The Jersey Cape Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival
Dennisville Inn
The Jersey Cape Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival returns in May to Cape May, New Jersey. The event showcases over 50 local and regional artists and craftspeople whose extensive, wide-ranging bodies of work all engage with coastal themes. Along with jewelry artists, soap and candle makers, potters, ceramicists, woodworkers, and glass blowers, the festival will also host photographers, painters, fiber artists, and mixed media artists. The many artists that incorporate sea glass into their work have committed to using only genuine sea glass.
Left to right: Sea Glass Grotto, Virgin Sea Glass, Noraliz Campanella.
Event organizer Suzanne Hunter created the festival in 2024 after attending many coastal events around the country and wanting to establish a dedicated home for enthusiasts in Cape May. “After serving as a vendor for Seafarers Weekend at the Village, I realized the potential to host a unique festival experience that had space to grow each passing year,” says Suzanne. Along with friends and family volunteering throughout the weekend, Suzanne works closely with the staff of The Historic Cold Spring Village year round to host the event. Last year, nearly 2,000 people attended.
Dmitrijs Kaminskis/Shutterstock.com.
On top of the wide variety of arts and crafts available, the event features presentations from well-known authors and sea glass enthusiasts. Local historians and collectors are available to help identify pieces and treasures, along with live music, food trucks, and historical interpreters in period clothing.
For the kids, there are treasure hunts and prizes, plus a special contest category for artwork made with sea glass or beach treasures.
Festival booths.
“One of the best parts of the festival for me has been the love and support shared by other artists, many of whom I know from years of traveling to festivals around the country,” says Suzanne. “Many of them are returning this year, and with their help, we have recruited several new and young artists to share their work and love of the coastal arts.”
Speaker Guy Cash Fleming.
The event’s venue, Historic Cold Spring Village, sits on 30 beautiful acres, featuring a working farm (complete with animals) and beautifully preserved buildings and artifacts from hundreds of years ago. The historical interpreters share their skills in basket weaving, bookbinding, printing, blacksmithing, and so much more. You can also visit a bakery, ice cream shop, and general store. This festival, along with their Seafarers Weekend and Ghoul Spring Village events are the non-profit organization’s main sources of fundraising.
Left to right: Kresson Romanos. Baydream Creations, Gwen Mason.
Cape May is known for flat, soft, sandy beaches, where you can find rare Cape May diamonds (sea-worn quartz pebbles), wampum shells, and quahog shells. “Sunset Beach, at Cape May Point, has the best Cape May diamonds, a sunken concrete ship, beautiful sunsets, and a cute gift shop,” says Suzanne. She also mentions the locally famous ghost tracks, a set of abandoned train tracks that periodically appear and disappear with changing tides and sand surges.
Left to right: Kirsti Scott. Historical interpreter. Cold Spring Brewery.
“Cape May County is a tourism wonderland. There is truly something for everyone,” Suzanne says. Rich in history and culture, Cape May City streets are lined with charming Victorian homes, bed and breakfasts, and hotels. The Wildwoods Boardwalk offers piers filled with rides and roller coasters, waterparks, and hosts millions of visitors each year.
In the surrounding shore towns, you can find unique shopping and food experiences. If you find your way to Stone Harbor, Suzanne recommends newly opened restaurant Chanterelle and a visit to the Wetlands Institute on your way in to learn how the local ecosystem is preserved and celebrated.
Many of the Victorian Bed and Breakfasts in Cape May claim to be haunted, so if spooky is your vibe, check out Angel of the Sea. And if you’re traveling with your favorite canine companion, The Beach Shack is pooch perfect. A couple of local-favorite casual dining experiences are the C-View Inn in Cape May, and the Bellevue Tavern, located in Cape May Court House.
Because Southern New Jersey’s climate is generally mild, there has been an extensive expansion of the agriculture industry trending towards growing grapes and other grains and veggies used in many wineries, distilleries, and microbreweries. One of those breweries is located at Historic Cold Spring Village and was New Jersey’s first (maybe still the only) non-profit microbrewery. “Our favorite distillery, Nauti Spirits, located in Cape May, is a true farm-to-bottle operation,” says Suzanne. “The establishment has a fun yet laid back atmosphere with both inside and outside seating, delicious drinks, and a food truck adjacent to the farm.” You can enjoy your favorite libation around the fire pits outside or play a round or two of cornhole. See and feed the farm’s chickens and purchase fresh eggs, herbs, flowers, and even some local artwork in their small “honor system” stand. Thursday nights are “Open Mic Night” led by many local musicians, with the addition of the “Artist Symposium” featuring a different local artist each week.
George Wirt/Shutterstock.com.
Cape May and the surrounding area have been getting quite a bit of attention from Hollywood. Congress Hall in Cape May was a featured location in the filming of the Timothée Chalamet biopic about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, with last year’s filming coinciding with the festival weekend. And the area is a location for a new Stephen Spielberg movie, Non-View.
Learn more at jerseycapeseaglassfest.com.
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All photos courtesy of Suzanne Hunter except as marked.
