West Cape May calls itself the "Lima Bean Capital of the World," and every Columbus Day weekend the borough proves it with the world's only Lima Bean Festival—lima bean soup, lima bean ice cream, lima bean everything. This isn't tourism marketing; it's agricultural heritage celebrated with complete sincerity. The 300 permanent residents inhabit a "sleepy hamlet" that functions as Cape May's bohemian counterpoint: same zip code, entirely different sensibility.
Beach Plum Farm anchors the agritourism scene: 62 acres of working farmland that supplies Cape May restaurants with produce you'll eat the same day it was picked. The farm offers tours, has a market cafe serving seasonal plates made from what's growing out back, and provides the farm-to-table experience that coastal towns can rarely deliver authentically. Figure $15-25 for a farm lunch.
Willow Creek Winery occupies a 200-year-old, 50-acre vineyard that predates most everything else in the region. The tasting room pours New Jersey wines that surprise visitors expecting dismissive quality—the chambourcin and chardonnay regularly win regional competitions. Tastings run $10-15 for flights; the vineyard grounds justify the visit regardless of wine opinions.
For birders, South Cape May Meadows provides 200 acres of preserved wetlands on the Atlantic Flyway. This isn't Cape May Point's raptor migration (though that's 5 minutes away); the Meadows specializes in shorebirds, wading birds, and the songbird migration that peaks in May. The Nature Conservancy manages the property, and fall mornings draw binoculars from across the Eastern Seaboard.
West Cape May has no beach access—the borough is inland, and beach-goers drive 5 minutes to Cape May Point or Cape May proper. This isn't a limitation; it's the point. West Cape May chose farming and art over sand.
The dining scene extends beyond the farm: Cape May proper (5 minutes) offers the Victorian restaurant row—Washington Inn, Ebbitt Room, Peter Shields Inn—for $50-80 dinners. West Cape May visitors typically combine farm lunch with Cape May dinner, making a day of peninsula exploration.
The Lima Bean Festival runs every Columbus Day weekend whether 50 people show up or 500. That's the borough's sensibility: it celebrates what it actually is rather than what tourism might prefer. Beach Plum Farm supplies the restaurants, Willow Creek pours the wine, South Cape May Meadows hosts the warblers, and none of it requires you to own a wetsuit or pay for a beach badge. Drive five minutes to Cape May Point or Cape May proper for the sand. Come back here for dinner.
