Little River Shrimp & Jazz Fest

About Little River, South Carolina

QUAINT & CLASSY

Little River is a fantastic place to live, dine, shop, golf, or just visit…there is something here for everyone!

The area boasts a classy yet quaint atmosphere where you can as you are to shop in century old buildings filled with antiques and gifts. You may prefer to dress up and dine in one our world class restaurants with a lake or harbor view. Spend your days enjoying our natural rolling hills filled with pristine golf courses or watching the shrimp and fishing boats sailing in the serene harbor. Visitors and residents of Little River have the luxury of enjoying Myrtle Beach’s live music theaters and tourist attractions by day while escaping the traffic and crowds to relax by night. Little river is truly alive with the beat of everything.

HISTORY

Little River is a strong community with a diverse population. On the waterfront you may meet families whom have had ancestors living in for centuries. Around town, you’ll meet new business owners who have recently brought their talents and trade to Little River. The area got its name from Indian tribes who named the harbor, Mineola, meaning “little river”. Centuries later the name lives on. The small, protected harbor was a haven for shipwreck survivors and pirates who needed a place for rest and repairs. Names like Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and Ann Bonney, just to name a few, are part of local lore. Little River was the first village established within Horry County and its history is rich. According to the highway marker south of Little River, Reverend George Whitefield , “the fiery Oxford Methodist” visited the village in 1740, and President George Washington dined with James Cochran in Little River in April 1791 as he traveled on his Southern Tour. An 1828 atlas lists Little River and Conway Borough as the earliest villages in the country.

The village of Little River became a prosperous port in the 1850’s shipping fine lumber and naval supplies to Northern Markets. Little River had a sawmill, a warehouse, stores, schools and a bank. Several churches were organized and residents constructed elegant homes. This progress halted during the Civil War when a salt works that produced salt (and possibly gun powder) for the confederate army was burned by Union Forces. The Union also halted shipping and fishing with a coastal blockade. Steamers resumed regular runs through Little River by the late 1800’s. A large lumber mill employed 300 men, where men cut the trees, used oxen to pull logs to the river, and then floated them down the river to the mill. For generations, the Stone family ran a dry goods store in Little River that carried everything from candy to caskets. They were also heavily involved with the Little River Methodist Church, which is now home to one of the area’s finest restaurants, The Parson’s Table. Little River is still making history everyday. Come see for yourself what this “Little River” has to offer you.

For more information call 843-249-6604