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Located near the Brunswick Beaches of southeastern North Carolina lies the town of Calabash, a small jewel of a town rich with history and containing some of the best restaurants, shopping and other vacation activities you will find on the Carolina coast.
Bordering the state line of South Carolina, Calabash is the southernmost town in the state of North Carolina. The area first became known as early as 1691 when large landowners resided here and raised crops of indigo and other various crops. In the early 1800s, the Northeast branch of Little River was called Pea Landing, which eventually became an important shipping center.
By the late 1800s when the first post office was to open here, a new name was needed and thus the Village of Calabash came to be. Although the area was originally dominated by the timber industry, Calabash eventually evolved into a fishing village with the Calabash River and the Atlantic Ocean providing bountiful amounts of seafood. The years surrounding World War II saw a large opening of various restaurants in town with the first restaurant being an oyster roast that was in a resident’s shed back in 1935. These various restaurants all cooked and served their seafood with a special, distinctive flavor which led to the birth of “Calabash Seafood”. This also led to a very distinguished honor of being known as “The Seafood Capital of the World” a few years later.
Today, Calabash is a small but bustling tourist area filled with an abundance of dining locales, shops, golf courses and much more. With over thirty restaurants in this town alone, and many of them offering seafood for which the town is famous for, it is easy for visitors to see how this town came to be known as “The Seafood Capital of the World.” Some of these are located right along the scenic Calabash River which gives diners the opportunity to enjoy a picturesque view while dining on some great food. Visitors must stop by Beck’s to get a taste of true “Calabash Style” cooking. One of the oldest restaurants in town, it was founded back in 1940 and is considered the origination spot of “Calabash Style” cooking. Visitors can dine on fresh locally caught seafood, chicken, steak and other delicacies at Beck’s or at one of the many other outstanding restaurants in town.
Calabash is also home to a lot of great shopping locations including one of the most unique stores you’ll find at Callahan’s of Calabash Nautical Gift Shop. Over 35,000 square feet of shopping await you as well as gifts that range from the nautical to holiday ornaments for any holiday of the year. For those that prefer something a little sportier than shopping, Calabash has some of the best and most challenging golf courses around. Perfect your game on The Pearl, an award-winning Dan Maples designed course that provides challenging play coupled with beautiful marsh views and bordering the scenic Calabash River, or try one of Calabash’s several other beautiful golf courses.
Calabash Fishing
For the fishing enthusiast, Calabash Fishing Fleet offers some of the best offshore fishing you can find and for those who prefer to watch instead of catch, Hurricane Fleet Eco Day Tours will offer beautiful tours along pristine rivers and marshland to get a glimpse of the local wildlife and maritime creatures such as herons, egrets, sea urchins and more.
Calabash may be small in size but delivers big on fun and relaxing things to do, all while in a beautiful and historical setting. Come visit Calabash today to see why this town makes such a big impact on visitors.
