage the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, the 1859 Cape May Lighthouse and the 1942 World War II Lookout Tower, and are the leading organization to offer visitors tours, activities and events year-round in America’s National Historic Landmark City. Cape May MAC is the organization that saved the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate from demolition, helping secure the City of Cape May as an internationally recognized historic destination.
