My husband and I wanted to go for a hike and decided to explore a park we hadn’t visited before. Looking at a map, I suggested Parvin State Park, located near Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen, a restaurant I’d wanted to try. Hiking, then oysters sounded like a perfect Saturday afternoon to me!

Parvin State Park is located in Pittsgrove, New Jersey, near the edge of the Pine Barrens. The park’s landscape consists of pine forests, hardwood forests and swamps. There are several trails available. We opted for Parvin Lake Trail, just more than three miles long and passing along Parvin Lake. The terrain was primarily flat, so it wasn’t the most challenging hike we’ve taken, though we did enjoy the scenery of the lake and local plants. We saw several groups camping in the designated campground area. While I am admittedly not a camper, their setup looked fun and welcoming!

When we concluded our hike, we made our way to Sweet Amalia. The market and kitchen has its own oyster farm and also utilizes local produce and ingredients in its menu. Diners can choose from oysters, soups, salads, sides, sandwiches and a rotating selection of specials. We decided to share oysters, fries and a sandwich. Sweet Amalia serves their own oysters as well as a selection from other local purveyors. We ordered half a dozen raw oysters; half a dozen baked oysters with garlic, breadcrumbs, Calabrian chili cream and parmesan; spicy fries; and a clam roll. We loved everything we ordered, though the raw oysters and clam roll were our favorites. The clam roll featured fried clams, bacon, lettuce and a horseradish dill sauce on house-baked bread.

With their close proximity to one another, a visit to Parvin State Park and Sweet Amalia make for a perfect weekend excursion.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director