The Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens span more than 115 acres of woodland and marshland along the Intracoastal Waterway in Little River. The grounds bring together a distinctive landscape and several historical and artistic themes. If you’re looking for nature and history on your trip, the Gardens offer a shared starting point for these interests.
Woodland, Marshland, and Historic Trails
About three miles of nature trails and boardwalks wind through the Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens. A section of the original Kings Highway has also been preserved there. The colonial route ran between Boston and Charleston, so the preserved section in the Gardens connects the area to a larger historical route. The same grounds bring together the landscape and a tangible piece of route history.
Another destination in the Gardens is the Wishing Tree. This work of natural public art is part of the Myrtle Beach Arts & Gallery Trail. Visitors can make a wish at the tree. This small, personal gesture offers a different way to experience the place, complementing the longer nature trails and historic stretch of road.
Waterways and Different Scales
The Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail is on a much larger scale than the paths in the Gardens. Its South Carolina section is 295 miles long, running along the coast from the Georgia border and ending in Little River at the North Carolina border. The roughly three miles of nature trails and boardwalks in the Gardens and this long coastal stretch represent very different distances: one is a route through the garden grounds, while the other is a regional route with its endpoint in Little River.
Fishing boat trips also vary in the types of excursions described, depending on their location on the water. Several operators in the region offer inshore trips; deep-sea excursions in the Gulf Stream are also available. If you’re considering these options for your trip, this distinction can help you first decide what kind of fishing trip you want. These are described as regional options.
Festivals and Lowcountry Cuisine
The Little River ShrimpFest adds a specific event date to the town’s history: the 20th annual edition was scheduled for Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Historic Little River Waterfront. These dates and times apply to that edition.
Another festival story begins in 1981, when the World Famous Blue Crab Festival started as a small waterfront event. This origin tells the story of the festival’s humble beginnings without conflating it with the ShrimpFest. Both names are part of Little River’s event history, but the facts given here place each in its own time and historical context.
For regional cuisine, the Blue Drum Waterfront Restaurant is located along the Intracoastal Waterway in Little River. Lowcountry classics served there include she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, and crab cakes. These dishes offer a concrete sense of the Lowcountry specialties you might consider when planning a meal.
When looking for hotels in Little River, you can choose where to stay based on your interests: nature trails and preserved history, waterways, festival culture, or Lowcountry cuisine. These topics differ in scale and type, but together they offer several specific ways to explore Little River during your stay.
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