Congratulations!  You’re in love, and planning the special day where you share your love with your closest friends and family.  There are so many options for beautiful weddings in Cape May County, whether you choose to marry on the beach, in a house of worship, or in a civil ceremony.  If you’re looking for information on where to get your marriage license, how to find an officiant and how to get married on the beach, we have answers!

Marriage Licenses-

If you or your fiance live in New Jersey, register in the municipality where you or your fiance reside.  The license will be valid for the entire state of NJ, regardless of where the wedding will take place.  If neither of you live in New Jersey, you will need to apply in the municipality where the wedding will take place.  Then the license will be valid only in that municipality. There is a 72 hour waiting period for the marriage license to be issued so apply in advance to be sure it is ready in time, but not too far in advance as they expire within 30 days!  Click here to learn more about marriage applications in New Jersey and to download the marriage application form.  Just be sure not to sign it!  You will need to sign it in the presence of the registrar.

For more information about the Avalon registrar’s office, click here.  For the Stone Harbor registrar’s office information, click here.

How to Find an Officiant-

If you are interested in getting married in a local house of worship, many will have officiants on hand to perform your ceremony–you may not be able to use the facility with your own minister.  If you are interested in marrying on the beach or in a property such as the Golden Inn, consider asking your local minister if he/she would travel to the wedding to perform your ceremony.  Many will be happy to oblige as a service to you the congregant, in exchange for a fee or donation.

Perhaps you are unable to secure a minister, or you prefer a non-religious ceremony.  The Cape May County Clerk, Rita Fulginiti, performs marriages and civil ceremonies.  Email coclerk@co.cape-may.nj.us or call (609)465-1010 for more information on her services.  There are also many officiants who serve the Avalon/Stone Harbor area.  One list (with reviews) may be found here.

How to Get Married on the Beach-

New Jersey beaches provide a naturally beautiful wedding venue.  As with any outdoor event location, extra planning is a must.  Your first step is to contact the municipality where you would like to have your ceremony.  For more information about the logistics of getting married on the beach in Avalon, contact Suzanne Keen at the Avalon Borough Hall at (609)967-5924 or write skeen@avalonboro.org  by email.  For Stone Harbor, contact Suzanne Stanford at (609)368-6800 or write stanfords@stone-harbor.nj.us for more information.  And, of course, be sure to have a “plan B” ceremony location set up in case of inclement weather!

Exchanging your vows in Cape May County is a great choice for your seaside wedding.  The options for your ceremony are abundant, and no matter what you choose your guests will be delighted in the location!

Photo credit: Fevi Yu

Stone Harbor is the town next to Avalon and comprises the other half of our 7 mile island.  There is so much to do in Stone Harbor that is within walking distance of the Golden Inn!  Don’t forget that Avalon and Stone Harbor have a reciprocal beach tag policy, so you can enjoy a day at a Stone Harbor beach using Avalon beach badges.  Click here to read more about beach tags at the Golden Inn.

Shopping – Stretching out from 96th Street is Stone Harbor’s famous selection of quaint shops.  Purchase everything from unique gifts, to beach necessities, to fine jewelry or delicious fudge.  There’s everything from a pet shop to surf shops!

Movies – The Stone Harbor 5 theater is a great way to beat the heat and catch a new release.  Click here for current showtimes.

Farmer’s Market – Every Sunday at the Water Tower (95th St & 2nd Ave) is a Farmer’s Market offering the best in Jersey fresh produce from local farms.  8 AM – 12 noon.

Wetlands Institute – The Wetlands Institute is located just off the bridge into Stone Harbor.  For a small donation/fee you can enjoy several educational activities such as a guided salt marsh tour, a small aquarium and other nature-themed exhibits.  For more information on the Wetlands Institute, click here to visit their website.

There’s also some free seasonal family activities:

Family Nights – Every Monday in the summer (through August 30th) at 7 PM are free family nights in Stone Harbor.  Meet at the firehouse parking lot at 96th St. and 2nd Ave. at for puppet or magic shows, parades and more.

Movies Under the Stars – Every other Wednesday (through August 25th) from 8-10 PM enjoy a free family movie!  Call the Stone Harbor Recreation Department at (609) 368-1287 for selections, dates and locations.

Photo credit: wfyurasko

On a recent visit to the shore, my husband was on the hunt for a bike rack for the car.  You see, we already have the bike, just needed a way to get it down to the shore when our truck was otherwise full of luggage and beach toys.  If you’re heading to the Golden Inn & want to go for a leisurely bike ride, but would rather not worry about transporting your bicycle, there is an easier way.  There are plenty of bike rental options available in the area.

Hollywood Bike Shop (2522 Dune Dr. Avalon) offers hourly, daily and weekly bike rentals, and also umbrella, chair & stroller rentals.

Harbor Bike & Beach Shop (9828 3rd Ave. Stone Harbor) also offers hourly, daily and weekly rentals and has tricycles available for the littlest rider.

Both shops have surreys available for rental, too.  If you have a family of at least 3, you can all ride in the same vehicle and cruise around town together!  I can remember clearly the time my family rented a surrey for a couple of hours during our summer vacation.  My advice?  Surreys are best for the younger family, bring your teenagers along and you may get a lot of rolled eyes and embarrassed looks from them!

However many people in your family, or if you would like to get away for a solo ride, it’s probably worth a rental fee to avoid wrangling with a bike rack and giving you a bit more time to enjoy your vacation!

If you’re interested in cruising around outside of the 7 mile island, you can try these rental shops at some other popular shore towns:

Sea Isle City:  Surf Buggy Rentals (JFK & Pleasure Ave) Open 7 days.

Cape May:  Village Bicycle Shop (605 Lafayette St) Call 609-884-8500

Ocean City:  Surf Buggy Rentals also has two Ocean City locations (8th & Boardwalk and 12th & Boardwalk)

Photo credit: akaalias

Sea Isle City is the next island north of Avalon, and just a short drive (and $1.50 bridge toll) away.  Just like the other towns we’ve been featuring, it is conveniently located to the Golden Inn and offers it’s own unique things to do.

Boat rentals – Sea Isle City has several marinas which offer boat rentals for easy fishing and crabbing.  Pier 88 (88th & the Bay) is right over the bridge from Avalon and has boats to rent, as well as a waterfront restaurant to get a quick bite in between catches.  Larsen’s Marina is a SIC landmark and a great place to fish or crab.  Larsen’s is located at 7 Old Sea Isle Blvd.

Boardwalk – There’s a small boardwalk on SIC that is mostly non-commercial, but does have a couple shops and restaurants.  The few offerings include books, beach necessities and pizza & ice cream.  The main beach entrance at JFK & Beach is home to some other local landmark offerings, such as the historic Braca Cafe & James’ confectioneries.

Outdoor recreation – At 56th & Central, Sea Isle has a great outdoor recreation area for the whole family.  There are tennis courts, sports fields, a skate park for the teens & tweens and a large, fenced playground (Aurora’s Play by the Bay) for the kiddies.  There’s also public restroom facilities available there for your convenience.

Gillian’s Funland – If you have small children, Gillian’s Funland in Sea Isle City is a great way to squeeze in a few beach rides without a long boardwalk trek.  There’s a carousel, a small ferris wheel, a “buccaneer” style ride and some more rides for the littles.

During your stay at the Golden Inn, you can definitely enjoy a day exploring historic Sea Isle City.  If you are a history buff, be sure to also stop by the Sea Isle City Historical Museum to learn more about this storied shore town.

Photo credit: wfyurasko

First-time visitors to the Jersey shore are often amazed that the beaches require either payment to enter, or beach tags to be carried as proof of payment.  Beach tags, also known as beach badges, are needed for almost every local beach, whether you are staying for a day, a week or a season.

Avalon, NJ requires beach badges, and they can be purchased any time at the booth outside of Community Hall or from the badge checkers on the beach.  A day pass is $6, a weekly pass is $12 and a seasonal pass is $24.  One advantage to purchasing Avalon beach badges is that they are reciprocally accepted in Stone Harbor (and vice versa)!

When you are staying at the Golden Inn and you venture outside of the pool/beach club area and onto the beach, you will require tags.  The front desk will be able to provide you with tags to use for the day; be sure to contact the front desk for more information.

If you are exploring the nearby beach towns, you will need to observe the local beach tag rules.  Here’s some basic information for nearby points of interest:

Stone Harbor:  Same beach tag rules as Avalon; Avalon tags are reciprocal with Stone Harbor
Sea Isle City:  Beach tags are available at the beach tag office (next to the library) every day (note: the office will be closed Wednesdays after July 4) or from the beach patrol while you are on the beach. A day pass is $5, $10 for a weekly pass, and a seasonal pass is $20 per person. Tags are not required for children under 12.
Wildwoods:  The Wildwoods are the exception to the NJ beach tag trend–all Wildwood beaches are free!
Cape May:  Beach tags are available for purchase at beach entrances. Day tags are $5, 3-day tags are $10, a weekly tag is $13 and a seasonal tag is $25 (all tags are per person). The beach at Cape May Point is free to all visitors.
Ocean City:  Beach tags are sold at City Hall and several other locations throughout the City. A seasonal pass is $20, a weekly pass is $10 and a day pass is $5. Children under age 12 are free.

If you do purchase beach tags during your visit to the Jersey shore, be sure to keep them–they make great souvenirs when you keep a tag from every year

Photo credit: wfyurasko

Cape May is one of the most popular, and certainly historic, beaches in all of New Jersey.  It is also just a short drive from the Avalon Golden Inn!  While you are staying in Avalon, you can enjoy many of the great attractions available in Cape May.  Here are some of my “must-do” activities:

The Lighthouse & Cape May Point – If you head on down to check out the Cape May Lighthouse, also plan to spend a day at the Cape May Point beach.  Not only is the beach free, but there’s a little nature center and historical information about the World War II military installations in Cape May.  Expect to pay $7 admission for adults and $3 for children to climb the lighthouse.  There’s 199 steps to the spiral staircase, so as far as lighthouses go it’s not too high of a climb, but if you’re afraid of heights the way down can be a little scary!

Downtown shopping – Downtown Cape May has tons of beautiful shops carrying everything from hardware and home furnishings, to books, clothes, popcorn and desserts.  There is definitely a store for everyone on your list.  The Washington Street Mall is 3 blocks of shops in the heart of town, but you’re sure to find many stores across from the beach and throughout town as well.

Elaine’s Dinner Theater – Elaine’s Dinner Theater & Haunted Mansion Restaurant are a popular Cape May attraction, playing off the many ghosts said to inhabit the town.  The Dinner Theater includes a full course dinner and a mysterious themed show.  This season check out the show “Cy Specter’s Spectacular Circus” — a musical roller-coaster!  At the Haunted Mansion restaurant, you never know what funny ghosts are going to pop up and entertain you during dinner.  Click here to visit Elaine’s site.

Visit a winery – South Jersey is home to many spectacular wineries, and Cape May is no exception.  Turdo Vineyards is a small family-owned and operated winery that has a tasting room where guests can try 5-7 wines for only $5.  The Cape May Winery offers a 6 for $6 tasting and tours every day at 3 PM.  Both allow picnics and touring of the grounds.

The Cape May-Lewes Ferry – One of Cape May’s most popular offerings is the historic Ferry.  If you are looking for a full day excursion, The Cape May-Lewes Ferry takes visitors from Cape May to Lewes, DE where you are just a quick bus ride to the Delaware beaches, Downtown Lewes, and the Outlets, all while leaving your car parked in Cape May!  Click here to learn more about the Ferry.

Photo credit: InAweofGod’sCreation

The Golden Inn is conveniently located to many great New Jersey beach towns and Ocean City is no exception.  Ocean City is called “America’s Greatest Family Resort” because there’s so much for families to do.  Here is a sampling of some of my favorites:

The Boardwalk – Obviously, the famous Boardwalk is a huge attraction in and of itself.  In my last post, I mentioned how family-friendly the boardwalk is–there’s no alcohol in all of Ocean City and smoking is only permitted on the boardwalk in designated areas.  There’s lots of great kiddie rides available at Gillian’s, as well as thrill rides, arcades and all of the classic boardwalk games.

Shopping – In addition to the boardwalk shops, there are tons of great shopping venues downtown along Asbury Avenue.  Downtown Ocean City is open year-round, and the stores include surf shops, upscale clothing boutiques, home furnishings and much more.

Nature Walks – Of course you can go on your own impromptu nature walk along the beach or bay whenever you choose, but for only $1 per person ($0.50 for children) you can enjoy an educational walk to learn more about the island and the native plants and animals.  You can tour the North end of the island at the Longport Bridge parking lot on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM and Wednesdays at 9 AM.  If you’d like to check out the South end of the island, visit 59th & Central at the entrance to Corson’s Inlet State Park on Tuesdays at 9 AM and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

Rainy Day Fun for the Kids – One of my daughter’s favorite stores on Asbury Ave. is the Butterfly Boutique.  Not only does the Butterfly Boutique carry tons of unique toys, but they offer walk-in arts and crafts any day they are open, and storytime every Saturday at 11 AM (all year!).  For another rainy day option, stop in the Discovery Seashell Museum to check out over 10,000 different species of shells and purchase some of your favorites to take home!

Music and Theater – The Ocean City Music Pier hosts some fabulous musical guests including the Ocean City Pops.  For a listing of upcoming shows, you can check out their site here.  Also at the Music Pier, the Children’s Summer Playhouse puts on unique children’s concert events.  Check out this summer’s line-up here.

Photo credit: wfyurasko

A common question from new visitors to Avalon, NJ is “does Avalon have a boardwalk?”  The answer is yes, Avalon does have a half mile boardwalk, but it is not the type with amusements, restaurants and shops.  Avalon’s boardwalk is a newly renovated boardwalk perfect for leisurely walks and early morning bike rides (bicycles are only permitted on the boardwalk from 5 AM to 10 AM).  There are no skateboards, rollerskates, etc. allowed on the boardwalk at any time.

If you’re looking for a nearby boardwalk that is full of amusements though, you don’t have to look far!  Wildwood and Ocean City are both very close to the Golden Inn and will satisfy every family’s boardwalk need.  The Wildwoods’ boardwalk is 2 miles long and has more rides than Disneyland!  There are kiddie rides all the way to scary, “adult” roller-coasters.  Wildwood is home to the world-famous Morey’s Piers which are several themed piers packed with amusements and even two waterparks.  For more information on Morey’s Piers click here to explore their website.

The 2 1/2 mile long Ocean City, NJ boardwalk is another option with plenty of games and fun for the whole family, especially the little ones.  In my opinion, the Ocean City boardwalk is a better choice for families with very young children.  My toddler loves the rides at Gillian’s Wonderland (6th & Boardwalk) and every Thursday in July & August is “family night.”  Family night offers free entertainment such as a strolling barbershop quartet, live bands and face painting.  Also of note, Ocean City is a “dry” town, so while you are welcome to byob in the restaurants, there is no alcohol consumed on the boardwalk.

Wildwood & Ocean City are two nearby boardwalks worth checking out to get your ferris wheel fix.  The next island over, in Sea Isle City, is home to another small “ride-less” boardwalk with some shops (a clothing and book store come to mind) and restaurants (pizza, ice cream).  Whichever type of boardwalk you’d like to explore, the Golden Inn is a great location for all of the excitement!

Photo credit:  kjarrett

About the author:  Bay prefers quiet beaches over noisy boardwalks, but gets dragged often enough to the Ocean City boardwalk.  You can check out her personal site, Queen Mother Blog.

Is there a better combination than baseball & the beach?  The Golden Inn is proud to host the Baseball Insiders Show with John Brazer and Ricky Bottalico!  Every Phillies Sunday away game, join Bottalico (former Phillies All-Star reliever) and Brazer (director of publicity for the Phillies) for their one-hour radio show, broadcasting live from the Beach Club at the Golden Inn!

The Phanatic on-hand serving drinks to Beach Club guests!

Sometimes the Phillie’s “best friend” even makes an appearance!  Bring the whole family for a great day of baseball at the Golden Inn and the kids can have fun in the pool while you enjoy a drink and listen to the show.

I recently stopped in for one of the Insider Show broadcasts and though I was so late I missed the Phanatic (boo!) I got to meet the show hosts and take my picture with them   That was on Memorial Day, and the Beach Club at the Golden Inn was hopping with excitement and summer fun.  Don’t miss this exciting show before the season ends!  The next broadcast from the Golden Inn is Sunday June 27th from 12 noon to 1 PM.

Images courtesy of Elizabeth Norton

About the author:  Bay is usually on time (usually) for events and is still kicking herself for missing the Phillie Phanatic.  She writes for the Golden Inn blog as a “summer local” and writes full-time at her site Queen Mother Blog.

Memorial Day weekend didn’t just kick off the official start of summer for tourists, but for some of our “locals” as well: diamondback terrapins!  The diamondback terrapin is an East coast native that lives in brackish water (neither salt or fresh), and the females lay their eggs along the dunes during the early summer season.

Have you noticed “Turtle Crossing” signs on the roads?  In our area, the female diamondback terrapins are heading from the bay towards the ocean to lay eggs and then crossing one more time to return “home.”  Since the roads are getting busier with the beginning of the season, it’s important to drive carefully and keep your eyes open for turtles crossing the roads.  If you see a turtle trying to cross the street, see if you can safely help her make it across.  Of course you don’t want to endanger yourself or your family, but if you can help, you would be doing a part in saving a species that is almost endangered.  Just remember to help the turtle cross the road in the direction she was headed, or else she will turn around and put herself in danger yet again!

While you are staying at the Golden Inn, be sure to check out the nearby Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor.  The Wetlands Institute has many educational activities for the whole family, such as a guided tour of a Salt Marsh, an aquarium and more.  The Wetlands Institute is the heart of the Terrapin Recovery/Conservation Project which works to protect the terrapin population and salvage the eggs of road-killed terrapins.  You can also learn more about “Adopting a Terrapin”–for just $50 you can adopt a baby terrapin and be a part of a special private ceremony in August!  Click here for more information.

If you really have terrapin lovers in your family, you might be interested in planning a special trip for some upcoming “turtle themed” events. On Sunday, June 27th Turtlesinger, Inc. is hosting the 8th Annual Cape May County Benefit Motorcycle Poker Run for the Turtles to raise money and awareness for the local turtle population.  The ride begins at Kindle Ford in Cape May Court House and stops at various scenic points along the way.  For more information on the Poker Run, click here to visit the Turtlesinger website.  Just a couple days later, nearby Sea Isle City is having their annual “Sara the Turtle Festival” on Tuesday June 29th.  From 6-8 PM join the fun as children of all ages enjoy wildlife exhibits, face painting and live animal shows.

If you’d like to learn more about diamondback terrapins you can click here to check out their Wikipedia page.

Photo credit: Steeltoad

About the author:  Bay spends quite a bit of time during her trips to the shore helping turtles cross the street in front of her house.  Her favorite are the ones that go completely inside their shell as she picks them up, but the fiesty ones are pretty fun to help too.  When she’s not looking for turtles in need, she writes at her personal blog, Queen Mother Blog.