Visit the Emlen Physick Estate
Cape May’s only Victorian House Museum
Take a guided tour of the first and second floors of the 1879 Physick House Museum, for an in-depth look at Victorian architecture and the period, reflecting one Victorian family’s lifestyle, and detailing the way the Physick family and their household lived, worked and spent their leisure time. Built in 1879, the 18-room mansion is an architectural wonder built by famed American architect Frank Furness and is one of the best examples of Victorian Stick Style architecture in the country. Guided tour themes change annually.
Angie.com picks the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate for New Jersey’s “This is the Most Beautiful Building in Your State.”
The first floor of the Physick House Museum is fully accessible. Free on-site parking/RV-friendly
$20 adults,
$15 children (ages 3 to 12)
25% off for members – Find-out more!
FEATURED TOURS
EMLEN PHYSICK ESTATE TOUR
Take a guided tour of the first and second floors of the 1879 Physick House Museum, for an in-depth look at Victorian architecture and the period, reflecting one Victorian family’s lifestyle, and detailing the way the Physick family and their household lived, worked and spent their leisure time. Despite never practicing medicine, Dr. Emlen Physick meaningfully affected the Cape May medical community. Learn about the doctor and his influence around town as president of the local medical association, along with common health practices at the turn of the 20th century. Built in 1879, the 18-room mansion is an architectural wonder built by famed American architect Frank Furness and is one of the best examples of Victorian Stick Style architecture in the country. In 2023-24, the tour is titled “The Doctor Is In”
VOICES FROM BEYOND HOUSE TOUR
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.
PHYSICK FAMILY CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR
Take this guided living history tour of the magnificent 1879 Physick Estate, Cape May’s only Victorian house museum, decorated in authentic Victorian style for Christmas. Your guide portrays a member of the Physick family in the early 1900s and shares stories and traditions. The tour also includes a visit to the Carroll Gallery to see “An Old-fashioned Christmas” exhibit, a popular annual display featuring a huge Christmas tree, model trains, and an elaborate Dept. 56 Dickens village collection.
EVENING YULETIDE HOUSE TOUR
Take this guided tour of the first-floor rooms of the 1879 Physick House Museum, authentically decorated for a Victorian Christmas. See and hear how the Physick family might have entertained friends and family and celebrated in traditional Victorian fashion during the holidays. Afterwards, visit the Carriage House and visit “An Old-fashioned Christmas” exhibit in the Carroll Gallery and see this popular annual display featuring a huge Christmas tree, model trains, and an elaborate Dept 56 Dickens village collection.
HISTORIC HAUNTS HOUSE TOUR
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.
STRANGE VICTORIAN OBSESSIONS
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.
Free Experiences
PHYSICK ESTATE SCAVENGER HUNT
Have an adventure the whole family will enjoy at the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate! Use our map to explore the grounds and find answers to questions about the estate in this educational scavenger hunt. Available daily at the Hill House office or the Carriage House Visitors Center at the Physick Estate. Includes map and clues.
FREE. Available in English & Spanish.
Donations Accepted
CARROLL GALLERY EXHIBIT
QUACKERY: THE AGE OF QUESTIONABLE MEDICAL MARVELS
Step right up! See this exhibit of some of the so-called medical marvels of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these “curatives” were not just ineffective, they were downright dangerous. Learn about the societal and economic forces that unleashed these questionable treatments on the public, driven by hucksterism, false advertising and get-rich-quick schemes.
Free admission.
STORY STOPS AT THE PHYSICK ESTATE
Look for various story stops on the grounds and listen to first-hand accounts of life at the Physick Estate during Victorian days in Cape May.
FREE
Learn More
Emlen Physick Estate Photos
