Explorin’ With Loren: Little River famous for golf courses, fresh seafood, distillery

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. (WMBF) - We visited Little River this week, an area known for fishing, beautiful golf courses and seafood.

It’s a hidden gem located on the north end of the Grand Strand and once known as a pirate’s haven. It’s now known for having the longest golf course in South Carolina.

“Eagle Nest is so unique because it’s situated in a natural area that actually has rolling hills that is not characteristic here at the beach,” said Jim Kane, director of operations.

Kane said state Sen. Dick Elliot built Eagle Nest Golf Club in 1971 and it’s been family owned ever since. His car remains as a permanent fixture on the scenic course. The putting green is full of luscious grasses and all types of wildlife, which is how the course got its name.

“We actually had an eagle nest on hole number eight. It was a huge nest that was actually taken out by Hurricane Hugo in 1989,” Kane said.

Not only is Eagle Nest Golf Club known for its scenery, but golfers of all ages can really put their skills to the test.

“Eagle Nest is known for the toughest three finishing holes in the Grand Strand. So, 16,17,18, you better bring your game,” Kane said.

Eagle Nest is celebrating its 50th anniversary and everyone’s invited to celebrate! The course is open seven days a week.

Play some golf

Eat where the locals eat at Snooky’s on the Water.

“The most amazing view on the waterway,” owner Lance Denny said. “We got a Caribbean-style restaurant, a lot of seafood dishes. We have stuff for everybody.”

Denny showed off a romaine lettuce pinwheel-wedge salad and a delicious red chili pepper mahi seafood that he said is shipped in daily.

“As the boats come in, they actually bring them by, offload them, and then we have a guy downstairs that cuts them up and prepares them for the dinner,” he said.

The restaurant is also equipped with an impressive raw bar that’s in the eatery’s center.

“You can sit at the raw bar, watch them shuck the oysters, steaming the crab legs,” Denny said.

Snooky’s offers a daily happy hour from its extensive cocktail menu and local beers for flights.

Eat at Snooky’s on the Water

If spirits are your thing, celebrate your freedom to buy a drink at Twelve 33 Distillery.

“We currently make 10, what I like to call traditional, spirits here. So, we make vodka, infused vodkas, rums, whiskeys and gin, all on site,” co-owner Kevin Osborn said.

Osborn and his wife opened the distillery in April 2019. It’s the only along the Grand Strand. The 3,000-square-foot space is used for daily tastings and creating original cocktails.

“You won’t find them in any recipe books. We all use fresh ingredients and they’re really designed to showcase the essence of the spirits that we’re making here,” Osborn said.

The distillery also has a mini flight for cocktails and launched its new spirit, which is a natural toasted coconut cream liquor. Folks can enjoy sipping their drinks in a hidden speakeasy that requires a password to enter. Once inside, revelers travel back to the 1930s, a theme that’s carried throughout the distillery, including in its name.

“Our brand Twelve 33 is all about our celebration of the end of prohibition and our freedom to drink, which came when the 18th Amendment was repealed and the 21st Amendment enacted. That happened in December 1933, or Twelve 33,” Osborn said.

The distillery offers seasonal menus, live music and food trucks on weekends.

Drink at Twelve 33 Distillery

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