A Cape May awning-clad Victorian inn sacrifices its yard to parking needs. Photograph by Grace Davies

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TRAVELER’s April “Trips” department reports on a dispute in the historic American town with more Victorian buildings than any other: the beach resort of Cape May, New Jersey. It’s a National Historic Landmark—at least for now. But popular historic districts like Cape May often suffer from far too many cars. Streets clog with traffic, parking is difficult at best, and historic charm vanishes. Controversy now swirls around whether 202 cars should be allowed to park on the wide, green lawn of the town’s largest historic hotel, Congress Hall, now under restoration. There’s nowhere else to put them, argues the developer.

Should Cape May’s visitors instead shuttle in from outlying parking areas, as they can in Charleston, South Carolina? This month the Tourism Forum asked community leaders for their comments. Read them below, then join the forum. Remember, if you want to park in a historic downtown—as so many do—then the trade-off is in the quality of the historic experience you get.

This month’s question: What’s the best way to deal with cars in gridlocked historic towns like Cape May? We’ll tell the Cape May decision-makers what you say, so be sure to note your hometown in your message.

—Jonathan Tourtellot

What Leaders Think...

Jerry Gaffney, Mayor of Cape May
George Lesser, Friends of Cape May
Bill Bolger, U.S. National Park Service
Nicholas Asselta, State assemblyman
Howard Chapman, Charleston, SC Area Regional Transportation Authority

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