Must see attractions in Conway, SC: Conway Riverwalk and Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

 

Conway Riverwalk, Conway, SC

Slow travel, where we’re staying at one place a month or longer, has allowed us to see places we normally wouldn’t have the time or the energy to see.  This way of traveling has afforded us the luxury of seeing well known places as well as off the beaten path places.

During our pack’s (my wife, myself, and our Pomeranian Toby) 3 months long stay in Murrells Inlet (SC), we read about Conway, a town north of Murrells Inlet, in one of the local tourist brochures.  We had already visited many places in and around where we were staying the first two weeks, and we were ready to explore other places outside of Murrells Inlet.

Conway is home to two major institutions of higher learning, Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College.  Numerous building and structures in downtown Conway are on the National Register of Historic Places.  City Hall Building, is one of those historic buildings, and it was designed by Robert Mills, the architect of Washington Monument.

The revitalized downtown area features cafes, restaurants, and shops, thanks to the completion of Main Street USA project back in the 80’s.  Highlighting the revitalization is Conway Riverwalk, which is one of the two must see attractions in Conway.

Conway Riverwalk is a 1.5 mile long pathway that features the famous boardwalk, as it sits on the oldest thoroughfare in Conway, featuring the rich, black waters of the Waccamaw River.  Waccamaw River is about 140 miles long, located in North Carolina and South Carolina, that drains out into the coastal plain into Atlantic Ocean.  

On a beautiful weekday, our pack headed out to Conway Riverwalk in mid-afternoon.  The drive from Murrells Inlet to Conway Riverwalk is about 30 minutes.  We were surprised by the traffic going into downtown Conway over the Main St/Business 501.  It was literally bumper to bumper going over the bridge towards downtown.  

The delay would add about 5 minutes to our trip, but we didn’t mind.  One of the perks of early retirement is the abundance of time.  We had plenty of it and we were definitely more patient compared to when we worked full time.

We turned right after seeing the sign for Riverwalk after crossing the Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge.  We found plenty of parking spots and parked our car in one of the spots near the boardwalk.  Because it was right around lunch time, we saw numerous people going in and out of the popular restaurant Bonfire Taqueria.  

We all got out then headed towards the boardwalk area to enjoy the surroundings.  It was truly a beautiful day with warm sun and perfect weather in the 70’s.  Sky was crystal clear blue and we could see birds idling away on the river.  We saw many people enjoying the awesome day walking, strolling, and fishing.  

We stopped to chat with a nice lady who was fishing.  We also met her daughter who was super friendly, and she was also fishing nearby.  The daughter mentioned how cute Toby was, and she asked what nationality we were.  When we told her we were Koreans, she beamed and said one of her family members was also Korean.  

We chitchatted about her upbringing in South Carolina and we talked about how her local/Southern accent was ‘corrected’ in school.  It was all really fascinating.

We kept strolling on the boardwalk immersed in the river, the scenery, and the wildlife/plants.  It was absolutely beautiful and serene strolling along the boardwalk.  We stopped several times to enjoy the idyllic river flowing towards the ocean, and to enjoy the beautiful bridge we had just crossed.  

The smell wafting out from the restaurant was mesmerizing!  We smelled meat cooking and smelled vegetables grilling.  We figured the restaurant is a good one as many people were eating and enjoying the river views.

Conway Riverwalk, looking south

Beautiful views of the Waccamaw River 

Love the southern trees and their moss

The paved portion of the Conway Riverwalk

Toby was not his usual self that day.  He didn’t quite enjoy his walk so we stopped more often than usual.  We had to nudge him with his treat to entice him to walk, and he begrudgingly agreed.

We stopped at several boat launches along the walk to explore the river bit closer.  I loved the views from these boat launches!  

Found this cute bear along the Conway Riverwalk

Boat launch, Conway Riverwalk

Conway Riverwalk, view of a boat launch

Love these boat launches!

We walked all the way to the end of the boardwalk, then headed back to the parking lot.  Along our journey, we commented on how beautiful the Christmas decorations and lights along the boardwalk were!  We also loved the cleanliness of the boardwalk, and of course the awesome scenery.

At the parking lot, a local gentleman with a cute dog, asked about Toby.  My wife stopped to chat with that gentleman for few minutes.  Afterwards, we headed back home to our rental in Murrells Inlet.  What a great trip!

After our trip to Conway Riverwalk, we were itching to explore another place where we could walk with Toby.  That place turned out to be Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, also in Conway.

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1997, is a relatively recent addition to the National Wildlife Refuge system.  The land is adjacent to three rivers, Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee, and Waccamaw, near their confluence.  The refuge is approximately 23,000 acres, and is popular for nature viewing, hiking, and canoeing/kayaking along the river.

We left on a cold January morning and arrived at the refuge at around 10 a.m.  There was only one other car parked at the trailhead (Blue Trail) when we arrived.  We took off towards the trail and we immediately noticed the fragrant smells of nearby trees.  It was absolutely wonderful!

We took deep lungful of crisp, fragrant morning air into our system, then started our hike.  Toby wasn’t sure if he liked the trail that early in the morning, so we let him acclimate himself to the new environment at his own pace.  

After sniffing around the trail, he slowly but surely started his happy prancing walk, with his tail up, in his inquisitive mode, and eyes alert!  He was definitely in his element, all 9 pounds of furious predator searching for prey!  Note:  we recently took him to a vet, and found out he’s lost considerable weight, down from 13 pounds.  

After about 100 steps in from the trailhead, we were deeply immersed in nature.  We heard plenty of birds calling each other, fluttering their wings, and insects making loud clicking/clacking noises!  We were happy!

We came upon a flooded cypress swamp which to us looked otherworldly.  We saw cypress tree trunks/roots showing under water, and marveled at their immense size.  We looked out for alligators lurking in the waters as we were in South Carolina, but to our relief, we didn’t see any…

Cypress trees, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

At the trailhead, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

Check out the cypress tree roots! (Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge)

We passed the cypress tree swamp then finally saw the boardwalk area.  The boardwalk had frost and in some spots, ice, as it was indeed a cold morning in January, even in South Carolina.  As soon as Toby saw the boardwalk, he sped up and at times ran.  We could tell he really loved the hike!

Boardwalk, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

Once the boardwalk ended, we made a decision to head back the way we came, as we didn’t want to tire out Toby too much.  After all, he’s 15 years old, and his limbs/joints may not be able to take the abuse of a long hike…

Once we arrived back to our car, we drove and headed towards the lake area.  We were contemplating whether or not to walk the lakeside trail, but we realized it would be too much for Toby.  We instead lifted him so he can at least see the lake in all its glory.

Lake view, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

We walked a bit with Toby enjoying the lovely morning near the lake.  It was cold and breezy, but it was worth it!  We really enjoyed the views…

We decided to head home as we were already getting hungry by then.  As soon as we put Toby back in his bed in the backseat of our car, he crashed!  He was soundly asleep in no time, thanks to the excitement of the morning hike, with new stimuli!  Our job was done to knock him out!

In conclusion:

Conway is a hidden gem near Myrtle Beach area.  We got to enjoy Conway Riverwalk and Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, which were both awesome.  

For those of you visiting the Myrtle Beach area, we highly recommend both of these attractions.  Thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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