The absolute best place to vacation in New Jersey

Whether you go for a week, a weekend, or just a long day trip there is one leisure destination in the Garden State that stands head and shoulders above the rest.

That place is Cape May. When we were kids, we vacationed in Wildwood. On rainy days when we couldn't go to the beach or the boardwalk, my dad would load us in the car and take the quick trip to Cape May.

We didn't appreciate it as kids. After all, it was our rainy-day backup plan.

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Even kids can enjoy Cape May, even though it's not the boardwalk/arcade heaven that kids crave. You can get that a few minutes up the road in Wildwood.

The amount of well-preserved historic homes and inns is stunning. Just about every street in the downtown area is a picture postcard of Victorian architecture and splendor.

In the heart of it all is the Washington Street Mall. It's a three-block section of Washington Street closed off to car traffic with tons of shops and restaurants to enjoy.

Besides the beach and the downtown, you've got the Cape May Lighthouse at Cape May Point. You can get a pretty good bird's-eye view of the lighthouse from the World War II lookout tower not far down the road.

There's also Sunset Beach where you can hunt for Cape May "diamonds" and catch the sunset over the Delaware Bay at dusk. And even if you don't plan on taking a ferry ride to Delaware, a trip over to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal is a must.

There is just so much to see and do in and around Cape May, that if you haven't been or haven't been in a while, it's a must-see just about any time of the year.

Since it is at mile 0 on the Garden State Parkway, so many New Jerseyans have never made it all the way down to Cape May. If you're one of them, don't wait. It is America' oldest seaside resort and the absolute crown jewel of the Jersey Shore.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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