Southern Shore Region

The Southern Shore Region covers the bottom tip of New Jersey, the two-county area running from Atlantic County’s southern edge down to Cape May at the southernmost point of the state. The terrain is flat coastal plain — barrier islands holding Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon, and Cape May along the Atlantic shore, the broader Cape May Peninsula at the southern point, and the Pinelands and Bayshore country in Cumberland County to the west. Cape May and Cumberland counties cover the region. Cape May holds Cape May (the country’s oldest seaside resort, with the largest collection of Victorian buildings in the United States), Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon, and Sea Isle City; Cumberland holds Vineland (the largest city), Bridgeton, and Millville (with the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center). Cape May Point State Park, Cape May Lighthouse, and the Cape May–Lewes Ferry handle the southern tip. Most trips here run beach-and-Victorian focused. Wildwood and the boardwalk handle the carnival-resort itinerary; Cape May runs the Victorian-walking-tour and bird-watching circuit (the southern tip is one of the country’s premier fall hawk-and-songbird migration spots); Stone Harbor and Avalon pull quieter family-beach weekends; the Bayshore towns of Cumberland County draw quieter visits.