Pictured: Oysterpalooza takes place at the Riviera Dunes Dockside in Palmetto every Wednesday.

Situated within the Riviera Dunes Marina in Palmetto, the Riviera Dunes Dockside Social Bar & Grill offers waterfront dining with an incredible view of the Manatee River. Or, as it was once known, Oyster River.

“When the river was first discovered by settlers coming over from Europe they found it was just teeming with oysters,” says owner Steve Bishop. “It was like an oyster bonanza. Being a waterfront restaurant oysters are always popular, but that kind of local tie-in was really fascinating to me.”

Every Wednesday, the Riviera Dunes Dockside restaurant pays tribute to the area’s unique local history with its Oysterpalooza promotion, which runs all day.

“What we do is tell a little of that history and then we bring in different kinds of oysters and sell them a la carte at a great price,” Bishop explains.

Oysters are brought in fresh and shucked in-house and served raw on the half shell over ice with horseradish, cocktail sauce and lemon. Selections will vary from week to week depending on what’s fresh and available, but might include Blue Point oysters from Connecticut, and other varieties from places like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington and Prince Edward Island among others. While the promotion is generally available year-round, Bishop says the selection is most robust during the busy season between January and May. Diners can also add on peel and eat shrimp, 1/4 lobster tails and stone crab claws when available.

If you’re not a fan of raw oysters, don’t worry – oyster classics like oysters rockefeller, fried oyster tacos, a fried oyster basket and a fried oyster po’ boy are also part of the promotion. No matter how you like your oysters prepared, you’re sure to have a shuckingly good time.

Riviera Dunes Dockside, 102 Riviera Dunes Way, Palmetto, 941-304-3689, www.rivieradunesdockside.com.

Pictured: Oysterpalooza takes place at the Riviera Dunes Dockside in Palmetto every Wednesday.