I found my treasure in Little River, SC

Beautiful Waterway

Have you ever dreamed of vacationing or better yet – living in a little fishing village?  What if that town was only a short distance from great entertainment?

Marina

If you have never been to Little River, SC, you are missing out.  It is a quaint little town with a lot of character.  The area boasts the oldest settlement in Horry County and is about 20 miles to the north of Myrtle Beach, almost to the border of North Carolina. Little River is known for its fresh seafood, fishing charters, and especially – the annual Blue Crab festival, which is in its 31^st year and an anticipated yearly event.

The name Little River is so called from the group of Indians who settled here and called the area Mineola, which means “little river.” Back then, there was just a river in the area before the Intracoastal Waterway was built. Today, Little River is widely known for its deep-sea fishing, charter boats and commercial fishing and shrimp boats going out in the early morning for the day’s catch.  There is also two Las-Vegas-style casino gambling boats docked in Little River where locals and tourists flock to the waterfront for world-class casino gambling excursions into international waters where gambling is legal.
So why should you visit Little River? Besides dining on fresh seafood,  there are many golf courses. For those traveling down the east coast by boat, it is a good spot to visit with Coquina Harbor, the largest marina on the Intercoastal as well as Lightkeepers Village.  There is also some great restaurants right on the Waterfront.

Shrimp and Jazz Festival

Little River also has the unique distinction of being an unincorporated town in Horry County. They look to the county for all their services and have a dedicated police officer and planner. This eliminates the middle layer of taxation since there is no mayor, police or fire crew. The Chamber of Commerce steps in a does a great job of promoting events and services and keeping the public informed. Much of the local small businesses are in the tourism and hospitality sectors. The major employers are Seacoast Medical Center, SunCruz Casinos, Big M Casino, A.O. Hardee and Sons (contractors), and the retail and the fishing industries.

destination weddings

Since Little River is unincorporated, the Chamber of Commerce plays a big part in the lives of the residents and tourists. Through their well designed website, visitors can find information on festivals and areas of interest. Businesses also find value in the Chamber through visibility on the website and the many networking and advertising opportunities. According to Jennifer Walter, Executive Director of the Chamber and huge advocate for the area, “being a member of the Chamber is cost effective for businesses. The goal is to provide the same services a larger Chamber can provide and also be more intimate by providing a voice.”

The Chamber also maintains the mowing and beautification of the medians and pay for the streetlights providing safe roadways throughout the community. As the gateway to the Grand Strand for visitors entering from the north, their beautification efforts welcome visitors traveling from the north who enter South Carolina via Highway 17 and Route 9.

GSH: Jennifer, describe Little River in one word.

JW: Treasure.

GSH: Great, how about in one sentence.

JW: I found my treasure in Little River or Little River: treasure it.

Jennifer, we couldn’t agree more!