THE MAINE SEAFOOD RETREAT
LADY OYSTER & MAINE OYSTER CO. PRESENT
SEPTEMBER 18-22, 2024 | NOW TAKING RESERVATIONS
In Maine
JOIN US
For a genuine Maine seafood experience.
"The Retreat was more than just a gathering; it was a celebration of nature, sustainable oyster aquaculture, and the simple joys of life on the Maine coast. [Their] passion for sharing this knowledge left a lasting impression."
- Keller, D., June Retreat Guest
Maine Seafood
EAT
Our all-inclusive meal program includes Maine favorites like oyster tastings, seasonal fish, lobster bakes, cooking classes, raw bites, and more.
Farm Visits
EXPERIENCE
We will immerse you into the world of growing oysters through unique boating experiences to go and meet the farmers.
Coastal Tranquility
ENJOY
Wallace Circle is a bucolic setting and quaint village with full-time Maine residents. It's 180 views of Casco Bay are guaranteed to inspire you.
Community
FIND
Our local Maine team is here to welcome you with open arms. We've organized the week to help you make friends and lifelong memories.
FOOD, COAST, & STORY
EXPERIENCE MAINE THROUGH
In 2023, four friends came together to change the way people experienced Maine. One of us was an oyster farmer with a handful of rentable cottages. Another was a master boat captain and a fisherman. The third was a shellfish writer, and the fourth was an incredible home cook and luxury travel agent.
Together, we launched the first-ever “Maine Oyster Retreat” as a way to invite curious seafood lovers to eat well and see Maine authentically. It morphed into a “seafood retreat” because well, there’s so much more we eat!
For 4 coastal nights. . .
You will take an adventure through tide and table. Our team will delight you in candlelit feasts, sunset boat rides, oyster farm tours, lobster bakes, and cooking classes. You’ll learn how to shuck, cull, and taste oysters, steam lobsters, and handle fish. You’ll stay in quaint Maine cottages with waterfront views in a small fishing village. You just might cliff dive, learn how to tie a bowline knot, take caviar bumps, and see the seals play.
So join us for the best food adventure yet. Reconnect with the outdoors in a genuine way. Meet the farmers. Eat locally and luxuriously. Become a friend!
Our costs encompass an all-inclusive format, generous in fresh Maine seafood, stunning accommodation, time, drink, and collective experience.
Expand the subjects below for more details.
4 nights
For four nights on a waterfront village in West Point, 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 will 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.
A curated selection of wine and beer are included with meals, as well as event-based speciality cocktails.
All activity costs are built into retreat costs, including the private boating charters for the week. Example activities: oyster farm tours, sunset cruises, shucking classes, cooking classes, hikes, stargazing, and more. Please see our sample itinerary.
- A 25% deposit is due upon reserving your room.
- The remaining 75% will be invoiced 30 days prior to the first day of check-in.
- Cancellations: Due to the nature of the event and its planning, there will be no refunds. However, if we are able to resell your room, we will refund your deposit. You may also sell or gift your spot(s).
- Age: All guests must be 21 or over to attend.
- Travel: Guests are responsible for booking their own flights & transportation to and from 47 Wallace Circle, Phippsburg, ME, 04562.
- Insurance: Personal travel insurance is strongly encouraged for the retreat. Please let us know if you need recommendations.
- Food Menus: This retreat will be omnivorous. We’ll do our best to accommodate food allergies, however this will be a heavy shellfish and seafood menu and cannot be adapted to suit non-seafood dietary restrictions.
- Pets: We LOVE furry friends, but unfortunately no guest pets will be permitted on the retreat.
- Minimum guests: If we do not reach a minimum number of guests for the retreat (8 people), it will be moved to another date.
- Cancellation by hosts: If the retreat is cancelled by organizers, a full refund will be issued to all attendees; in all other cases, tickets are nonrefundable.
- Media: Photos and/or videos shared from this event may be used by Lady Oyster, Maine Oyster Company and its partners for marketing purposes.
- Acknowledgements: Registering for this retreat assumes acknowledgment of all the conditions contained within this retreat description.
- Communication: We will be in frequent contact with all retreat attendees to answer questions and discuss everything from travel recommendations to packing suggestions to logistics. Feel free to contact us at any time with questions!
RESERVE YOUR ROOM
To reserve your spot, please choose a private room or cottage below. The cost shown is the total, all-inclusive price for double-occupancy (2 people). Two rooms are open for single-occupancy options.
25% of the total cost is due upon reserving. Please use the code RETREAT25 at checkout to apply the deposit-only.
Sample Itinerary
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!
DAY 1
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.
DAY 2
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. You'll learn how to shuck and cull! We will finish the day with oyster tastings and a seafood cooking class!
DAY 3
Time for a jaunt up New Meadows River! We will introduce you to some of the area's top oyster farms and reef 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.
DAY 4
It's a leisure morning with the chance to sunbathe or go kayaking around West Point. In the afternoon, we'll host a big lobster bake and finish the evening with sunset cocktails on the boat.
DAY 5
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.
Your Hosts
Virginia Shaffer
Virginia Shaffer is the founder of Lady Oyster Tours & Tastings, an experiential food tour company in Maine. She is an independent food writer who specializes in oysters and aquaculture.
John Herrigel
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 Jerome
Captain Joe is the founder of North East Salt Water, a fishing and tour charter business in Maine. Joe is a Registered Maine Guide and Master Captain who offers unforgettable experiences like striper fishing tours, family fishing trips, oyster farm tours, sunset cruises, and more.
Warwick Ombler
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.
About Basecamp
Basecamp is a group of properties, boats, & enterprises nestled into the fishing village of West Point in mid-coastal Maine. Rich in history & stewarded by the Herrigel Family, it includes an old general store aka, "The Store," & "The Sou'Wester," a converted community dance hall.
The properties sit high on Maine granite and enjoy breathtaking views of ocean, sea life, waterfowl, and native flora.
47 Wallace Circle
Phippsburg, ME
04562
RETREAT
Reviews
When I heard about this opportunity, I was quite intrigued and thought this would be a nice, relaxing little getaway for my husband and me. The experience that Virginia, Warwick, Susan, John + Moo, Justin, and Captain Joe put together and implemented far exceeded my expectations! The rustic elegance was the perfect juxtapositions to experience Maine. The environment was casual but the quality was 5 star! We had perfect weather but I have not doubt that we would have had a wonderful time had it not been. There was a perfect balance of planned time and down time (which led to some very fun impromptu events). Every meal (all prepared by Warwick) was Michelin star worthy. We learned about oyster farming, oyster tasting, and oyster shucking among other things. We took sunset cruises and and enjoyed sunsets with cocktails on the roof deck. We went off site and learned about some amazing locals. And so much more (I don't want to give it all away). The added bonus was the wonderful people we shared this time with - from the retreat planning team to the other retreaters! We definitely made new friends! My husband and I travel a lot in a variety of ways. This was a most unique, magical time with extraordinary people! An experience I would definitely repeat and I highly recommend!
-Hella S.
Virginia, Warwick, John, Captain Joe, Justin & Susan truly went above and beyond for the whole experience! The talent and knowledge of each individual made the retreat so special and unforgettable.
I now know how to shuck an oyster and crack a lobster, about oyster production and farming in the cold Maine waters, oyster and drink pairings & preparation for cooking seafood at home. Education, experience, luxury, fun, hands-on activities and downtime were perfectly balanced.
I cried leaving because it was so fun and exceeded my wildest dreams. I fell in love with Maine and the experience only being there a few days but you just know in your soul when a place is special. Do not hesitate to sign up for the next retreat or any of the other Lady Oyster offerings!
-Kegan H.
The most perfect Maine/oyster retreat experience! It was everything I hoped for and more. Oysters were the “Maine” event. Quintessential Maine accommodations, picture perfect blue skies, gorgeous scenery, breathtaking sunrises- multiple oyster tastings & education. My favorites were the various, boutique oyster farms trips. Evenings were filled with cooking classes, exquisite dining experiences and a sunset boat cruise. Not to mention the famous “B,B, B and B” competition. Hanging out at Base Camp provided the opportunity to make great new friends! This retreat is a “must do” for anyone who loves oysters and Maine!
- Brenda B.
We had no idea what to expect when we signed up for the inaugural oyster retreat last year but it blew away anything we could have imagined. Every single person we interacted with was kind, thoughtful, knowledgeable, interesting, and fun. Including our fellow retreaters!
It was a beautiful balance of education and experience, without being preachy or boring. My husband, who had never had an oyster before in his life, left the retreat excitedly armed with his new knowledge to go out and try new things (and low key wants to start and oyster farm now haha).
The food was incredible too. We got so spoiled, it was desperately hard to leave and return to our own cooking. At least we could treat ourselves to the meal we learned how to cook during the retreat! And, shared it with our friends once we returned back home, car full of oysters and fish!
I fell in love with Maine, oysters, lobster rolls, and Virginia & Co, and their fantastic vision. It was luxurious, it was hands on, it was fun, it was an experience I’ll never forget.
-Shields W.