Shrimp and Grits in South Carolina: History and Season

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Shrimp and grits is a signature Lowcountry dish. No section of the state code names grits the official state food, though a 2014 House resolution says it was declared so in 1976. Facts below come from the state tourism office and Department of Natural Resources.

DishLowcountrycoastal roots
State CodeNo grits sectionsee page
SeasonSee pageDNR dates
CheckedOct 262026

What The Sources Say

SC PRT says shrimp and grits began as a Southern breakfast dish; grits likely originated with Native Americans who ground dried corn and simmered it with water; in the Lowcountry cooks sometimes used seawater; adding small sweet creek shrimp made the combination that became a signature of SC cooking. source
SC PRT calls shrimp and grits one of the state's most iconic dishes and makes no specific origin claim; it pairs fresh shrimp with stone-ground corn grits. source
SC General Assembly Code Title 1 Chapter 1 has NO section naming grits the official state food (searched sections 1-1-670 through 1-1-700 and the rest of the chapter). source
A 1999-2000 House bill, H.4806 (Rep. Altman, introduced March 22, 2000), proposed adding Code Section 1-1-703 to recognize grits as the official food of the State. Its history shows only introduction, first reading and committee referral; no passage shown. source
House Resolution H.5043 (2013-2014 session, text version dated April 3, 2014) names the Upstate South Carolina Shrimp & Grits Cook-off in Anderson County the state's official cook-off event for 2014 and designates September 25, 2014 as Shrimp & Grits Day. Its preamble states: 'in 1976, the Palmetto State declared the coarsely ground boiled-corn treat to be its official state food.' This is the resolution's own statement; the 1976 act itself was not found. source
SCDNR: the recreational shrimp baiting fishery targets white shrimp, is set by law to last 60 days, and opens at noon on the last Friday on or before September 15. source
SCDNR licensing FAQ: shrimp baiting season lasts 60 days; license is $25.00 for residents and $500.00 for nonresidents, and includes 10 pole tags. The FAQ says season dates vary between September 1 and November 15 and points to the regulations page for exact dates. source
SCDNR: recreational shrimp limits stated as 48 quarts heads-on or 29 quarts heads-off per boat or seining party. source
SCDNR: commercial shrimp trawling opened in all legal state waters at 8 a.m. Monday, June 2, 2025. SCDNR sets the opening each year based on the condition of the shrimp (biologists check whether most female white shrimp have spawned at least once). source
SCDNR: commercial landings of young white shrimp usually begin in August, peak in September and October, and often run through December. source

What We Could Not Confirm

Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.

Note this differs from SC PRT, which puts light tomato in the Pee Dee.
South Carolina Barbecue Association: searched for sauce-style / whole-hog pages; no usable official page found.
Shrimp baiting 2026 exact open/close dates: no SCDNR 2026 announcement found. The rule (noon on last Friday on or before Sept. 15, 60 days) is stated by SCDNR; 2026 dates would be inferred, so not given. Also 2026 commercial shrimp opening date not found (2025 only).
1976 grits designation: the actual act/resolution text was not found on scstatehouse.gov; only the 2014 resolution's recital.
Sweet tea: statute text says 'South Carolina grown tea'; PRT says 'sweet tea'. Summerville birthplace claim is the town's tourism claim; independent historical support not verified (a Charleston City Paper piece from 2013 questions it, but not an approved source and not read).
Charleston Tea Garden hours, factory tour price and trolley price: charlestonteagarden.com did not load for us on every fetch. unofficial summary only (Mon-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4, free factory tour, trolley from $16 adult) – NOT verified, do not publish without re-fetch.
Peach county list (Edgefield, Saluda, Aiken, Lexington, Spartanburg, Cherokee): no read official page lists current main peach counties. SC Dept of Agriculture Market Bulletin PDF (Aug 2, 2018) could not be read. Only Edgefield (Ridge Peach Meeting) and Spartanburg (1935 figure) appear in read pages.
Peach season months: Clemson HGIC says mid-June to mid-September in the Upstate; SC PRT says May through August; the two differ by region and source.
Peachoid official Gaffney/Cherokee County page not found; only SC PRT description used.
SC Peach Festival 2026 full day-by-day dates: not on organizer page; only July 19, 2026 concert. 2027 dates not stated.
Ridge Peach Festival (Trenton) and Johnston Peach Blossom Festival: only a 2020 listing on visitold96sc.com; no organizer page found, no 2026 dates.
Pelion Peanut Party 2026 dates: organizer page (Facebook) gave no date; only a 2023 newspaper report.
Green peanut season: SC Dept of Agriculture says summer and fall; Clemson specific maturity guidance came from unofficial summary only and was not read.
Collard greens and peach second-in-nation figures: SC PRT's collard 'second nationally' claim not checked against USDA.
State Farmers Market exact open/close hours: official page says only 'Monday through Sunday, vendor hours may vary'.
Carolina Gold rice history, she-crab soup from Charleston CVB (charlestoncvb.com pages not read), pimento cheese: no official SC source found.

Sources

Read on October 26, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “Shrimp and Grits in South Carolina”, itssouthcarolina.com/things-to-do/food-and-drink/shrimp-and-grits-in-south-carolina/ (updated 2026-10-26). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.