2024 MAINE OYSTER RETREATS
Maine Oyster Company and Lady Oyster invite you join us for a 4-night, all-inclusive retreat in Maine.
Welcome to Basecamp!
With a nickname like “Vacationland,” Maine attracts plenty of visitors in the summer who crave the state’s rocky coasts and lobster shacks. But far beyond the tourist’s purview is a coastline of secrets and local revelries. Maine’s cottage charm, jagged beauty, aquaculture mecca, and underground eats have propelled Maine into a food sophisticate’s dream where authentic food, travel, and community come together.
This is your chance to experience Maine through table and tide. We will delight you in candlelit feasts along the water. You’ll venture up the New Meadows river to meet a string of best-in-class oyster farms. You'll eat, drink, cook, and create with trusted locals and new friends.
Welcome to your paradise in Maine. Sunsets cruises, hikes along the coast, and fresh oysters await you!
Each day is inclusive of curated meals and drinks, morning or afternoon down-time, group boating, tasting, and cooking experiences, as well as optional activities like hiking, kayaking, and more. . . We also have a few surprises up our sleeves!
It’s check-in day! We’ll begin the week with welcome drinks, oysters, and bites in the Basecamp lodge, followed by a family-style, seafood dinner.
For our first full day, we'll take you by boat to the Cape Smalls farm. At the farm, we will teach you the in's and out's of aquaculture and make oyster accoutrements right on the float. In the evening, we'll host an oyster tasting and a big lobster bake.
Time for a jaunt up New Meadows River! We will introduce you to some of the area's top oyster farms and restoration projects by boat. You'll have the chance to take an afternoon hike nearby. In the evening, we'll take you to one of our favorite oyster bars for dinner.
It's a leisure morning with the chance to join a fishing session with Captain Joe Jerome, or go kayaking around West Point. In the afternoon, we'll host a seafood cooking class, and enjoy our final evening with cocktails and stargazing!
This is check-out day. We'll see you off with a heavy breakfast. If you're driving, bring a cooler for take-home oysters and lobsters.
4 nights
For four nights on a waterfront village in Westpoint, you’ll stay in authentic cottages with ocean views and lush vegetation. Wallace Circle’s quiet peninsula boasts 180-degree hilltop vistas, a private cove, a seaside lobster business, and Maine Oyster Company’s expansive tidal dock over the water’s edge. Guests have the option of private guest houses and rooms within larger shared homes. Prices below reflect single-occupancy and double-occupancy options.
All meals, snacks, raw delights, and provisions will be included. Breakfasts (both hot and cold) will be available every morning on Maine Oyster Company’s waterfront docks. Wine and beer with meals are included. We will be providing additional alcohol, including spirits, for purchase at Basecamp.
All activities are factored into retreat costs. Example activities: oyster farm tours, sunset cruises, shucking classes, cooking classes, hikes, stargazing, and more. Please see our sample itinerary.
Retreat #1
Below are the accommodation options for our retreat on June 15-19. Please select one of the rooms below to reserve your spot! A 50% deposit of the total shown is due today upon reserving.
Retreat #2
Below are the accommodation options for our retreat on June 20 - 24. Please select one of the rooms below to reserve your spot! A 50% deposit of the total shown is due today upon reserving.
Virginia Shaffer is the founder of Lady Oyster, one of America's top shellfish food blogs. She is an independent food writer who specializes in oysters and aquaculture. Virginia offers tasting events, oyster appreciation classes, and content writing for shellfish businesses.
John Herrigel is the founder and owner of Maine Oyster Company, a company driven by passion and committed to sharing Maine oysters. "MOC" includes an oyster wholesale business, a raw bar, farm, farm tours, lodging experiences, and more.
Captain Joe is the founder of North East Salt Water, a fishing and tour charter business in Maine. Joe is a Registered Maine Guide who offers unforgettable experiences like striper fishing tours, family fishing trips, oyster farm tours, sunset cruises, and more.
Warwick Ombler is a 20+ year travel professional and Virginia's husband, whose personal passions are cooking, entertaining, and making jokes. Warwick helps curate retreat menus and supports onsite dining operations.
A group of properties, boats & enterprises nestled into the fishing village of West Point in mid coastal Maine. Rich in history & stewarded by the Jerrigel Family it includes a past use general store aka "The Store" & "The Sou'Wester", a converted community dance hall!
Foremost a community grounded & guided by the generational families that built it, yet dynamically evolving through the influences of those that visit.
This retreat delivered so much more than local fare of Maine oysters and seafood. Visiting with and getting to know the oyster farmers at their farms, knowing where your food comes from and learning efforts of the community that bond them together was an awesome learning experience! The week exceeded any expectations. Job well done!
Best week ever! So proud to be a part of the retreat. It will definitly be the "most sought after" experience!
What a week! It was packed with great memories and with amazing people! I'm ready for round 2!
Shields and I had an absolute blast of a time making new friends with everybody and just having so much fun. Thank you Virginia, John, and Warwick for hosting and doing such an incredible job.
