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The best things to do in Conway SC are walking the Riverwalk along the Waccamaw River, browsing downtown Main Street shops, eating at a locally owned restaurant, and checking the community calendar for a farmers market or festival happening that weekend.
Start at the Conway Riverwalk
The Riverwalk is the easiest place to begin any list of things to do in Conway SC, because most of downtown connects to it. The boardwalk runs along the Waccamaw River behind Laurel Street, past the old freight depot, and it stays open dawn to dusk with no admission fee.
Bring quarters if you want to feed the resident turtles at the boat landing near Riverfront Park. On a Saturday morning, you will likely pass at least two or three fishing lines cast off the dock and a handful of dog walkers who treat it as a regular loop.
In November and December, the Riverwalk hosts Conway's Christmas on the River light display, one of the larger draws in Horry County outside of Myrtle Beach itself. Parking fills up fast on weekend nights during that stretch, so plan to arrive before 6 p.m. if you want a spot near Laurel Street.
The boardwalk itself is wider and better maintained than a lot of first-time visitors expect, with benches spaced out roughly every fifty yards and a handful of covered gazebo spots for shade. Wheelchairs and strollers move along it without much trouble, which is not something every riverside path in this part of South Carolina can claim. If you walk the full stretch from Riverfront Park to the far end near the old rail bridge, expect it to take about twenty-five minutes at a relaxed pace, longer if you stop to read the historical markers posted along the way.
Explore Downtown Conway’s Shops and Galleries
Main Street and Laurel Street hold most of downtown Conway's independent retail, and it is walkable end to end in under twenty minutes. Expect a mix of gift shops, home goods stores, a working art gallery or two, and antique dealers that rotate stock often enough to make repeat visits worthwhile.
Our Shopping Local coverage tracks individual shop features as we publish them, but the short version is this: downtown Conway rewards slow browsing more than a quick in-and-out trip. Several storefronts share space with working studios, so you might catch a maker at the bench during a weekday afternoon.
Best times to visit
Saturday late morning tends to have the most shops open at once. Several smaller boutiques keep shorter weekday hours, so calling ahead before a special trip saves a wasted walk.
Parking along Main Street runs on a mix of metered spots and a couple of small public lots tucked behind the storefronts, and neither fills up as fast as you might expect outside of a festival weekend. Most shop owners downtown will point you toward the free lot near the old post office building if the street spots are taken, a detail that rarely shows up in a quick online search but comes up constantly if you ask in person.
Eat Your Way Through Local Restaurants
Conway SC restaurants skew toward Southern comfort food and riverside dining, with a growing handful of newer concepts mixed in. Our Conway Restaurants coverage tracks openings and closings as they happen, since restaurant turnover downtown has picked up over the past two years.
A restaurant's location on the Riverwalk does not guarantee a good meal, but it almost always guarantees a good view.
If you only have time for one sit-down meal, a table with a river view during golden hour is hard to beat. For a faster stop, several counter-service spots near the Coastal Carolina University side of town cater to students and move quickly during lunch hours.
Portion sizes downtown tend to run generous by design, a holdover from a Southern dining tradition that treats a plate as something meant to be shared or taken home. Splitting an entree with a companion is common enough that servers rarely blink at the request, and asking for a to-go box before you even finish the meal is normal rather than awkward.
Catch a Community Event or Market
The Conway Farmers Market sets up downtown on a regular seasonal schedule from spring through fall, with local produce, baked goods, and craft vendors. Our Community Events coverage lists market dates, festival weekends, and seasonal pop-ups as they are confirmed.
Beyond the market, Conway hosts smaller recurring gatherings: art walks, live music nights near the Riverwalk pavilion, and pop-up vendor events tied to Coastal Carolina University's academic calendar. None of these are secret, but they also are not always well advertised outside of local flyers and word of mouth, which is exactly the gap this kind of coverage tries to close.
Event size varies a lot depending on the season. A spring craft fair downtown might draw a few dozen vendors and a steady stream of foot traffic across an entire Saturday, while a smaller weeknight pop-up near the pavilion might only run a handful of tables for two or three hours. Neither is worth skipping, but it helps to know which one you are walking into before you plan your afternoon around it.
Get Outdoors Near the Waccamaw River
Beyond the Riverwalk itself, Conway sits close to several outdoor spots worth the short drive. Coastal Carolina University's own campus grounds are open to the public for walking, and the university maintains public event listings for anyone who wants a lower-key alternative to downtown.
According to the Horry County government site, the county maintains several public boat landings along the Waccamaw River within a short drive of downtown Conway, which makes kayaking or a slow pontoon ride an easy add-on to a Riverwalk visit.
What to bring
- Sunscreen, even on overcast days near the water
- Cash for vendor stalls that do not take cards
- A reusable water bottle, since summer humidity in Horry County builds fast
Kayak and paddleboard rentals near the public landings are seasonal, typically running from late spring through early fall, and availability tightens up fast on a sunny Saturday. Calling ahead a day or two before a planned trip is a reasonable habit if a spot on the water is the centerpiece of your visit rather than an afterthought.
Support Local Businesses While You Visit
Every stop on this list connects back to the same idea: spending an afternoon in Conway SC is also a chance to put money directly into small, locally owned businesses instead of a national chain. That is the whole premise behind Support Conway, and it is worth being direct about it here.
In my experience covering this beat, the businesses that last in downtown Conway are rarely the flashiest. They are the ones that show up consistently, keep accurate hours, and treat repeat customers like regulars. That is a small, specific thing, but it adds up over a few years of watching storefronts change.
One mistake worth avoiding: treating a single visit as the whole picture. A shop having an off day, a restaurant running short-staffed on a Saturday, does not mean much on its own. What matters more is whether a business is still there a year later, still keeping the hours it posts, and still treating a returning customer like it remembers them. That pattern, more than any single visit, is what tells you a business is actually built to last.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best free things to do in Conway SC?
The Conway Riverwalk is free year-round and open dawn to dusk. Downtown window shopping, the seasonal farmers market, and Coastal Carolina University’s public grounds are also free ways to spend a few hours in town.
How much time do I need to see downtown Conway?
Plan for two to three hours to walk the Riverwalk, browse Main Street shops, and grab a meal. A full day gives you room to add a boat landing visit or a community event if one falls on your trip.
Is Conway SC worth visiting if I am staying in Myrtle Beach?
Yes. Conway sits about fifteen minutes from Myrtle Beach and offers a slower, more local alternative to the boardwalk, especially for an afternoon away from the beach crowds.
What time of year is best for things to do in Conway SC?
Spring and fall bring the most outdoor events, including the farmers market and downtown festivals. Late November through December adds the Christmas on the River light display along the Riverwalk.
Bottom Line
Conway rewards a slow visit more than a rushed one. The short answer to things to do in Conway SC is the Riverwalk, downtown Main Street, a locally owned restaurant, and whatever community event happens to land on your weekend. Every one of those stops is a small, direct way to support the businesses and organizations that keep this town running. Start with a walk along the river and build your afternoon from there.