CLUELESS AT THE PHYSICK ESTATE
Liberty and Justice
The bond between two sisters is pushed to the limits over a major disagreement. They attempt to put aside their differences for a family Independence Day celebration, but that is quickly proven to be impossible. When someone takes things too far, will justice prevail? Everyone is suspect during Clueless at the Physick Estate, a “whodunit” similar to the popular board game. Encounter characters inside the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and listen for clues as this original mystery unfolds from room to room. Accessible with advance notice.
VOICES FROM BEYOND HOUSE TOUR
Don’t miss the best ghost tour in Cape May — the only one to share actual recorded audio and visual phenomena of unexplained presences at Cape May’s very own “haunted house,” the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate. Cape May MAC staff have nurtured relationships with the home’s spirit residents for years, using paranormal research equipment to capture dozens of recordings. In the Voices from Beyond House Tour, learn about the history and tools of paranormal research. Hear and see astonishing electronic voice phenomena (EVPs) and photographs of ghostly presences inside the renowned Physick House. You will be forced to reassess the line between the living and the dead.
STRANGE VICTORIAN OBSESSIONS
HOUSE TOUR
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.
EMLEN PHYSICK ESTATE TOUR
The 2026 Physick Estate Tour, The World on Display: The Centennial and Everyday Life, looks beyond the museum walls to an event that helped shape the world in which the Physicks lived: the 1876 Centennial Exposition, a world’s fair. Opening in Philadelphia on May 10, 1876, the fair drew more than ten million visitors over six months. Nearly 240 acres of Fairmount Park were transformed, with more than 200 buildings showcasing inventions, demonstrations, new products, and ideas that introduced everyday Americans to the modern age. Tour Cape May’s 1879 Victorian House Museum and learn about this quintessential Victorian event. The Centennial became a catalyst for a changing American culture, whose influence is still felt today.
VICTORIAN WEEKEND
HISTORIC HOUSE TOUR
Sunday, October 12 from 1pm – 4pm
Visitors have the unique opportunity on this self-guided tour to go behind closed doors and see restored private homes, bed and breakfast inns and guesthouses. Tourgoers can meet the homeowners, managers or innkeepers, see unique furnishings and décor, and find inspiration for their own homes and hearths.
GARDENS OF CAPE MAY TOUR
Saturday, May 16th: 11am-3pm
Here is your invitation to explore Cape May’s unique natural areas and the private plants, blooms and landscape designs of area gardeners. See both public and private gardens and take home ideas for your own garden. Smell and see what’s blooming and flourishing in several different seashore locations dominated by sunlight, ocean breezes, and sand and salt, each uniquely situated. Cape May’s Emlen Physick Estate gardens are included, the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate will host nature and garden-themed local vendors, plus a complimentary wine tasting by Cape May Winery.
