Exploring The Nature Conservancy at South Cape May Meadows

Two months ago we headed down to the south Jersey Shore for vacation. We love visiting the Stone Harbor, Wildwood and Cape May areas. We always stay in North Wildwood and spend one day down in Cape May shopping and exploring the area.

The Nature Conservancy at South Cape May Meadows is a nature preserve where locals and visitors can walk their trails and see wildlife. During our visit we saw a few heron, egrets, Canadian geese, rabbits, turtles, butterflies and a black snake. I could of done without the snake!!!

It’s open year-round and its 100% FREE to visit. They have a parking lot right out front with some information boards that you can stop and read. Those boards contain a lot of information about the wildlife that lives in the area and some wildlife that migrates through. I was surprised to see a variety of raptors and owls on the list!

You’ll want to wear comfortable walking shoes, apply your sunscreen and bug spray before heading out on the trail. The trail is unpaved but is well maintained and covered in small stones. It’s a fairly easy trail to walk and navigate. The trail basically loops around the nature preserve.

There are a few wooden benches along the way that you can sit down on to rest. There are NOT many shaded areas, so if you’re visiting during the summertime dress appropriately and bring bottled water. The first trail which loops around the right side of the preserve took us 20-25 minutes to walk. Once you get to the back side of the preserve you can take another trail and head to the beach. That is just an additional 5 minute walk and you’ll get some beautiful views of the sandy beach and Atlantic Ocean.

You’ll then head down the other trail which loops around to the left-side of the preserve. After walking for another 15 minutes you’ll come across the bird watching blind. You can go in there to do some bird watching or just enjoy the shade. There are posters in there hanging on the wall that tell you about the wildlife that lives in the area or visits the area during the various seasons of the year.

We spent an entire hour walking the trails and checking out the nature preserve. It’s always nice to find FREE activities to do while you’re on vacation. Plus, it was nice to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine after being cooped up for a few months. This is a wonderful FREE activity for couples and families to enjoy while visiting the Stone Harbor, Wildwood and/or Cape May areas in New Jersey. We highly recommend it.