The Queen Victoria is one of the premier inns of Cape May, N.J.

Once upon a time, a young couple in love discovered the Victorian charm, the delicious restaurants and the quaint shops of Cape May on the Jersey shore. A few years later, pregnant with their first child, they spent a week at a lovely bed and breakfast, participating in seminars throughout the town for Victorian Week, learning the ins and outs of Victorian renovation, having just purchased a 12-room Victorian Queen Anne on Wheeling Island. (Although, pregnant with daily morning sickness does not fare well with the “breakfast” part of a B&B.) With two children, they returned, giving up the romantic bed and breakfast for the Victorian Inn, with a pool and efficiency apartments. Again, with older kids in tow, a new hotel on the edge of the pedestrian walkway was their home for a few days, giving the tween/teen kids a chance to explore on their own. And, this year, a couple of empty nesters — still in love — returned to their favorite town. It was still full of Victorian charm with a host of delicious eateries and some of their favorite quaint shops. And they even ended up at the same bed and breakfast inn at which they stayed oh-so-many years ago, The Queen Victoria. Memories continued to resurface: the restaurant where they dined one evening featured “Maureen’s Famous Whipped Cheesecake.” During that first visit a few decades ago, their most memorable dinner was at Restaurant Maureen, a romantic place on the second floor overlooking the beac.