On Saturday, June 21, 2014 it was not looking like a good beach day.
While out cycling on Friday evening, I saw they were setting up for a weekend festival at the Hereford Lighthouse & Gardens.
My wife & I decided to spend the day in The Wildwoods on this cloudy day.

What a treat it turned out to be! We were lucky to have a garden tour with Steve Murray the designer and creator of the gardens.
Steve had such a passion and love for the gardens and really all of The Wildwoods.
We really enjoyed ourselves listening to him speak of what he was trying to create at the Hereford Lighthouse & Gardens.

From the Hereford Lighthouse & Gardens website:

"The Victorian style park and gardens surrounding the lighthouse were designed and planted by Steve Murray in 1986.
Before this the grounds were just sandy lots covered in brush. Now over 200 plant varieties in different garden rooms, adorn the site, each connected by winding paths that eventually lead right up to the seawall and Atlantic Ocean.
Benches, set back in cozy little niches line the garden path and a large gazebo is a focal point of this beautiful and tranquil setting.

The gardens have won numerous awards including the Suburban Greening Award from the Pa.
Horticultural Society and the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce Beautification Award.
They have been featured in such magazines as Coastal Living and Victorian Homes and in books that include
The Great Gardens of New Jersey and Exploring Gardens and Green Spaces from Connecticut to the Delaware Valley.

The Gardens are also a favorite haunt of birders and butterfly watchers and are listed as a wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation."