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The Boarding House Presents Oyster Weekend: An Agritourism Retreat for Cool People
November 6–8, 2026
There’s a moment, just after an oyster opens, when you can smell the place it came from: Salt water, cool air - whole landscape held inside a shell. That moment is where our Oyster Weekend begins.
This intimate fall retreat brings you into the Cape May we love: out on the tidal flats, behind the scenes with the people who grow our food, and around a table where the conversation is as memorable as the meal. For a few days, we’ll follow the oyster from hatchery to bay to plate, discovering the landscape, and the remarkable people, that make this corner of New Jersey worth knowing.
Come curious, bring an appetite, leave a little room for surprise.
FRIDAY EVENING· Gather Around
Golden hour at The Boarding House - like no where else in Cape May: Something good in your glass, the sound of an oyster knife finding its way into a shell… Our welcome party brings together fellow weekend adventurers, environmentally minded authors, creators, thought leaders, and chefs for an evening with the easy warmth of a fireside gathering.
Our own Chet Kennedy will be shucking Sweet Amalia oysters, serving them with homemade mignonettes, and showing you how to open a few yourself. The King Sauce crew will be slinging made-to-order Po’ Boy pizzas. Hooked Up Seafood will bring their much-loved chowders, and Wild Roots will arrive with snacks worth lingering over. Taste infused beers from Gusto Brewing Co. and wines from Hawk Haven. Good music, good oysters, and good conversation - settle in for a weekend you’ll always remember.
SATURDAY MORNING · Follow the Tide
Ease into the day with a cup of our custom Boarding House blend of Cape May Roasters coffee. Take a loop around the Lafayette Street Nature Trail, for birders and non-birders alike. Let the cool air wake you up. Then we’re off by trolley for a closer look at the life beneath the water.
Our first stop is Rutgers University’s New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center (AIC), where aquaculturists Sean Towers and Becca Gilpin will lead a private hatchery tour. Here, the oyster’s story begins long before it reaches a raw bar. You’ll explore its early life, learn about its role in coastal waters, and discover why Cape May is such an important place for oyster aquaculture.
From there, we’ll head to Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm for a private tour with scientist and oyster farmer Lisa Calvo.
On the Cape Shore Flats, the tide reveals a working landscape. Following Sweet Amalia’s low-tide tour format, we’ll walk out toward the farm, across sandbars and shallow water, to see the racks and mesh bags where oysters grow. Lisa will introduce us to the rhythms of tending a crop shaped by salt, water, weather, and time. There will be bay ecology, a shucking lesson, and a tasting. But there’s also the simple pleasure of standing where your food comes from, opening a shell, and paying attention to what you taste.
Expect fresh air, uneven footing, and a little bay mud. This is an adventure you can feel under your feet.
SATURDAY EVENING · From the Bay to the Table
Back at The Boarding House, the afternoon is yours for a little siesta. Shower off the bay, stretch out, or linger over the day’s discoveries.
Then we’ll head toward the beach for the changing evening light and a dinner created especially for our small gathering.
You'll have the option to join us at Wild Roots’ for a private chef's table dinner. Candace Carpio and Jamie Merlino will host a salon-style evening built around thoughtful food and lively conversation. Each course will feature a seafood element, drawing on their cultural backgrounds, travels, and the ingredients that inspire them here at home. The menu will be sourced as locally as possible, including produce grown by our friends at Stone Circle Farms. Across the evening, familiar coastal ingredients will meet flavors gathered from farther afield.
Candace and Jamie bring warmth, curiosity, and a contagious love of hospitality to the table. Pull up a chair, ask about the dish in front of you - one story leads to another. By dessert, you may already be making plans with the person beside you.
SUNDAY · Take Your Time
Sip your coffee slowly. Go out for breakfast. Borrow our bikes, on us, and see where the morning takes you. We’ve made room for a late checkout, so there’s time for one more ride, one more walk, or a few more quiet minutes before heading home. Our team will point you toward the places we love and help you make the day your own. Cape May was made for lingering.
Join Us! Oyster Weekend is available exclusively to guests staying at The Boarding House, with a maximum of 22 weekend participants.
What's included: Discounted lodging for a two-night stay + Friday Night Party + Saturday Excursions + transportation are included in the cost of the retreat.
KING ROOM: $910 (6 available)
QUEEN ROOM: $970 (4 available)
THE SUITE: $1,030 (1 available)
(Exclusive Wildroots chef's table dinner is $250 per couple and booked seperately.)
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810 Lafayette Street, Cape May, NJ, United States, New Jersey 08204
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