“When the Man waked up he said, ‘What is Wild Dog doing here?’ And the Woman said, ‘His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always.’ ”

Rudyard Kipling

A day around town can be tiring!

Well here we are and it’s June already! The weather has seemed colder than usual this spring and I think that’s why – maybe – the time has seemed to fly by and I’m still thinking its April or May. Well, it’s certainly time to make arrangements for visiting Cape May with your First and Forever Friend before it gets any later if you find you don’t have any plans made for fun and frolic in the oldest seashore resort.

First of all, you’ll need to make arrangements for a place to stay with your dog since there are so many fun things to do with your furry Friend once you get to Cape May. Depending on your own personal preference, you have a wide variety of places to choose from.

The Highland House at 131 North Broadway in West Cape May is not only pet friendly but  is open all year round. Enjoy the comfortable guest house accommodations of this circa 1850 Inn. The Highland House is within walking distance to many of Cape May’s attractions. Nearby, the Wilbraham Park hosts antique fairs, flea markets and festivals. Located four blocks from the Inn is Cape May beach.

The Dog Friendly Billmae Cottage (a B&D – D for dog) is totally dog friendly and is guest suites or apartments, all of which are dog friendly with no size or breed limits. Each suite has a living room, full kitchen, full private bath, one or two bedrooms, a deck or patio, private entrances, and off street parking. If you are interested in a B&B, the White Dove Cottage has a dog friendly room with a sitting room, bedroom, full private bath, private entrance with access to a small yard – and breakfast in included. If you are interested in a motel/hotel setting, the Marquis de Lafayette, the Palace, the Madison Beach Club, the Bluefish Inn, and the Beach Shack all have some dog friendly rooms.

You will also want to have something to eat while you are here and there are so many places that are dog friendly with outside seating in convenient and comfortable settings. Almost any restaurant that has outside seating is dog friendly, though some may have size limits due to space limits. I have two large dogs, so in close quarters it makes it difficult for the wait staff to have to move around the dogs. Some of the dog friendly restaurants are Zoe’s, Ugly Mug, Tisha’s, Rusty Nail, Harry’s Bar and Grill, Harpoon Henry’s, Gecko’s, Dry Dock Grill, Blue Pig Tavern, and there are more!

While in Cape May you can have so much fun in a wide variety of activities with your dog. You can visit the Airport Museum at the Naval Air Station Wildwood, do a tour and/or tasting at Cape May Winery, take a cruise on the Spirit of Cape May Whale Watch Boat, and of course, you can go to the beach since many of the bay beaches are dog friendly, as long as the dog is leashed and picked up after. You can walk the beach, go in the water for a little swim, play, explore – just be sure to watch your dog and don’t allow drinking salt water or “dining” on some of the beach debris, since any and all of that can make your dog very sick and in some cases can be fatal. Have fun but be watchful and careful.