Top 10 History Museums in Cape May County, Jersey Shore

The Sea Isle Historical Museum is located within the local library building (shown in photo), and is the repository of Sea Isle's 136-year history from its founding in 1880 as an envisioned "Venice of America" to the present. The museum welcomes all ages to explore an eclectic array of artifacts ranging from a hundred-year old trolley bell to a 1970s flight suit. Visual material includes thousands of photographs, maps, books, and monographs. Visitors are invited to browse through the many displays and collections, or to sit and research any desired subject at leisure. It's free - and there's no time limit.

Historic Cold Spring Village (HCSV) is a open-air living history museum that invites all visitors to find meaning, pleasure, relevance, and inspiration in the exploration of southern New Jersey's past. It is a nonprofit, educational museum that is open during the spring-summer season. The centerpiece of the museum is a re-created rural Southern New Jersey town of the "homespun era" set on more than 30 acres. *(Covid regulations: PLEASE ENTER VIA SEASHORE ROAD/RT. 626 ENTRANCE. 735 Seashore Road, Cape May NJ 08204

The 1879 Emlen Physick Estate is Cape May's only Victorian house museum. Designed by renowned American architect Frank Furness, the home has been fully restored. Its 15 rooms open a window into Victorian times in Cape May. Guided and self-guided tours are offered. Each year, a new theme is interpreted in the museum, which has been restored and is operated by the non-profit Cape May MAC (Museums + Arts + Culture). The organization also offers guided daytime and evening trolley tours of Cape May, as well as the Cape May Lighthouse and the World War II Lookout Tower. Check website for more information.

The goal of the Wildwood Historical Society is to preserve the colorful history of the Wildwoods, NJ, and to educate the public through exhibits at the George Boyer Museum. WE ARE CLOSED NOVEMBER THROUGH APRIL. Our hours are in effect from May-October.

Naval Air Station Wildwood Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to restore Hangar #1 at the Cape May Airport, Cape May County, New Jersey, into an aircraft museum honoring the Navy airmen who died while training during World War II. Hangar # 1 was listed onto the National Register of Historic Places in September of 1997. Naval Air station (NAS) Wildwood was commissioned on April 1, 1943. The site served as an active dive-bomber squadron training facility from 1943 to 1945. Aircraft stationed at NAS Wildwood included TBM Avengers, Douglas Dauntlesses, Vought Corsairs and Curtiss Helldivers. Forty-two airmen perished while training at NAS Wildwood during World War II. In June 1997, NASW Foundation purchased Hangar #1 at the Cape May Airport. The 92,000 square-foot all-wooden structure was in a state of disrepair and required extensive renovation. Under the stewardship of NASW Foundation, the hangar was listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places at the National Significance Level. NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum now boasts over 26 aircraft displays as well as exhibits of military memorabilia, engines, photographs and more. Additionally, the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia has provided NAS Wildwood with a wealth of interactive exhibits that allow visitors to discover the science of flight. The museum also features a library, food vending area as well as a recently expanded gift shop. In its role as a community resource, NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum regularly hosts activities including fly-ins, aviation festivals, big band concerts, swing dances, veterans’ ceremonies, historical lectures, school field trips and senior tours.

Welcome to the Ocean City Historical Museum located in the Ocean City Community Center (1735 Simpson Avenue Ocean City, NJ 08226). The museum is home to treasures from before Ocean City’s founding in 1879 to the city’s recent past. From shipwrecks to princesses, religious piety to entrepreneurial spirit, Ocean City’s story is shared with more than 10,000 visitors yearly. We continue to build upon our long history of preserving "America’s Greatest Family Resort". We invite you to visit us and explore our extensive collection of Ocean City artifacts and attend our many events.