Cape May's Best Beach Lunch Features Hot Dogs & Frozen Coke!

Creative and Unique Hot Dogs, Frozen Cherry Coke & Fun!

The Kind of Place Your Kids Will Love and Remember!

Walk down Jackson Street, just past the Virginia Hotel & Mad Batter Restaurant and you’ll see an unusual site; 30 to 40 people patiently waiting to step up to a window where there's a guy with a stuffed hot dog on his head.

Cape May's Best Hot Dogs are right next to the Beach

This is where you can get the most unique hot dogs in Cape May. And it doesn't hurt that the people who run Hot Dog Tommy's — Tom and Mary Snyder — really understand what friendly personal service means. A Longfellow House favorite is the Jersey Slaw Dog — a truly creative combo that features a 100% Blank Angus Beef dog, with yellow mustard and Mary's own home made Cranberry Jersey Slaw (Tom's wife Mary makes it and it's really good!). Definitely give this one a try.

Frozen Cherry Cokes Top it Off!

Hot Dog Tommy's serves other unique selections too. For example, there are Potato Tornados — a mix of Mashed Potatoes with chilli, beans and other toppings that really delivers on taste, texture and for sure it will fill you up for the rest of your afternoon. Add in a frozen Cherry Coke and you have a quick, and quite inexpensive lunchtime meal that will satisfy the youngest and harshest food critic in your family. So be sure to check out Hot Dog Tommy's, you and your kids will be glad you did. Tell them the Longfellow Guest House sent you and you'll get extra special treament!

Find full details about Hot Dog Tommy's on their helpful website:
Hot Dog Tommy's Website

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Alix Longfellow and filed under Longfellow Recommends.

Family Fun at Cape May's only Brick Oven Pizza Joint! (video)

Your Kids Will Love this Family Style Eatery

Lucky Bones is fast becoming (though really it already is) a must visit Cape May establishment. With a large restaurant footprint (i.e. tons of room), family oriented menu, a large bar and live music, and plenty of on site parking, it makes for an easy way to spend dinner with the whole family. The large bar allows you to sit and watch the game or just converse with your friends, and the separate dinning area has big tables to accomodate large groups, and third room is kind of a combo dining area that features an occasional live band performance. It's in that room that you'll see their one of a kind brick oven pizza. All their breads, roasted garlic and peppers along with hand made pizzas are cranked through this oven and it makes for some delicious fare.

Cape May's History in a 100 Year Old Post Card!

The oldest street in America's oldest shore resort

Cape May has so much incredible history, which isn't surprising given that Cape May is this country's oldest shore resort. The Longfellow Guest House enjoys a unique a part of that history since our address is on the oldest residential street in Cape May, Hughes Street. Not to mention we've had that distinction since 1851. So when you enjoy your Cape May vacation in our home, you are smack dab in the middle of the historic victorian district, surrounded by the architecture, history, and interesting landscape that defines the heart of soul of of this town.

Our history is Cape May's history

Look at this fantastic old postcard we discovered recently in our family archives. It's a hand painted postcard from 1903 or earlier (that's the postmark on the stamp), looking down Hughes Street from about 3/4 the way up the first block. If you stand in the exact place today you'll recognize those three houses indicated on the left. And our home would be down about five houses on the right.

It's quite amazing to see how wide the streets were back then, though that may just be the depiction in this card. Look at the simple bike the kid is on, and his knee high knickers, and how well dressed the adults were - we've found that to be consistent in all our old photos - including shots of people going to the beach in their three piece suits.

Our vacation home features lots of old photos that we've hung so our guests can enjoy them too. They are throughout our home. We find that sharing old family artifacts or photos that capture Cape May's history, really helps to connect people with what makes this town so unique, and makes them feel the special charm of Cape May while they are here enjoying their family vacation.

We'll post other fun images as we find them in our archives. Feel free to comment below if you have a question or can add some further helpful insight to this postcard.

Posted on November 7, 2010 by Michael and filed under Longfellow Recommends.

A Change of Perspective

Last week I took a horse carriage tour with my Mom and sister. In all my Cape May years that was my first equestrian enabled coverage of town, and it was a lot of fun.

Pulling out of the gate, for a minute or two at least, the street people point their mental fingers at you and snicker tourists under their mental breath. Or at least it felt that way in my mental head. What’s wrong with them, I live here? Maybe that’s just the part of me that at times thinks the same thing when I see others riding the carriage. Tourists.

Love sticky buns? Don't miss this Cape May treat!

Each we love to recommend for our guests fun new things to do in Cape May. Activities or tips that can be the perfect compliment to families visiting Cape May in a vacation home rental; that can add to the guest house experience. To get started, here's our first pick for the 2010 summer:

Ellie's Bakery in West Cape May

They have absolutely best sticky buns EVER! Run by Ellie and her fun daughter Kate (she has a very smart wit), this new bakery in West Cape May opened their doors last year and were a big hit. Head on out in the morning with your kids, it makes the early morning bike ride take on a whole new sense of anticipation and fun. After your first sticky bun you'll know what we're talking about. Get there early because the line can get long and it's best to get your buns right out of the oven (if you know what I mean)!

Top 7 Longfellow Family Guest House Activities

Some Great Ideas on How to Have Fun With your Family Too!

1) The Cape May Tennis Club Tournament (for kids & adults to play in or just to watch)

2) The Annual Longfellow House 'Mini-Put-Put' Golf tournament next to Carnies (the kids play a round of Golf while the parents have rounds of drinks)

3) Watching families of dolphins swimming behind Marrow's Nut House

4) Making homemade lemonade & twizllers for the kids (sugar to taste, real lemon juice squeezed from lemons & water poured over ice) To make the lemon twizzlers go to Morrows Nut House, buy some lemon sticks. Get some lemons and cut a small hole at the top of each lemon and insert the lemon sticks...and suck!

5) Back porch B-B-Q of hamburgers & beef steak tomatoes on toasted buns (for the best burger meat, go to the WestSide Market), grilled chicken, homemade potato salad washed down with lemonade (for the kids) and whiskey Sours for the Adults...equal parts beer / whiskey / lemonade

6) The House-to-Cape-May Point and Back beach walk (wear plenty of sunscreen)

7) The Clam Shell Tournament (just like horse shoes, but using real clam shells from the beach for tossing and digging the holes.

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Billy Longfellow and filed under Longfellow Recommends.