Haunted Dining Returns to Menz Restaurant in Rio Grande

Issue #793

August 30, 2026

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In This Cape May Local Scoop Issue…

 📆 Cape May Events

☀️ Cape May Local Weather 

💀Haunted Dining Returns to Menz Restaurant in Rio Grande

🦋Cape May Nature Center Celebrates Monarch Migration With Full-Day Festival 

🚜 Monster Trucks Return to Wildwood Beach for Three Days of Racing 

We have until September 4th for Cape May to be featured in a Hallmark Christmas Movie

👇 Here’s what’s going on in the Cape May Local Area👇  

 August 30

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 Haunted Dining Returns to Menz Restaurant in Rio Grande

Menz Restaurant & Bar will bring back its annual Haunted Dining experience beginning Friday, Sept. 25, and continuing through Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. The seasonal transformation adds elaborate Halloween displays and effects to a restaurant that is anything but conventional during the rest of the year.

Located along Route 47 in Rio Grande, Menz has developed a following for combining family dining with a collection of curiosities accumulated over generations. Visitors encounter everything from antique dolls and mounted animals to vintage memorabilia and the restaurant's well-known two-headed calf.

Even the exterior offers clues that this is not an ordinary dinner stop. A sailboat sits on the property, oversized decorations surround the entrance and a figure honoring Franklin Menz can be spotted above the building.

During Haunted Dining, that already unusual atmosphere receives a Halloween makeover. The restaurant incorporates spooky decorations and effects throughout its dining areas, creating a seasonal experience alongside its regular food service.

For the 2026 Haunted Dining season, Menz plans to open at 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Sunday and at 3 p.m. Saturday during the event.

Reservations are strongly recommended and are handled by phone only at 609-886-9500. Callers must follow the prompts for the dedicated Haunted Dining reservation line and provide their name, telephone number, party size, preferred date and backup date, along with desired dining times. The restaurant asks customers not to leave Haunted Dining requests on its regular dining voicemail.

Cape May Nature Center Celebrates Monarch Migration With Full-Day Festival

The Nature Center of Cape May will host the Cape May Monarch Festival on Sept. 27, bringing a full day of family activities, science demonstrations and conservation programs to the harborfront nature center. The festival coincides with the annual monarch butterfly migration through Cape May, where the peninsula’s location funnels southbound butterflies toward the coast before they continue their journey toward overwintering grounds in central Mexico.

Visitors will be able to watch monarch tagging demonstrations connected with long-running migration research, learn about the role of milkweed and native flowers in butterfly survival, and take part in a Butterfly Parade featuring homemade wings and costumes. The event will also include children’s crafts, butterfly-themed yoga, local artists and authors, live music, food trucks and vendors.

Beyond the festival activities, guests can explore the Nature Center’s observation tower, harbor views, indoor aquaria and exhibits on local wildlife and coastal ecology. Conservation will be a major theme throughout the event, with programs encouraging residents to plant native milkweed and nectar-producing flowers, reduce pesticide use and help protect habitat used by monarchs and other pollinators.

Cape May is especially important during fall migration because butterflies traveling down the Atlantic Coast are concentrated at the southern end of the peninsula. The festival will give visitors an opportunity to see that migration while learning about the decades of research conducted through the Monarch Monitoring Project and other conservation organizations.

Monster Trucks Return to Wildwood Beach for Three Days of Racing

The Renegade Monster Truck Tour will bring its Monsters on the Beach event back to Wildwood for three days of racing, freestyle competition and truck-pulling action on the sand.

The event is scheduled for Sept. 25 through Sept. 27, 2026, on Wildwood Beach at Spicer Avenue.

Friday's opening show begins at 7 p.m. The Saturday competition is scheduled for 4 p.m., with gates typically opening at 3 p.m. The weekend concludes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. show, with gates typically opening at 11:30 a.m.

The beach course will feature monster trucks competing in head-to-head races, best-trick contests and freestyle performances across a custom-built sand track. Truck pulls and tough truck challenges are also expected to be part of the weekend lineup.

The outdoor event has become a popular attraction for families and motorsports fans, combining the spectacle of monster trucks with Wildwood's beachfront setting.

Seating along the beach track is limited. Tickets are on sale through the Renegade Monster Truck Tour, with additional event information available through the Wildwoods' official events calendar.

For more information, visit renegademonstertrucks.com or wildwoodsnj.com.

Which famous birdwatching event takes place annually in Cape May, New Jersey?

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 Answer to the August 29th Trivia Question 

Which notable pirate is rumored to have buried treasure in Cape May, New Jersey?

A) Blackbeard
B) Anne Bonny
C) Captain William Kidd
D) Henry Morgan

Answer: C) Captain William Kidd

Legend has it that Captain William Kidd, a famous pirate, buried treasure somewhere in Cape May, New Jersey. This rumor, along with the town's rich history of pirate activity along its shores, adds an intriguing layer to Cape May's historical narrative​

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