Visiting the Shore for holiday fun

Mark Soifer, who's worked to put Ocean City on the map for almost four decades, remembers his early years in town when the Shore closed down after Labor Day and the entire tourist industry started thinking about the next Memorial Day.

In recent years, thoughts of hibernating until the spring have been pushed further into nostalgia, as Shore towns are moving closer to their July speed. "People want more things and we're giving them more things," says Soifer, Ocean City publicity director. "It's been a gradual buildup."

Jeff Vasser, president of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority, said moves to stretch the season date back to 1921, when the Miss America Pageant was dreamed up to lengthen the tourism calendar by two weeks. By the 1980s, "everything used to revolve around casinos and casino entertainment." But with the casinos facing competition elsewhere in the East, Vasser says, "We have to give people more diversified offerings."

So even with bathing suits in the closet until May - or maybe longer, depending on that new diet - the Shore this year is pushing holiday attractions including shows, sports, the arts and Christmas events.

The casinos still play a major role, of course, as you can see while approaching the area on the Atlantic City Expressway after dusk. You can look up at the holiday-themed light show on the Waterfront Tower of Harrah's Resort. Caught by the weakened economy and competition from new casinos in other states, the hotels also are offering their best rates in years. Imagine a $99 night at Borgata or Caesars Atlantic City.

At the Tropicana, a performance of Miracle on 34th Street opened last weekend and runs through Dec. 19. Tickets are $25 and are available at the Tropicana, 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. For show times, visit www.tropicana.net.

The casino also puts on a free Holiday Musical Light Show every hour on the hour from noon until 10 p.m. from Monday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout the holiday season.

For totally personal entertainment, you can splurge on stress relief at the Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars. A selection of 75-minute "Joy, Peace and Harmony" treatments are offered daily except Saturday throughout December for $180 each. More information and reservations are available at 609-343-2400 or www.quabathsandspa.com. The hotel is featuring its fine-dining experiences including a $35, three-course dinner at Mia, owned by Georges Perrier and Chris Scarduzio.

A popular staple of the holiday season are the annual Christmas Candlelight House Tours in Cape May on Dec. 5, 12 and 19. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., visitors can tour at least 15 Victorian homes, churches, inns, and hotels. Hospitality centers along the way will offer hot drinks and baked goods.

Admission is $25 for adults and $20 for children ages 3 to 12 and includes admission to the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, a Victorian house museum. This will be the 36th year for the tours, sponsored by the nonprofit Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC).

The center is also offering a Cape May Wine Weekend Dec. 19-21. It includes a winery tour, wine-tasting dinner and wine-tasting class for a package price of $135 per person.

For reservations or information about other MAC events, call 609-884-5404 or 1-800-275-4278 or visit the Web site at www.capemaymac.org.

In Ocean City, the emphasis is on family entertainment and bargains. Saturday, local merchants dressed in pajamas will get a one-week jump on Black Friday by offering free coffee and prizes for the people with the most unusual pajamas.

On Saturday and Sunday, craftspeople from up and down the East Coast will display their work at the Holiday Celebration of Fine Crafts at the Music Pier on the Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace. Admission is $3, with kids under age 12 free, and all profits from admission and entry fees go to area charities.

On Black Friday itself, Nov. 27, merchants will hold a "Miracle on Asbury Avenue" event from noon to 6 p.m., beginning a weekend of late-night shopping and gift certificate giveaways.

The holiday season in Ocean City ends with the trademark non-alcoholic New Year's celebration, with fireworks at midnight.

Cultural events over the holidays include the Cape May Film Festival, today through Sunday, with Philadelphia jazz-guitar great Pat Martino as a special guest. More than 50 films will be screened at Congress Hall, including a documentary about Martino's remarkable recovery from a crippling brain injury. For more information, call 609-884-6700 or visit www.capemayfilm.org. Prices range from $10 for a single movie to weekend passes from $45.

If your holiday season isn't complete without a performance of The Nutcracker, the Atlantic City Ballet can fill the bill, giving three performances of the classic at Richard Stockton College in Pomona on Dec. 11 and 12. Tickets range from $35 to $10 for children younger than 12 accompanied by a paying adult. For tickets and more information on this and other offerings at the Stockton Performing Arts Center, call 609-652-9000 or go to http://intraweb.stockton.edu/pac/indexmain.asp.

There are also free events.

The Atlantic City Art Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. except for major holidays. The center, on Garden Pier on the Boardwalk at New Jersey Avenue, features an Asian arts exhibit this month.

The Atlantic City Free Public Library will host its 22d annual Kwanzaa program at 2 p.m. Dec. 26 at the All Wars Memorial Building, 1510 Adriatic Ave. The program will feature a performance by the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble.

Atlantic City will also be the scene of the Shore's top sporting event over the holidays, the Legends Classic basketball tournament, at Boardwalk Hall.

The semifinal doubleheader on Nov. 27 pairs Rutgers against the University of Massachusetts and Michigan State vs. Florida. The championship and consolation games will be played the following day. Tickets for this and other events at Boardwalk Hall are available at all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-736-1420.