“The tour is a great way to look at a lot of different B&Bs in a one-day period,” says Alan Kaplan, innkeeper at Victoria House, a Queen Anne–style bed-and-breakfast that’s been on the tour since its inception in 1994. Visitors discover other attractions as well in this Victorian town. Unlike many communities along the Jersey Shore, Spring Lake doesn’t batten down after Labor Day. Offering everything from hand-painted country furniture to hand-dipped chocolates, the upscale shops clustered along Third Avenue remain open for holiday business. So do most of the town’s restaurants.

Its hostelries, too, cater to a clientele that enjoys Spring Lake’s small-town ambience and pristine Atlantic beach in the off season. John Uhler and his wife, Susan, have been making the three-hour trip from York, Pennsylvania, for 15 years. “We come all year round,” he says. “We love to walk and bike, and no matter what the weather, this is a great walking town.”

It has been that way since 1875, when a group of affluent Philadelphians founded The Spring Lake Beach Improvement Company to develop a luxurious seaside resort. Spring Lake clearly dates back to a more leisurely age. Along its quiet streets sit spectacular Victorian “cottages.” Broad porches allowed their occupants to take in the street life in shaded comfort—all within strolling distance of the ocean. The entire town, in fact, comprises roughly 2 square miles, a quarter of that water. There’s Lake Como to the north and Wreck Pond to the south. In between lies Spring Lake, a slender apostrophe of a spring-fed pond.

The lake, too, salutes the holidays. Tiny white lights outline both of its twig-style footbridges. Across from St. Catharine, a domed, Romanesque church, a pair of swans glides past two stoic fishermen in leather gloves and hunter’s caps.

Near the lake’s western tip, tour-goers walk briskly along the outdoor terraces of the Chateau Inn & Suites. Inside, the bite of the breeze blissfully gives way to warmth and luxury. Visitors admire four-poster beds of gleaming, dark wood, English leather sofas and club chairs, fireplaces and marble wet bars, and—miracle of technological miracles—plasma TVs in every room.

A few blocks away, the Normandy Inn provides a striking counterpoint. Just past the green-and-gold exterior of Italianate gingerbread, its double doors lead to a pair of pink parlors sheathed in damask wallpaper. A Christmas tree decorated with antique ornaments rises nearly to the 12-foot ceiling. An amiable traffic jam forms at the foot of the stairs as visitors queue up to snoop in the seven open bedrooms on the second floor.

That scene replays itself in inns across town as afternoon drifts into evening. The tour winds down at 7 p.m., but the streets still ring with spirited conversation despite the chill. At Victoria House, Alan and Lynne Kaplan serve post-tour Champagne and hors d’oeuvres to a convivial gathering of foot-sore but happy guests. The tour has gone well, says Alan. As proof, he offers an unofficial tally: “We saw lots of smiling faces.” It’s a testament to a community that knows how to please, whatever the season.

Tour and More
This year’s tour is scheduled for December 2. Tickets are $30. Call 732/449-0577 or visit springlake.org/inntour.

Lodging: Some inns on the tour offer ticket-and-lodging packages; call individual properties for specifics. Victoria House, rates starting at $129; 888/249-6252 or victoriahouse.net. Chateau Inn & Suites, rates starting at $79; 877/974-5253 or chateauinn.com. Normandy Inn, rates starting at $115; 800/449-1888 or normandyinn.com. The Breakers, rates starting at $100; 732/449-7700 or breakershotel.com.

Shopping Sampler: You’ll find distinctive women’s wear at Camel’s Eye; 732/449-3636. For goods from the Emerald Isle, go to The Irish Centre; 732/449-6650. Jean Louise Homemade Candies features delicious confections; 732/449-2627. Don’t miss Spring Lake Variety, a classic shore-town five-and-ten, for everything from holiday lights to fishing rods; 732/449-6404. Whimsicality specializes in luxurious bedding and bath products and over-the-top beaded chandeliers; 732/449-9337.