Excursions Leave Guests with Memories That Go Beyond the Dining Room

Under a dark February sky, more than 100 people with headlamps aglow scatter across wet terrain looking for bivalves. It’s the Night Tide Oyster Soirée, a twice yearly excursion Taylor Shellfish hosts at their Samish Bay Farm on Washington’s coast. Guests had come to comb the beds for oysters, learn about the farming process, and gather around grills and roaring bonfires for dinner and shuck-your-own haul. 

The family-run...