JUNE 15-19 | JUNE 20-24
2024 MAINE OYSTER RETREATS
We're excited to offer TWO, all-inclusive 4-night retreat weeks in June 2024.
In Maine
JOIN US
For an authentic, immersive oyster retreat.
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.
Friendship & 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.
TO BASECAMP
WELCOME
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 eye is a coastline of secrets and hardworking waterfronts.
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!
Double-occupancy rooms start at $5,550 ($2,775 per person). All-inclusive of accommodation, meals, beer and wine, and all activities.
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 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.
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.
- 50% deposit will be due today when booking.
- The remaining 50% will be invoiced and due 45 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 you are unable to make it, you may 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, 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: Over the next few months, 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.
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 and make oyster accoutrements right on the float. In the evening, we'll host an oyster tasting and a big lobster bake.
DAY 3
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.
DAY 4
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!
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, one of America's top shellfish food blogs. 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
Accommodation
We will host retreaters in four main properties on Wallace Circle. Two are private cottages, and the other two are multi-level homes with two bedrooms each. The rooms are surrounded my coastal views and feel very private. Please see the reservation page for more information.
RETREAT
Testimonials
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!
-Shannon S.
Best week ever! So proud to be a part of the retreat. It will definitly be the "most sought after" experience!
-Brenda B.
What a week! It was packed with great memories and with amazing people! I'm ready for round 2!
-April E.
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.
-Tim W.