EMLEN PHYSICK ESTATE TOUR
The 2025 Physick Estate Tour, The Art of Home, explores the rich artistry of Victorian life. Designed by architect Frank Furness, the home showcases Stick Style architecture with intricate moldings, custom furniture, and vibrant wallpapers. Beyond décor, the era’s artistic traditions shine through unexpected details like mourning jewelry made from hair and whimsical “rogue taxidermy” in parlor shades. Even functional elements, from pocket shutters to ceiling medallions, were crafted with elegance. Each room tells a story of beauty, memory, and creativity, making the Physick Estate a living masterpiece of 19th-century design and expression. Tour Cape May’s 1879 Victorian House Museum and learn about its key role in Cape May’s decades-long renaissance story as you appreciate its beauty and craftsmanship.
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.
CLUELESS AT THE PHYSICK ESTATE
Death of the Party
When the guest of honor at the birthday party is found dead, everyone is suspect. Was it the daughter, the business partner, the maid or…??? Hear their stories and accusations and see if you can guess “whodunit” in the interactive murder mystery at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., as this original mystery unfolds from room to room. Don’t miss this chance to challenge your imagination and deduction skills in a one-of-a-kind historic Cape May setting. Accessible with advance notice.
CHERRY HOUSE HAUNTING TALES TOUR
The Cherry House, built in 1849 in the Federal style, is situated on one of Cape May’s oldest residential streets. It has been the subject of paranormal investigations and recordings of numerous unusual experiences. Home to Beth and Frank Acker along with their dog, Bella, the Ackers will relate the outcome of paranormal investigations at the house and the strange occurrences they’ve experienced on this guided tour of the first and second floors.
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.
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.
