Traffic to Cape May NJ

My DH's friends are renting a house in Cape May, NJ for Memorial Day weekend. We are on the fence if we are going to go or not.

We would not be able to leave our house until 3:30 and the drive is 5 hours. Is the traffic to get there ridiculous, especially for a holiday weekend or do you think most people are there by Friday night?

Thanks!

Traffic to Cape May NJ

As someone who rented NJ shore houses every summer when I was single, I can tell you traffic to the shore is HORRIFIC the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (my shore houses were always exit 98, which is much closer than Cape May). My rentals always started that Friday. We all either got there by 10am or waited to start driving down at 10pm. There was one summer where I got stuck working and couldn't leave until 1:00. My 90 minute drive took me nearly 4 hours.

Message edited 3/15/2017 11:55:42 PM.

Re: Traffic to Cape May NJ

We always leave for Cape May at like 5 am. You have to be over the bridges before 6 am or you are screwed . When we do that we get there super fast with no traffic
On a holiday weekend, at the time you want to leave it will be an utter nightmare

Message edited 3/16/2017 9:34:28 AM.

Traffic to Cape May NJ

I would skip it. 3:30 on a Friday is horrendous in general, Memorial Day weekend is 10x worse!

Traffic to Cape May NJ

I'm not leaving from LI - I live upstate - if that makes a difference. i know traffic getting to NJ will be okay. The real question is once you get to NJ how is the traffic??

Re: Traffic to Cape May NJ

Re: Traffic to Cape May NJ

Traffic will be crappy, but i LOVE cape may and i would sit in the traffic to spend a weekend there. Its incredible there! i say go.

Re: Traffic to Cape May NJ

My sister left for cape may on a Saturday in August last year with a young baby, from new paltz. 7 hours of traffic..

Traffic to Cape May NJ

We decided to go. All of my DH's friends are going so he really wanted to go. We have driven Memorial Day weekend to Delaware the last two years and we survived so here goes nothing! Wish us luck!!!

Re: Traffic to Cape May NJ

I went once over a regular summer weekend, we left around the same time you did and it took us 6 1/2 hours to get there. Tons of traffic and heavy rain that night didn't help, but I would never not leave at 6am again.

If I were you, If you can't leave super early on Friday, I'd go first thing Saturday morning.

Cape May is really fun!

Traffic to Cape May NJ

The drive actually wasn't too bad. It took us about 5 hours 15 minutes (with no traffic the drive is 4:50) and we hit minimal traffic on the garden state.