So what was life like back in the days before flat screen TV’s, iPODs and cell phones? A trip to Historic Cold Spring Village will fill you in. Right outside of Cape May, you’ll find more than two dozen restored 18th century buildings that have been relocated from around Cape May and Cumberland counties to depict what life was like a few centuries ago.
From the one-room Marshalville School to the Finley Blacksmith shop to the Cold Spring Grange to the Tuckahoe Bookbindery, Cold Spring sets the stage for a hands-on visit to colonial times. Costumed craftspeople and artisans run workshops and demonstrations to show how things were made before you could just press a button or push in a plug. You’ll see how printing was done, pottery was made and how 18th and early 19th century moms prepared food from scratch for their broods.
Of course, you won’t want to spend a whole day waiting for your food like they did back then so you an drop by the ice cream shop, one of the restaurants or general store for a snack or to pick up craft kits, toys or heritage foodstuffs.
In addition to special school programs and series of kids workshops, Cold Spring also runs academic programs for adults. You can learn how to research records and deeds to study the region’s past. And if you really get into the whole living history thing, you can sign on as a crafts apprentice and try your hand at early 19th century crafts.