Little River, just below the North Carolina line, is one of South Carolina's oldest coastal communities — a working fishing village that grew up in the 1930s and became the Grand Strand's charter-fishing capital. It packs more range into a small waterfront than any town on this coast.

The World-Famous Blue Crab Festival in Little River near Myrtle Beach

Beachin with the Boones

Beachin' with the Boones attends the 44th annual World Famous Blue Crab Festival in Little River, a two-day May festival that draws 20,000 to 30,000 people to the waterfront. Armed with $50 each, the hosts work the food vendors and crab dishes, the arts and crafts rows and the live music, and total up what a festival day costs.

Key takeaways
  • The Blue Crab Festival is a two-day May event in Little River
  • It draws an estimated 20,000-30,000 attendees a year
  • Admission was $5 a person in the film; food and vendors fill the waterfront

Little River, SC: Fishing Charters and Dolphin Tours with Hurricane Fleet | Myrtle Moments

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Visit Myrtle Beach interviews Captain Cameron Sebastian, owner-operator of the Hurricane Fleet and Coastal Scuba in Little River. He tells how the town began as a sleepy fishing village in the 1930s and grew into the Grand Strand's charter-fishing capital, and what a day on the water — deep-sea fishing, dolphin cruising or diving — looks like from the Little River docks.

Key takeaways
  • Little River began as a fishing village in the 1930s
  • The Hurricane Fleet runs fishing charters and dolphin cruises from the town docks
  • Charter fishing is the village's signature activity

BIG M CASINO Boat Ride / Tour – What to do in Little River- North Myrtle Beach, SC- Ocean Cruise $20

Beachin with the Boones

The Boones board the Big M Casino boat in Little River — the area's casino cruise, sailing from the village docks out to where gambling is legal. The film tours the boat's decks and gaming floors, notes the boarding rules, and reports the night's winners, including a $9,000 payout, as a storm rolls past offshore.

Key takeaways
  • The Big M Casino is Little River's casino cruise boat
  • It sails from the Little River waterfront to offshore gaming waters
  • The film notes boarding rules and reports onboard winners

The festival waterfront

The World Famous Blue Crab Festival — two days each May, drawing an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people — gets the full treatment: the Boones arm themselves with $50 each and work the crab dishes, craft rows and music, totaling what a festival day costs (admission was $5 a person in the film). The fall counterpart, the Shrimp Festival, appears twice: a rainy 20th-annual edition in October (cash-only entry, $10 as filmed) and a 2022 visit eaten end to end.

On the water

The Hurricane Fleet's owner-operator tells the charter story himself — deep-sea fishing, dolphin cruising and diving from the town docks. And Little River's most unusual vessel gets a full tour: the Big M Casino boat, which sails from the village docks out to offshore waters where its gaming floors open. The film notes the boarding rules and reports the night's winners, a $9,000 payout among them.

Little River Shrimp Festival 2026 - A Rainy Day, Where?

Beachin with the Boones

The Boones brave a rainy October day at the 20th annual Little River Shrimp Festival on the historic waterfront. The film covers the cash-only entry, the fried shrimp plates and festival food, the vendors along the dock and the small-town festival atmosphere that carries on through the downpour.

Key takeaways
  • The Shrimp Festival is Little River's fall waterfront festival
  • The 20th annual edition ran in October with a $10 entry
  • Fried shrimp and seafood plates headline the food rows

La Belle Amie Vineyard in Little River near Myrtle Beach

Beachin with the Boones

The Boones visit La Belle Amie Vineyard in Little River, a 40-acre former tobacco plantation growing muscadine grapes since the 1990s. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays, the winery pours its muscadine wines alongside food events with ribs, chicken bog and brisket, and the hosts call it one of the area's best-kept secrets.

Key takeaways
  • La Belle Amie is a 40-acre vineyard on a former tobacco plantation
  • All wines are made from muscadine grapes
  • Open Wednesdays and Saturdays, with food events on the grounds

#1 DISTILLERY [TWELVE 33] North End Of Myrtle Beach - Little River, SC. Premium Spirits Local to SC

Beachin with the Boones

The Boones tour Twelve 33 Distillery in Little River, where visitors can build a spirit flight of any six pours or try craft cocktails. The film covers the tasting room, the spirits lineup and the distillery's tour-and-tasting format in the middle of the fishing village.

Key takeaways
  • Twelve 33 Distillery offers flights of any six spirits
  • Craft cocktails and tours run alongside the tastings
  • The distillery sits in the Little River village

Inland a few blocks

Two surprises close the set: La Belle Amie Vineyard, 40 acres on a former tobacco plantation growing muscadine grapes since the 1990s — open Wednesdays and Saturdays, pouring its wines alongside food events — and Twelve 33 Distillery, where a tasting flight is any six pours you choose.

Sources: the 8 videos on this page; festival prices are as filmed in their years.

Watch: Little River, guided

2 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Little River: Fishing Village Vibes

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Visit Myrtle Beach's portrait of Little River, one of South Carolina's oldest coastal communities and a historic fishing village just below the North Carolina line. The film covers the shrimp boats on the Intracoastal Waterway, dockside restaurants like Crab Catchers, the Big M Casino cruise, dolphin tours, the May Blue Crab Festival, Vereen Memorial Gardens and the scenic Glen Dornoch golf course.

Key takeaways
  • Little River is one of South Carolina's oldest coastal communities
  • Shrimp boats and dockside restaurants line the Intracoastal Waterway
  • The Big M Casino is billed as the area's only casino cruise

Little River Shrimp Festival – What to do in Little River- North Myrtle Beach, SC October 2022

Beachin with the Boones

The Boones eat their way through the 2022 Little River Shrimp Festival — fried shrimp platters, homemade ice cream and big crowds bused in from down the road. (Watch content; narration is sparse over the food footage, so no transcript is stored.)

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