No, Cape May, NJ is not a dry town. The city licenses bars, restaurants, and package stores, so you can buy alcohol and order a drink with dinner without leaving town. What you can’t do is drink in public spaces, and a few neighboring shore towns in Cape May County are dry, which matters if you’re driving between them.
Buying and Ordering a Drink in Cape May
Cape May’s municipal code sets up a standard licensing framework: plenary retail consumption licenses for bars and restaurants, and plenary retail distribution licenses for package stores.1eCode360. City of Cape May Code – Chapter 134 Alcoholic Beverages Many restaurants hold full liquor licenses and serve beer, wine, and cocktails. Bars and pubs operate throughout the town, particularly in the historic district and near the beachfront. For taking bottles back to a rental or hotel, package stores including The Wine Cellar and Collier’s Liquor Store sell wine, beer, and spirits. Several hotels and bed-and-breakfasts also have on-site bars or licensed dining rooms.
BYOB at Unlicensed Restaurants
Some Cape May restaurants don’t hold a liquor license and operate on a bring-your-own basis. New Jersey allows patrons to bring wine or beer into an unlicensed restaurant unless a local ordinance says otherwise, and Cape May has no such prohibition.
A few rules apply statewide. You can bring wine or beer, not hard liquor. The restaurant cannot charge a corkage fee or any service charge tied to your bottle. Restaurants also cannot advertise themselves as BYOB, so call ahead if you want to confirm a place’s policy.
Where You Cannot Drink
Cape May’s ordinance prohibits consuming alcoholic beverages or carrying open containers on streets, sidewalks, highways, alleys, parking lots, and any other public or quasi-public place.2eCode360. City of Cape May Code – Chapter 134 Alcoholic Beverages, Article II – Possession or Consumption in Public and in Vehicles That language covers essentially every outdoor space that isn’t inside a licensed business.
The beach is where this catches the most visitors. Alcohol is not permitted on Cape May’s beaches, and enforcement is active in summer. The Promenade falls under the same rule. If you want a drink with an ocean view, sit at a beachfront restaurant or bar with an outdoor deck rather than bring a cooler onto the sand.
Cars get their own restriction under the same ordinance. Open containers inside a vehicle on public roads in Cape May are prohibited whether the car is moving or parked.
Dry Towns Near Cape May
Cape May is wet, but several neighboring municipalities in Cape May County are dry, and the rules change the moment you cross a town line. Ocean City is the best-known dry shore town in the state and one of the strictest: unlike most dry towns that tolerate BYOB dining, Ocean City prohibits patrons from bringing alcohol into restaurants. Cape May Point is also dry, and its ordinance goes further than most, banning even the possession of an open alcoholic beverage on streets, beaches, or any public space.3Drug Free NJ. Borough of Cape May Point Code 120-1 – Prohibited Acts or Activities Wildwood Crest is another nearby dry municipality. If you’re staying in any of these towns, buy your alcohol in Cape May or another wet community first.
Underage Drinking and Rental Hosts
The legal drinking age in New Jersey is 21. Anyone who knowingly serves or makes alcohol available to a person under 21 commits a disorderly persons offense, and the same statute makes it an offense to allow someone to use your property to provide alcohol to minors.4Justia. New Jersey Code Title 2C – Section 2C-33-17 – Availability of Alcoholic Beverages to Underaged, Offenses Narrow exceptions exist for a parent or guardian of legal age, and for religious ceremonies.
Cape May is a family destination, and bars, restaurants, and liquor stores card regularly. If you’re renting a house and hosting guests, the property-owner liability provision applies to vacation rentals the same way it applies to a permanent residence. Allowing underage drinking at a rental can bring criminal charges, not just a fee from the property manager.