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.
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.
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. In the museum, guides will compare the methods of spirit contact used by the Victorians with those of today’s paranormal investigators. Select rooms on both floors are included in the tour.
CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT HOUSE TOURS
Cape May MAC launched its first Christmas tour in 1974 and ever since this tour has been a beloved annual tradition and a highlight of the holiday season in America’s only National Historic Landmark City. This self-guided walking tour celebrates the best of Cape May at Christmas, as you travel Cape May’s gaslit streets, hear musicians and carolers, and visit more than a dozen homes, inns, B&Bs, churches and hotels where you’ll step inside to see both Victorian and more modern interiors beautifully decorated for the holidays. Don’t miss Cape May’s longest running and most popular Christmas tour.
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.
LAMPLIGHTER CHRISTMAS TOUR
See inside a selection of Cape May bed & breakfast inns and private homes, specially decorated for the holidays on this self-guided evening walking tour that includes a visit to An Old-fashioned Christmas Exhibit in the Carroll Gallery at the Physick Estate Carriage House.
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.