Red knots arrive to Cape May in early May, famished and half their departure weight after their long journey northward. Their arrival coincides with the annual horseshoe crab spawning in the Delaware Bay. During May and June of each year thousands of horseshoe crabs emerge from the depths of the Bay to spawn along the shoreline—an incredible natural phenomenon. Red knots, relying on masses of tiny, green horseshoe crab eggs on the beach, descend on the banks of the Delaware Bay and gorge themselves for about one month in preparation for the final leg of their journey to their Arctic breeding grounds.

Richard Crossley is an internationally acclaimed birder, photographer and award winning author of ‘The Crossley ID Guide’ series. Crazy, wildly passionate, driven and single-minded are just a few of the words used to describe his love of birding and the outdoors.

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Stay at Beach Plum Farm

A stay at Beach Plum Farm provides the ultimate immersive experience. Amenities like full kitchens and spacious living areas make the Farm Cottages perfect for groups.

Included in your Beach Plum Farm Cottage Migration getaway:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations
• A Welcome Reception on the Monday night of your arrival, where you'll meet your hosts over refreshments and light bites
• A copy of The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds, Richard Crossley's definitive field guide that will vastly improve your ability to identify birds
• Two days of hands-on birding instruction led by Richard Crossley
• Breakfast each morning, before that day's expedition
• Lunch each afternoon, to refresh and fortify
• Adventure Dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, each featuring a different location around Cape May's fields and coastlines. These special open air pop-up dinners are served family-style at a communal table, and each features a delicious farm-to-table dinner menu tailored to the evening
• All transportation provided from Beach Plum Farm to each destination and back again, for the duration of your stay

Monday, May 20 through Wednesday, May 22
Checking out Thursday, May 23

Book the Beach Plum Farm Cottages Call: (833) 327-6268

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Stay at The Virginia Hotel

Located on historic Jackson Street, the Virginia is ideal for couples and individual travelers.

Included in your Virginia Hotel Migration getaway:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations
• A Welcome Reception on the Monday night of your arrival, where you'll meet your hosts over refreshments and light bites
• A copy of The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds, Richard Crossley's definitive field guide that will vastly improve your ability to identify birds
• Two days of hands-on birding instruction led by Richard Crossley
• Breakfast each morning, before that day's expedition
• Lunch each afternoon, to refresh and fortify




The Tuesday and Wednesday Adventure Dinners can be added to your Virginia hotel reservation as an optional Stay Enhancement.

Please note: Guests staying at The Virginia will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Beach Plum Farm. Transportation to the individual birding destinations will be provided.

Monday, May 20 through Wednesday, May 22
Checking out Thursday, May 23

Book the Virginia Call: (800) 732-4236

Online reservations for the Virginia Hotel default to two (2) guests. Additional guests can be added to your reservation at the time of booking.

Named for the famous Italian Bike Race, this Wine Dinner will explore the lesser-known regions of Italy.

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Thursday, May 2, 2024

Sold Out

Join us for our next Wine Dinner on Thursday, June 20!

Wines from Northern California possess a distinctive allure born from a harmonious marriage of terroir, innovation, and tradition. Blessed with diverse microclimates, from the fog-kissed valleys of Napa to the sun-drenched slopes of Sonoma, these regions nurture a rich tapestry of grape varietals. Each sip unfolds a narrative of the land, with cool coastal breezes infusing a crisp minerality or warm inland sun coaxing forth opulent fruit flavors. Yet, it's not just nature's hand that shapes these wines—it's the visionary vintners who blend time-honored techniques with cutting-edge practices, crafting wines that embody both elegance and boldness.

Thursday, June 20

Reserve Tickets
Stay Overnight: Book Package Stay Overnight: Call 1 (800) 732-4236

Stay Overnight! Steps away from the Richmond Room, a cozy guest room or suite at The Virginia provides welcome rest after a night of fine food and drink. Click here to reserve your overnight stay online, or call us at (844) 227-6672. After you book your stay, our Concierge will be glad to assist with your Wine Dinner reservations.

All sessions will be led by Elody Gyekis, artist and New York Academy of Art Instructor. Elody Gyekis is a painter and multi-disciplinary artist based in Pennsylvania. Elody’s artwork pushes the boundaries of gender roles and celebrates femininity, using the language of myth and fairytales as a process of personal catharsis. When not doing self-portraits, she works intimately with her subjects, creating collaborative portraits that celebrate their unique identities. Natural themes also dominate her work, which is often filled with flora, fauna and landscapes.

Included in this package:

• Deluxe Overnight Cottage Accommodations
• A Welcome Reception on the Sunday night of your arrival
• Guided Classes and Working Seminars on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, led by instructor Elody Gyekis
• A Farm-Fresh Breakfast each morning of your stay, delivered to your Cottage
• Working Lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, to refresh and fortify
• A Farm-to-Table Dinner on Tuesday evening

Please Note: Our Impression retreats welcome both beginners and experienced artists.

For beginners, we’ve prepared a convenient Materials Kit that you can add to your reservation as a Stay Enhancement. From brushes to paper, everything you need for your Impression workshop is included in this kit, with a focus on water coloring and drawing.

Experienced artists are welcome to bring their own oil paints and equipment.

Book Online

Set overlooking the Peconic Bay on the Pridwin's beautiful tree-lined campus, this three-day plein air landscape drawing and painting workshop will offer personalized, one-on-one instruction for both beginners and experienced artists.

Our May Impression art retreat will be lead by artist Melanie Vote. Melanie Vote grew up in the rural mid-west but has lived in NYC for over 20 years. Her work straddles these two worlds, investigating the complexities of the human-land relationship, the cyclical nature of all life, and the impossibility of permanence. She received her BFA from Iowa State University and her MFA in Painting from New York Academy of Art. Vote was a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2007 and has been awarded many residencies including The Vermont Studio Center, Jentel in Banner, WY, AHAD in Abu Dhabi, UAE, The Grand Canyon, The Weir Farm program in CT. Her last solo exhibition, The Washhouse, Nothing Ever Happened Here was at Equity Gallery in 2020 and most recently her work was on view in a two-person exhibition Concurrence at DFN Projects in October 2023. Vote teaches at NYAA and has taught at The New School, NJCU, and Pratt Institute. Additionally, Vote has been a visiting artist at numerous schools including the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.

Included in this package:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations at the Pridwin
• A Welcome Dinner on the Friday night of your arrival
• Guided Classes and Working Seminars on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, led by New York Academy of Art instructors
• A Finale Dinner on Sunday evening
• Working Lunches on Saturday and Sunday afternoons
• Breakfast at The Terrace each morning of your stay

Please Note: Our Impression retreats welcome both beginners and experienced artists.

For beginners, we’ve prepared a convenient Materials Kit that you can add to your reservation as a Stay Enhancement. From brushes to paper, everything you need for your Impression workshop is included in this kit, with a focus on water coloring and drawing.

Experienced artists are welcome to bring their own oil paints and equipment.

Book Online for One (1) Guest Book Online for Two (2) Guests Call to Book: 1 (844) 200-5001

Additional guests can be added to your stay at the time of booking.

You'll mingle with their wealthy neighbors and friends including advertising pioneer Artemis Ward and his wife Rebecca. Also on hand will be vacationing Vassar law professor Percy Longfellow. As you dine you'll be fussed over by the Smith's loyal butler, Horace, and Mary's fortune-hunting maid, Charlene. Katherine Kerry, a reporter for the South Sea Observer, is on the scene. She observes much more than glitz and gaiety when she witnesses a murder!

Spend a two-night stay with us and watch the mystery unfold as you experience three days filled with riddles, clues and a whodunit that will keep you guessing until the very end. From costumes and storylines to humor and problem solving, our partners at Murder Café will be sure to entertain and surprise guests. The performance is broken up over 4 acts and three days, and it is up to you to solve the crime!

Included in this package:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations at The Pridwin Hotel and Cottages
• Three Days of Murder Mystery Fun at The Pridwin in partnership with our friends at Murder Café
• A Opening Act & Welcome Reception in the Grove on Friday to get into the spirit
• Dinner for Two on Saturday Evening—where the mystery will unfold!
• Breakfast for Two on Saturday and Sunday Mornings

Costumes Encouraged!

Our Murder Mystery weekend will feature a 1900s theme, and we encourage you to dress the part!

Book Online for One (1) Guest Book Online for Two (2) GuestsCall to Book: 1 (844) 200-5001

Additional guests can be added to your stay at the time of booking.

“It’s a gritty, dirty, muddy job, and perhaps you have to be just a little bit crazy to do it. But there’s also a romance to this work," says Lisa Calvo, owner of Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm.

For three decades, most recently with Rutgers University, Lisa studied shellfish pathology, helping to develop oysters resistant to disease. As a side hustle, she launched Sweet Amalia, which was named for her daughter, who, as a toddler, would slurp oysters straight off the reef. The project began as a learning laboratory for studying aquaculture so that Calvo might better assist other farmers, but, a couple of years ago, it became her full-time occupation. Now, on a six-acre, intertidal plot located off of Route 47, Calvo and her team harvest approximately 3,000 oysters per season.

Experience the world of oyster farming firsthand with a deluxe getaway in Cape May that pairs hard work with with fine tastes. On the storied banks of the Delaware Bay, you'll receive a shucking lesson and an oyster tasting led by Sweet Amalia's experienced oyster farmers. And, to round out your stay in Cape May, you'll enjoy a world-class dinner in the Ebbitt Room that incorporates tide-to-table oyster recipes from Chef Jason Hanin.

Included in your stay:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations at The Virginia Hotel or The Beach Plum Farm Cottages
• An In-Depth Tour and Hands-On Oyster Shucking Lesson at Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm
• An Oyster Tasting and Picnic Lunch at Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm
• A Delicious Dinner in the Virginia's private Richmond Room on Tuesday evening, featuring a themed menu prepared by Executive Chef Jason Hanin
• All transportation provided to and from Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm

Reserve Your Stay

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June Package

Package available:
Monday, June 3 through Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Book The Virginia Hotel Book The Beach Plum Farm Cottages Call: (855) 290-8467

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September Package

Package available:
Monday, September 16 through Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Book The Virginia Hotel Book The Beach Plum Farm Cottages Call: (855) 290-8467

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October Package

Package available:
Monday, October 28 through Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Book The Virginia Hotel Book The Beach Plum Farm Cottages Call: (855) 290-8467

“The largest variety of birds are moving south to their wintering grounds," Richard says. "We get everything: 30 species of warbler, shorebirds, raptors—you name it. It’s possible to see nearly 200 species over just a few days."

Richard Crossley is an internationally acclaimed birder, photographer and award winning author of ‘The Crossley ID Guide’ series. Crazy, wildly passionate, driven and single-minded are just a few of the words used to describe his love of birding and the outdoors.

---

Stay at Beach Plum Farm

A stay at Beach Plum Farm provides the ultimate immersive experience. Amenities like full kitchens and spacious living areas make the Farm Cottages perfect for groups.

Included in your Beach Plum Farm Cottage Migration getaway:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations
• A Welcome Reception on the Monday night of your arrival, where you'll meet your hosts over refreshments and light bites
• A copy of The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds, Richard Crossley's definitive field guide that will vastly improve your ability to identify birds
• Two days of hands-on birding instruction led by Richard Crossley
• Breakfast each morning, before that day's expedition
• Lunch each afternoon, to refresh and fortify
• Adventure Dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, each featuring a different location around Cape May's fields and coastlines. These special open air pop-up dinners are served family-style at a communal table, and each features a delicious farm-to-table dinner menu tailored to the evening
• All transportation provided from Beach Plum Farm to each destination and back again, for the duration of your stay

Monday, September 30 through Wednesday, October 2
Checking out Thursday, October 3

Book the Beach Plum Farm Cottages Call: (833) 327-6268

Monday, October 14 through Wednesday, October 16
Checking out Thursday, October 17

Book the Beach Plum Farm Cottages Call: (833) 327-6268

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Stay at The Virginia Hotel

Located on historic Jackson Street, the Virginia is ideal for couples and individual travelers.

Included in your Virginia Hotel Migration getaway:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations
• A Welcome Reception on the Monday night of your arrival, where you'll meet your hosts over refreshments and light bites
• A copy of The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds, Richard Crossley's definitive field guide that will vastly improve your ability to identify birds
• Two days of hands-on birding instruction led by Richard Crossley
• Breakfast each morning, before that day's expedition
• Lunch each afternoon, to refresh and fortify




The Tuesday and Wednesday Adventure Dinners can be added to your Virginia hotel reservation as an optional Stay Enhancement.

Please note: Guests staying at The Virginia will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Beach Plum Farm. Transportation to the individual birding destinations will be provided.

Monday, September 30 through Wednesday, October 2
Checking out Thursday, October 3

Book the Virginia Hotel Call: (800) 732-4236

Monday, October 14 through Wednesday, October 16
Checking out Thursday, October 17

Book the Virginia Hotel Call: (800) 732-4236

Online reservations for the Virginia Hotel default to two (2) guests. Additional guests can be added to your reservation at the time of booking.

From costumes and storylines to humor and problem solving, our partners at Murder Café will be sure to entertain and surprise guests. The performance is broken up over 4 acts and three days, and it is up to you to solve the crime!

Included in this package:

• Deluxe Overnight Accommodations at Congress Hall
• Welcome Cocktails for Two to get into the spirit
• Three Days of Murder Mystery Fun at Congress Hall in partnership with our friends at Murder Café
• Brunch for Two on Saturday Morning in the Ballroom, featuring a selection of Mimosas and Bloody Marys
• Dinner for Two on Saturday Evening in the Ballroom
• Breakfast for Two on Sunday Morning in the Ballroom

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Available Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 3, 2024

BOOK ONLINE CALL TO BOOK: 1 (888) 944-1816

Please note that online bookings default to two (2) guests. Additional guests can be added to your reservation at the time of booking.

Package subject to availability and change. Packages cannot be applied to existing offers or promotions. Package inclusions have no cash value.

Set out on a guided expedition of Beach Plum Farm's Woodland Marsh Trail and adjoining forests, searching for edible mushrooms, berries and spices—with guided instruction all the way. Upon your return, you'll survey your findings, consulting our Farm Team on textures and flavor profiles. Afterwards, we’ll properly store and cleanse your findings to incorporate in a tailored Farm-to-Table Dinner menu, created with your ingredients as the highlight.

Included in your Rooted: Foraging getaway:

• Deluxe Overnight Cottage Accommodations
• A Welcome Dinner Reception in the Hoop House on the Monday night of your arrival, where you'll join our Rooted hosts
• A Guided Farm Tour on Tuesday morning, led by Christina Albert, Beach Plum Farm's Director of Agriculture
• Guided Foraging Seminars on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, led by expert instructors
• A Yoga Session in the Kitchen Gardens on Wednesday morning
• A Farm-to-Table Dinner on Wednesday evening, prepared specially for our Rooted guests
• Working Lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, to refresh and fortify
• A Farm-Fresh Breakfast each morning of your stay, delivered to your Cottage

View Sample Itinerary

Book Your Stay

Monday, October 21 through Wednesday, October 23
Checking out Thursday, October 24

Book Online Call to Book: (833) 327-6268

Included in your Rooted: Autumn Harvest getaway:

• Deluxe Overnight Cottage Accommodations
• A Welcome Dinner Reception in the Hoop House on the Monday night of your arrival, where you'll join our Rooted hosts
• A Guided Farm Tour on Tuesday morning, led by Christina Albert, Beach Plum Farm's Director of Agriculture
• Guided Gardening Seminars on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, led by expert instructors
• A Yoga Session in the Kitchen Gardens on Wednesday morning
• A Farm-to-Table Dinner on Wednesday evening, prepared specially for our Rooted guests
• Working Lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, to refresh and fortify
• A Farm-Fresh Breakfast each morning of your stay, delivered to your Cottage

View Sample Itinerary

Book Your Stay

Monday, October 28 through Wednesday, October 30
Checking out Thursday, March 24

Book Online Call to Book: (833) 327-6268