If you can't swing an overnight visit, front office manager Dennis Zaicevs said you're still welcome to purchase a cocktail at the bar - the hotel has two - and sip it on the veranda overlooking the ocean.
Trolley tours that are run by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts chronicle the history of both the Christian Admiral and Congress Hall. They embark regularly from the Cape May information booth at the intersection of Washington and Ocean streets. You want the "Mansions by the Sea" route.
If you miss . . .
The Shore social circuit of old
Try this . . .
Grace Kelly had her Sweet 16 party here in 1945, and despite a sprawl of time-share condos on the wooded 670-acre property, the ambiance hasn't changed appreciably since then. The resort decor is old money casual, with two 18-hole golf courses, a wood-beamed, open-air ballroom and a retro indoor pool.
In its prime, the place was as upper crusty as it gets. Now more mid-range, with a three-star rating from Mobil, the Seaview was a Marriott property until last weekend and is newly part of the Dolce hotel chain, based in North Jersey. (Visit dolce-seaview-hotel.com for rates and reservations, or call 609-652-1800).
The seasoned members of the Seaview bell staff are the keepers of the throwback resort's rich history - much of it firsthand - and they're happy to share her secrets. "The guy that's been here the least amount time is 25 years," said bellman Bruce Douglas, who's been there for 29.
The Seaview is situated on the mainland in Galloway, N.J., about 7 miles west of Atlantic City. There are views of the modern AC skyline from bay-facing rooms on the third floor.
If you miss . . .
Zaberer's Restaurant
Try this . . .
The landmark sign is the star attraction of a veritable Zaberer's shrine housed at the charming George F. Boyer Historical Museum, run by the Wildwood Historical Society. Also on display: nostaglic celebrity photos, menus, a waitress uniform and - as of this month - an original Zaberer's Tiffanylamp, shipped to Wildwood from Florida as a surprise donation from restaurant scion Donald Zaberer.
"He put those little white plastic popcorn things in the box and I was wearing corduroy pants when I opened it," said museum historian Bob Bright. "I was covered with those things."
At the Historical Society, you can also set your wayback machine to 1936, when the ill-fated Hindenburg did a Wildwood flyover - the museum has pictures - or way, way back to 1895, when Wildwood still had woods. The preserved trunk of the famous Wildwood "W tree," a turn-of-the-century landmark, is here, too. *
George F. Boyer Historical Museum, 3905 Pacific Ave., Wildwood, 609-523-0277. Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. No admission fee, although donations are appreciated.
