October 1 – 31, 2024

Boo! And we’re not kidding!

Explore the spirits of historic Cape May during specially-themed tours and events that tell the many ghost tales of this seaside town, including Ghost Walk with Craig McManus, Historic Haunts Tours, Séance at the Physick Estate, Voices from Beyond Tours, Ghosts & Mansion Combo Tour, and more. Stroll the beautiful grounds of the Physick Estate and visit Scarecrow Alley, with funny and spooky scarecrows along the walkways, and vote for your favorite!

PHANTOMS OF THE PHYSICK ESTATE

a library in a victorian house

“THE LIVING LIBRARY”

Immerse yourself in a world of horror and suspense reimagined from the great authors of the Victorian Period. Classic terrifying tales unfold around you as you move from room to room within the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate. Do you know how these stories will end, or is there another twist you could never see coming?

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VOICES FROM BEYOND HOUSE TOUR

black and white photo of people on tour in a victorian house

Experience an unusual tour in Cape May MAC’s 1879 Emlen Physick House. In the Voices from Beyond Tour, you will hear actual spirit voices captured by Cape May MAC staff over the past 10 years. View historical photos of the Physick family and their staff alongside photos of apparitions seen inside the house. Learn about the equipment and tools used throughout history in paranormal research. Who could these voices belong to and what is keeping them connected to the Physick House Museum? Draw your own conclusions on this new and exciting paranormal tour.

GHOSTS OF CAPE MAY TROLLEY TOUR

the front of a trolley at nighttime

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.

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GHOST WALK WITH CRAIG MCMANUS

group of people on the sidewalk with a tour guide

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.

CHANNELING DINNER

Multiple Dates
Inn of Cape May

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.  

MURDER MYSTERY DINNERS

Actors dressed as flappers in 1920s clothing

Bumped Off & Bottoms Up

Enjoy a three-course dinner and watch as the mystery and drama unfold around you during “Bumped Off & Bottoms Up,” an original mystery by Jacky Fazio. Prohibition has arrived! Locals and visitors alike gather at Walter O’Leary’s infamous club for refreshments and entertainment, when an evening of fun takes a terrible turn. Can you help bring the murderer to justice?

HISTORIC HAUNTS
COMBO TOUR

Moonlight trolley 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.

SPIRITS, ODDITIES & OBSESSIONS
COMBO TOUR

tour group in billiard room

Victorians of the late 19th century had wild notions about the passage from life to death and were fascinated by mystery and illusion. Board a Cape May MAC trolley and travel through the lovely Cape May Historic District. You’ll hear strange stories from Victorian Cape May history that are macabre, mysterious or just plain weird. The trolley stops at the 1879 Physick House Museum where you’ll visit select rooms and learn about the famous Harry Houdini who captivated Victorian audiences with his intricate escapes, Ionia, a Belgian beauty called the Goddess of Mystery, who Victorians adored for her spectacles of magic, and many more famous Victorian masters and mistresses of illusion. Begins & ends at the Washington Street Mall Trolley Stop. Must be purchased together.

GRAVEYARD, GHOSTS & MANSION
COMBO TOUR

Doctor Emlen Physick dessed in a top hat and victorian coat stnading next to his gravestone that says Physick

Hear the stories and experiences of ghost activity in the 1879 Physick House Museum from the Cape May MAC tour guides who know them intimately. It starts with a trolley ride to the historic Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery to see the graves of Dr. Emlen Physick and his family. At the graveyard you’ll hear EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) recorded by tour guides and staff at the estate. On your return trip to the Physick Estate hear about some unusual Victorian funereal customs. Then, inside the Physick House you will visit several rooms and hear several more EVPs while learning more about the activity observed there. Take the opportunity to talk to staff about their experiences, and a moment to wonder at what it all means. Tour begins and ends at the Physick Estate.

HISTORIC HAUNTS
HOUSE TOUR

a photo of a spooky victorian house

Tour select rooms with your guide and learn about Victorian Spiritualism in Cape May’s only Victorian house museum, the Physick House Museum, widely reputed to be haunted. Guides will explore the concepts of spiritualism and the occult, both of which were wildly popular topics in the Victorian Era.

SPIRITS & ODDITIES
TROLLEY TOUR

Ghost like photo of victorian man riding trolley

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.

STRANGE VICTORIAN OBSESSIONS
HOUSE TOUR

victorian dressed tour guide giving a tour of the emlen physick estate living room

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.

TRICK OR TREAT

Group in Halloween costumes entering Victorian house

Thursday, Oct. 31: 5pm-7pm
Emlen Physick Estate

Bring the little ghosts and goblins to the Physick Estate, home of Cape May’s original haunted house, for some treats…and maybe a few tricks, too. Spooky music, Scarecrow Alley, and maybe a few strange spirits hanging around the grounds!

ANNUAL SCARECROW ALLEY

scarecrows dressed as wizard of oz characters

Daily October 1 – 31. 2024

The grounds of Cape May’s original haunted house, the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., have been transformed for the spooky season. Scarecrow Alley is a highlight of the Estate’s Halloween decorations. Walk the grounds and vote for your favorite ghoulishly gruesome or foolishly funny scarecrow.

DEPARTMENT 56 HALLOWEEN EXHIBIT

emlen physick estate on washington street in cape may new jersey

Daily through October 31: 10am – 4pm
Emlen Physick Estate

If you love our Dept. 56 Dickens Village at Christmas, come and see what we have for Halloween! It’s a witch’s brew of spooky houses, bizarre characters and bats, cats and pumpkins galore, all done in the exquisite miniature fashion which has made Dept. 56 so popular with collectors. Nearly 100 pieces and accessories will be on exhibit on the Physick House’s enclosed entrance porch.

FREE ADMISSION