Follow the NC Oyster Trail for Fresh Tours and Tastes

Take a deep dive into marine farming, even if you only wade in as far as your knees or stay dry on the boat. Learn how water salinity and temperature affect oyster production before learning the finest preparation techniques.

Tour

More than a dozen North Carolina oyster farms let you in on their secrets to mariculture (marine farming). Learn what conditions create the tastiest oyster, then shuck and sample a few while you’re on the water. Ghost Fleet Oyster Company offers tours of their floating farms in Sneads Ferry and Hampstead, filling you in on all things oyster: life cycle, the importance of shell recycling and more. Farther down the coast, Epic Excursions provides three-hour tours of Middle Sound Mariculture farm near Wilmington, where the water is perfectly salty for raising a delicious oyster. Their tours include a boat ride to a barrier island for oyster snacking with wine pairings. Best of all, farmed oysters are safe to eat year-round.

Taste

When you tour an oyster farm, you’ll sample as many as you can shuck. For shuck-free savoring, make your way to a restaurant or seasonal event that puts these mollusks on the pedestal they deserve. Jackson’s Last Saturday Oyster Roast takes place in January, when guests can dine on platters heaped high with roasted oysters. Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill in Southport serves oysters on the half-shell, steamed and fried. (Pro tip: Enjoy your feast at a table with a sunset view.) Ocracoke Oyster Company serves select oysters from a trio of farms on the Outer Banks; enjoy yours on the half-shell with a zippy side of wasabi and ginger, doused in spicy mustard vinegar sauce or prepared Rockefeller-style.

Learn More

Oysters are more than tasty treats – they’re essential to the coastal ecosystem. At the North Carolina Estuarium in Washington and Hatteras Island Ocean Center on the Outer Banks, exhibits spotlight the role oysters play in the environment and the conditions that help oysters, clams, crabs and other sea creatures thrive.

Wade into The Official 2025 North Carolina Travel Guide for more coastal foodie adventures.