The heat of summer first drew the crowds to Cape May, N.J., the nation’s oldest seaside resort that has been welcoming visitors since 1761, but it’s the Victorian houses that twinkle with lights and a six-week long Victorian Christmas celebration that bring visitors to Cape May in the winter.

Cape May, a peninsula located on the southern-most tip of New Jersey, boasts over 600 late-Victorian wood structures, most within a two-plus mile area.

Cape May invites you to step back in time into the Victorian era. There’s plenty to do to enjoy the ambience of the town. Evening rides in the heated trolley are delightful as tour guides tell you about Victorian Christmas customs while you feast your eyes on the twinkling holiday decorations. Or take your sweetheart, bundle up in warm blankets and go on a romantic carriage ride.

In fact, the town enjoys the holiday season so much that it begins on Nov. 16 with a holiday preview weekend that includes a “Taste of Christmas Tour,” a walking tour of Cape May’s historic district. Visitors can then lunch at the Carriage House at the Physick Estate, the local Victorian House Museum.

Kids will enjoy a trolley ride with Santa every Saturday and Sunday from Nov.17 through Dec. 22 that ends with cookies and a warm drink. The whole family will enjoy the tree lighting at the Physick Estate.

Dress warmly and watch the 42nd annual West Cape May Christmas Parade that begins at the fire hall and proceeds to the Washington Street Mall, a three-block long outdoor pedestrian mall that contains a variety of shops, many family-owned, that feature unique gifts you won’t find in regional malls.

Take a self-guided tour of the town to see five of Cape May’s finest bed and breakfast inns all decked out for the holidays on the Lamplighter Christmas Tour. The Christmas Candlelight House Tour, another self-guided tour, features homes, inns, hotels and churches decorated for the holidays. This tour also includes caroling, strolling musicians and warm refreshments.

If theater is more your style, go back in time and immerse yourself in the story of “Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas,” playing at the East Lynne Theater, or visit Cape May Stage’s presentation of “Every Christmas Story Ever Told,” billed as “a madcap romp through all the holiday traditions.”

The Queen Victoria

Bed and breakfasts abound in Cape May. In the heart of the historic district, The Queen Victoria is just one block from the ocean beach and the quaint shops and restaurants of Washington Street Mall. Open every day of the year, travelers longing for the total escape of a romantic getaway enjoy tastefully decorated rooms as well as suites with gas log fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. Romantic amenities are in-room massages, champagne and fresh flowers available as options.

Innkeepers Doug and Anne Marie McMain welcome guests royally. During the holiday season, they place stockings on the doors of the guest rooms with small presents. They also offer holiday specials, such as Stay and Play, where guests receive complimentary tickets to a play at the Cape May Stage. Check out the website for details.

Decorated Christmas trees are everywhere and there are three very special ones that are decorated as they would have been during the Victorian age. Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert was German and the tradition of Christmas trees comes from Germany. There’s an 1840 early Victorian tree that’s decorated in fruit and nuts that were given as gifts; an 1870, mid-Victorian tree, that now includes, along with fruit and nuts, gifts tied on the tree, handmade wooden toys and small dolls; and an 1890s late Victorian tree, with beautiful glass ornament and toys under the tree, reflecting more prosperous times of the Industrial age.

Mid-Atlantic

Center for the Arts

The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts operates out of the Physick Estate, once the home of Dr. Emlen Physick and his mother and aunt. The history of the estate comes to life with guided tours and living history performances. While visiting the estate, many visitors stop at the Carriage House on the estate to partake of a tea luncheon that includes traditional tea sandwiches like cucumber and cream cheese, scones and freshly baked treats.

The museum in the Carriage House at the estate features “An Old Fashioned Christmas Exhibit,” that runs from Nov. 16 to Jan 1. The exhibit showcases holiday traditions through the years including vintage Santas, model trains, trees and toys. It is here that the town gathers for the lighting of the holiday tree sponsored by MAC.

For information on Cape May’s Victorian Christmas, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s website at www.capemaymac.org.