westport oyster tour

This Oyster Bed Tour In Connecticut Is An Amazing Adventure For The Whole Family

Natalie Clunan

Natalie is a writer and travel enthusiast who loves uncovering new places along the East Coast. Contact: [email protected]

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One of the best-kept secrets in Connecticut is one of the tiniest islands in the state that offers much more than just scenic views. Hummock Island is an oyster farm that produces an incredible seafood in a traditional way and they are more than happy to show you their operation. Foodies and nature lovers alike will truly enjoy this oyster bed tour that is a unique adventure for all ages.

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What do you think? Wouldn’t you just love to take this oyster bed tour? If you’ve already had a chance to take the tour, let us know your experiences in the comments section below.

For more great outdoor experiences in the Nutmeg State, try taking one of these unconventional tours that will give you a chance to see Connecticut in a whole new way.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Oyster tasting at Westport Sea Farms

All Summer Long! –  

Enjoy a tasting flight of four oysters at Westport Sea Farms at historic Westport Point.  Purchase a $12 voucher from WRWA online. - or at the River Center.

The voucher is valid Friday-Sundays from 12 noon to 9 p.m., June – August. After purchase a voucher will be mailed to you. If you prefer immediate access to the voucher please stop by WRWA's River Center to pick up / purchase.  

Proceeds from these events and activities benefit WRWA’s science and education programs. WRWA’s mission: Working together to protect and preserve the Westport River watershed now and for future generations.

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Taking The Oyster Tour

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Northrop family’s new venture.

Westport’s premier oystermen were planning tours of their admired-from-afar-but-seldom-seen-up-close operation on Sherwood Mill Pond. It was a chance to watch a very cool (and nationally known) business in operation — and to visit the mysterious house out on Hummock Island.

Last week, I took the tour.

I joined Jeff Northrop Jr. and his dad, Jeff Sr., plus a longtime Westport couple and a girl who just graduated from Staples.

It was high tide. On the Mill Pond that’s only 18 inches to 2 feet deep. But it was perfect for the boat. The weather was outstanding too.

Jeff Northrop Jr. readies his boat.

As we headed out, Jeff Jr. said that his father’s great-uncle had dragged the 1747 house — originally built as a cooper shed next to a grist mill — across the 83-acre Mill Pond by oxen, at low tide, around 1850.

A photo showing the grist mill and adjacent cooper shed — now the Hummock Island house — hangs on the wall inside.

The pond was originally a tidal stream. It was dammed up to provide power to turn the water wheel that ground grain.

Relics inside the Hummock Island house include timbers from the original Allen’s Clam house. They came from the schooner Remson, built by the Sherwood triplets. The abandoned vessel is still visible at low tide, in the Saugatuck River near the William Cribari/Bridge Street Bridge.

Jeff Sr. lived in the house during his high school years (he graduated from Staples in 1971).

The Hummock Island house (left). On the right is an equipment shed/boat, added a couple of years ago.

A caretaker then lived there for decades, until he was 83. The next year, Hurricane Sandy devastated the house.

The Northrops painstakingly restored it. They did so well, it’s earned a Fairfield County preservation award.

The Hummock Island house.

It sits now on a tiny spit of land. But the island was once much bigger. In fact, Jeff Sr. said, the town still insists he has 5 1/2 acres there.

The view to the back of Sherwood Mill Pond — toward I-95 and the train tracks — from the Hummock Island house.

Jeff Jr. pointed out 2 machines. One separates oysters into 3 sizes. The other cuts them down to uniform shapes. In 1 hour, it does what once took a week.

Oysters must be separated, because smaller ones won’t grow in the same cage with larger ones.

Hummock Island oysters.

The Northrops farm 4 million oysters at a time, below the surface and in floating bags. The Mill Pond is so nutrient-rich — and the water so pristine — that they take just 18 months to mature. Nearly everywhere else, it’s 3 years.

Jeff Northrop Jr. shucking oysters.

The Northrops supply wholesalers, including Pagano’s of Norwalk. From there they’re distributed all over the country. The 3-inch Hummock Island oysters are the highest grade — a delicacy prized by oyster lovers everywhere.

Next to the house is an equipment shed: the “Oysterplex.” Though it looks like another house, it’s actually a boat. (Jeff Jr. called it a “giant catamaran.”)

The Northrops hauled all the materials across the Mill Pond, and built it from scratch. When town officials questioned whether it was a structure or a boat, father and son rode it all around the island. It’s definitely a boat.

Jeff Northrop Jr., inside the Oysterplex equipment shed/boat.

The Northrops are well known for their oysters. But there’s 30 more acres behind the Hummock Island house. Just as they’ve done with oystering, they’re now revitalizing clamming in the Mill Pond.

A clam rake.

The tour over, Jeff Jr. and Sr. took us back across the Mill Pond. We passed a stick they’d found and planted. Instantly, Jeff Jr. said, ospreys and hawks found it.

The Northrops’ love for the Mill Pond is palpable. They know its history, its rhythms and its secrets.

Now the secret of Hummock Island is out.

And it — at least, its tour — is yours for the taking.

(The Northrops’ tours run through August. Times vary, depending on tides. For more information, click here .)

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14 responses to “ taking the oyster tour ”.

I did the tour previously I think the first one and it was most interesting and I would recommend to everybody. Peter Swift Maritime Industry Foundation 5 Clinton Avenue Westport CT 06880-1206

Great article, Dan! I just signed up!

Extremely cool. Except now I’m wanting oysters. Right now.

The tour also includes a tasting, and shucking lessons!

The pond was loaded with Blue crabs about 55 years ago. I spent many a summer day chasing them with a net. You needed quite a few for a meal.

I grew up on The Cove and spent many, many hours in the Mill Pond. Last time I was there, it was apparent to me that too much sand has migrated in to the pond from both the cove and state park. Bruce, we crabbed with string and chicken bones and then sold them. I can also remember years the pond was posted due to pollution. Many don’t know this but if you go thru the tunnel under the Sherwood Island connector, you can go all the way to Burying Hill Beach. Fascinating wildlife are out there.

My husband, Steve, and I took the tour last Sunday. It was wonderful!

Wonderful article. The picture with the timbers from Allen’s Clam House / schooner Remson may have another Westport artifact. The table, and a expert might be able to verify this, is most likely known as a Tavern Table. It is very similar to one my grandparents purchased in the 1930’s . There was a Tavern on what was then called Sherwood Green that was being demolished. My grandparents bought the table and with it came the legend that George Washington had dined at the tavern. Legend yes but our table has been verified as old enough to possibly have been in Westport in the mid 1700’s There is a little more detailing on this table than ours but still… the Northrop might want to check it out…..

Hello Dan! Great to see you yesterday! Read this story with great interest. Always enjoyed Jeff Sr. visits to Oscar’s to buy lunch for his fishing excursions.Didnt know about the oysters until more recently. Jeff is one of the good guys!

Great pic of the house with the wonderful cloud formation behind/above it. You should post that separately as the Pic of the Day.

Thank you to Dan for writing this article and to everyone who has come on one of our tours so far! We’ve added some additional tour dates including two tours this Sunday July 2nd! If you’re looking for something to do this weekend I promise you will not be disappointed. Tickets can be found at http://www.oysterfarmtours.com . Tell a friend! Thank you so much.

Really enjoyed this article!

Nice to read about how the pond has become healthy again for sustaining oyster farming.

We are long time subscribers and my wife, Carol Anderson graduated Staples in 1966. This past summer we deposited $400 with Hummock Island Oyster Company two months before the scheduled trip which was cancelled due to weather conditions. I was in touch with a Jeff Northrup Jr who promised to refund our money. For the last three weeks he has not responded nor refunded our deposit. I would not recommend this business to anyone. Regards, Art Lungo

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Oystering on Mill Pond: Reclaiming a Family Legacy

By James Lomuscio

As Jeff H. Northrop’s motorized raft leaves the shore of Westport’s Sherwood Mill Pond, it heads out into an 83-acre expanse of tidal waters that while shallow, runs deep in Northrop family history.

It also heads into a seemingly different time and an alternate Westport — one that’s sun-drenched, breezy and redolent with the scents of a simple New England fishing village, one that belies the modern mansions that surround it.

“It’s a totally different world out here,” said Northrup, 32, on a recent visit.

In a short while, he lands at Hummock Island, a rock that props up a restored 1741-built cottage brought there centuries ago by oxen to house a man who guarded the oyster beds.

Since 1857, Northrop’s family has owned the exclusive shellfishing rights to the Sherwood Mill Pond, which was farmed for clams and oysters up until the late 1950s.

“When my great uncle, Capt. Walter Allen passed away in the late 1950s, that area lay fallow,” said Jeff A. Northrup, Jeff H. Northrup’s father.

Allen owned the famed Allen’s Clam House that had fronted Hillspoint Road on the Mill Pond’s west side. A Westport landmark for more than a century, it was demolished in 2004. The land is now a town-owned park.

In 2013 serious shellfishing returned. The father, who had spent years as a yacht salesman, and son, after working for a hedge fund after college, teamed up to reclaim the family’s legacy.

“I’m the CEO and he’s the COO,” the father said.

And operations is what the younger Northrop is enmeshed in year round in the day-to-day operation of Hummock Island Shellfish, LLC. It is a business approaching $1 million in annual revenues — with potential for a lot more — that sends Westport oysters to some of the finest restaurants.

“Today, Hummock Island remains independent — focusing on culinary purity and quality,” the company boasts on its website . “Employing modern technology, our farming process is smarter and more sustainable for the world.

“We proudly supply and partner with established and emerging restaurants to deliver the Hummock Island experience that guests all over the world appreciate.”

Currently, Hummock Island Shellfish harvests an average of 20,000 oysters a week. They wholesale for 80 cents each, Jeff H. Northrop said.

“And we harvest to order, so there isn’t any warehousing,” he said.

The younger Northrop boasts there are an estimated 15 million oysters being raised from seeds to nearly full size in mesh bags and small cages in the pond.

“This pond can do up to 40 million oysters a year,” he said.

He pointed to a large section of more mature oysters in cages suspended in the water, all in neatly lined rows resembling a farm field.

As they reach maturity, the shellfish are relocated to 100 acres of Long Island Sound for a couple of weeks as a precautionary cleansing period.

The whole process from seed to harvest takes about 18 months, the son said, faster than the five-year span for oysters in the wild.

“It’s attributed to the nutrient-rich pond and the speed of water flows over the oysters,” said employee Jonathan Goldstein, who has been with the Northrops since the venture began.

Goldstein said during the season from June through September oysters grow from seeds in mesh bags. The bags are replaced with larger ones as the oysters grow.

“Beyond that, at one-and-a-half inches (in length), they’re in cages,” he said, adding that the last step is moving the cages to the Sound in an area beyond the Compo Beach cannons.

Their presence is visible to the average beachgoer as thin blue poles resembling lobster pot markers poke above the water

Harvesting ready-to-shuck oysters appears the easy part compared to the routine shifting of oysters from bags to bags as they mature to cages in the pond. And during the winter the labor-intensive job can be frost numbing, says Goldstein.

Much of the work takes place in floating, wood-framed building dubbed the “Oysterplex” docked at Hummock Island.

The center steel grate floors can be lifted up as the building floats atop the cages to be worked. It is like a huge ice fishing house. The building also holds a rotating oyster sorter that separates different sizes.

In the process, Jeff H. Northrop said, oyster shell length is trimmed “encouraging them to grow circular and wider because customers like a deep cup.”

Jeff A. Northrop said that before his son came on board in 2013, he had begun to restart oyster farming in the pond only to have Superstorm Sandy give him a double wallop in September 2012.

“Sandy, yeah that was a good name for it,” he said, adding that the tons of beach sand that had breached the pond’s sluice gates suffocated most of the oysters.

“We lost all of our product,” he said.

That is when his son joined him, raising substantial venture capital to position the centuries old industry for the 21st century.

“We started using modern techniques, cages and bags that didn’t touch the bottom, so they wouldn’t be damaged by sand,” the father said.

“This is the new project we started in 2013 to grow boutique oysters, and what my son has done is he brought modern technology to an old family business,” he added.

Meanwhile, the father restored the Hummock Island cottage that Sandy had all but demolished. By hand and from top to bottom the restoration adhered to historical accuracy, so much so that today it looks like a mini-seafaring museum, earning the Northrops a Westport Historical Society award.

There were other challenges, such as navigating state and federal aquaculture permitting processes.

“With the cages near the cannons, for that we had to go through eight federal and state agencies,” the father said.

Approvals came from organizations including the Army Corps of Engineers, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the state Bureau of Aquaculture.

“Our industry is very well regulated, which is a good thing because the more regulations, the safer the consumers can feel,” he said.

He lauded another dimension his son brought to the family business, “oyster farm tours which are wildly successful.”

Jeff H. Northrup says the cost is $75 per person for the 90-minute tour that incorporates the history of oyster farming, shucking lessons and oyster tasting on Hummock Island.

Details can be found and reservations made at www.hummockisland.com .

“Hedge fund trading, derivatives trading — this is more fun,” the younger Northup added.

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Tours and Experiences

Get To Know The Real Westport

Sometimes reading up on a place just seems like too much work. Why spend your holiday flicking and scrolling, trying to find out about local culture and history, when you could just let someone else tell you all about it?

Here’s a selection of five fascinating but very different tours to take in and around Westport. Do them all, and you’ll end up with so much insider knowledge, you could be mistaken for a local.

Westport House

Westport House and Estate offer a whole range of fun and insightful tours. Take a guided or self-guided tour (using an audio tour app) of the house itself and discover its incredible history, which goes right back to the 16th century and Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley.

Drawn to nature? You could also take a tour of Westport House’s beautiful gardens and learn all about the fascinating historic landscape, from the stunning planted terraces to the romantic rose garden.

Book your Westport House Tour Here

Westport Walking, Pub and Food Tours

The yellow-clad guides of Westport Walking Tours offer visitors a casual, hour-long guided walk around the heart of Westport town. The tours take place everyday weekday, at 10am and again at 12 noon.

The operation was setup by Stephen and Alan Clarke, whose family have been part of the fabric of Westport since its very beginnings.

They also have pub and food tours which are very popular! You can book your tour here.

Mescan Brewery Tour

Calling all beer lovers! Take a tour of Westport’s very own microbrewery, Mescan, and find out how their hugely popular range of delicious Belgian-style bottle-conditioned beers are made using malt, hops, yeast and spring water from Mescan’s own well. Visitors will learn about the styles and flavour profiles of Mescan beers, which include Westport Blond Beer, Westport Saison and Westport Red Tripel.

Finger food is served during the tour, and questions and banter are heartily encouraged. Mescan beers are readily available in Westport town and surrounding areas, and visitors will be recommended to visit local hostelries and test their newfound beer knowledge.

Find out more here.

Croagh Patrick Seafood Tour

Learn about the tradition of oyster farming on the shores of the Wild Atlantic’s Clew Bay.

Located on the shore of the spectacular Clew Bay just minutes from the picturesque town of Westport. Owned and operated by Padraic Gannon, an oyster farmer for over 30 years, who transformed the family farm into a thriving oyster farm on the shores of the rugged Atlantic.

Book Seafood Tour

A Road To Remember Tour

Experience A Road to Remember Tour, a multi-stop bus tour unlocking the Famine of West Mayo; exploring the history, folklore, tradition, songs, and stories of the Great Famine against the backdrop of the stunning scenery of Clew Bay South.

Stops on this tour include; Croagh Patrick (Ireland’s Holy Mountain), Kilgeever Abbey (7th Century), Louisburg, Glenkeen Far, Doolough Valley, Ashleigh Falls & Leenane.

Clew Bay Cruise

Westport Cruises offers a daily 90-minute cruise on Clew Bay between 1st May to 31st October. It explores the world-famous Clew Bay and its 365 islands , thriving seal colony, Croagh Patrick holy mountain, John Lennon's Island (an island hideaway which John Lennon of the Beatles owned and frequented), Inishgort Lighthouse, sites of disasters, battles, and much more. Clew Bay was home to the infamous pirate Queen Grace O Malley and Westport Cruises explores the rich history of this formidable woman.

Book Cruise

Authentic Tour of Westport & Beyond with Patricia

Patricia is a local tour guide for Westport and beyond. She is passionate about this part of the world and deeply knowledgeable. All tours are designed by Patricia with your interests in mind. Whether traveling solo and looking for some company, in a couple or a small group of three she would be delighted to take you on a tour to show you the best of the West of Ireland. Once you have decided on the perfect tour you won’t have to worry about a thing. You will be collected from an agreed collection point pickup.

Customer Favourites

Westport Tour - On this tour I’ll show you the best places to eat, drink and shop for something special in Westport and the surrounding areas – you’ll be equipped with all the local knowledge you need to enjoy some time here!

Connemara Tour - The beauty of Connemara through the quaint village of Louisburgh and the famous Doolough Valley

Achill Island Tour - Achill Island tour with stops in villages like Newport, Mulranny and fabulous Keem Bay

Find out more on her website here.

Five Fabulous Forest Walks Close to Westport

Five of the best picnic spots around Westport

Banshees of Inisherin Tour

A Perfect Weekend in Westport

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New Visitor Centre now open to the public!

Fresh seafood lunch served daily

• Fresh or grilled oysters
• Steamed mussels
• Achill smoked salmon

Pair your oysters with a glass of chilled wine or locally brewed Mescan beer

On the Great Western Greenway

Croagh Patrick Seafoods is a family oyster farm on the shores of magnificent Clew Bay near Westport, right on the Wild Atlantic Way and beside the Great Western Greenway. Owner Padraig Gannon personally leads a fascinating shore-based tour of the oyster beds followed by an oyster shucking demonstration and tutored tasting.

The 90-minute tour gives an unparalleled insight into the world of oyster farming, from tiny seed to mature shellfish in these pristine waters. Visitors learn how the flavours here are unique as the growing oyster picks up the character and flavour of this stunningly beautiful bay. Padraig’s stories bring to life the history of Clew Bay and the story of his own family and community.

Croagh Patrick Seafoods is proud to be part of BIM’s Taste the Atlantic Trail celebrating Irish seafood.

Oyster Farm Tours

Experience a real-life Oyster Farm when you visit Croagh Patrick Seafood Tours on the shores of Clew Bay. Scheduled Tours and Private Tours

• Oyster Farm Tour & Tasting Experience
• Tour the Gannon family’s working aquaculture farm
• Hear of Ireland’s tradition of oyster cultivation
• Grade oysters from seed to table (shore to door)
• Hand-pick & shuck your own oysters
• Fresh oyster tasting experience

Inclusions:

• 6 (pick your own) oysters per person
• Oyster shucking lesson

Duration: 90 minute tour

Price as follows:

Daily Tours: €35 p.p. includes 6 (fresh or grilled) oysters per person

VIP Spring Tide Tour (Once monthly): €65 p.p. includes extended walking tour through the oyster beds, expanded tasting experience, gift basket

Children: under 16 €20, under 10 free

Time: 12 noon Daily

Good food and great times go hand in hand! We welcome all visitors with a smile and want every customer to enjoy a memorable experience at Westport Sea Farms. 

Our goal is for you to have fun, learn something new, and then start planning your return visit!    

We are open daily from 12-9 pm and all seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not take reservations. 

Please plan to wear a shirt and shoes during your visit.

It's our top priority to create an atmosphere of kindness and respect, where our incredible staff and other patrons are treated with courtesy.

Have questions? 

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Are dogs allowed? Please leave your pets at home! Of course, we always welcome service animals. 

Do you have indoor seating? No, all of our seating is on our patio at picnic tables or on Adirondack chairs overlooking the Westport River. There is no smoking or vaping anywhere on the property. 

Can I order take-out? Yes! You can always call us and place an order for pickup. 

Do you offer tours? Yes! Tours of our oyster farm and harbor cruises must be booked at least 48 hours ahead of time. Find out more here . 

Where can I park? We have six dedicated spots for customers, plus parking is available in the roundabout at the end of Main Road, as well as along Main Road. 

I am arriving by boat - where can I dock? The floating dock in front of Westport Sea Farms is for customers arriving by boat. No overnight docking is permitted. 

Can I bring outside food or drinks? We cannot allow any outside food, drinks, cups, or coolers on the property. 

Is swimming allowed? No, there is no swimming from our dock or the surrounding area. Your closest swimming spot is Horseneck Beach, which is just a few minutes from Westport Sea Farms. 

Can I fish from your dock? F ishing is not permitted from our dock at any time. 

You have the coolest merch. Where can I get some? You’ll have to come see us in person!  T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, oyster knives, stickers, and koozies are all available for purchase during your visit. 

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Westport Is Your Oyster

September 27 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm.

Before there were hotdogs and hamburgers to liven up your outdoor fun, there were oysters. Oysters were the quintessential American food—especially in the estuaries and inlets of shoreline Connecticut where they grow in natural abundance. Oysters were enjoyed by native people who seared them in hot coals, in a method later adopted by European colonists. In those days, the oysters pulled from the waters around Westport were as large as dinner plates. Celebrate the culture and lore of oystering on the Long Island Sound with an kickoff to fall bash featuring this Connecticut staple. 

The Friday evening event in the museum’s gardens will feature live music, shellfish shuckers, cocktails, lawn games, and admission to the museum’s exhibit “Playful Pastimes” focusing on the history of fun and games. Your ticket includes a dozen oysters, prosecco, refreshments, and museum admission. Additional oysters are available as an add on purchase. Play lawn games and enjoy the interactive exhibit with all the evening’s proceeds going to support the museum’s award-winning exhibitions, programs and research. 

Get your tickets for $65 per person now. Limited quantities will be available at the door. Purchase your tickets using the online form. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt. 

In case of inclement weather, the event will be held on September 29 th from 4-6 pm. A notification will be sent to ticket holders 24 hours in advance in case of rain forecast. 

Refreshments provided by Copps Island Oysters, The Porch, Alina’s Cakes and Cookies, and Black Bear Wines & Spirits. 

Can’t make the event but want to support our mission? Make a tax-deductible donation using our donation form linked here.  

Westport Museum for History & Culture

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Like our programs? We’d appreciate your support! Suggested donation of $5 continues our unique programming.  Visit our donation form .

Past Events

Browse recent events hosted by the Westport Museum for History and Culture. For more information about these events, please contact our team .