Getting There and Where to Park
Downtown Conway sits about 15 minutes from Crooked Oaks, a short enough drive that it works as an afternoon outing without eating into a full day. Free public parking is available near the Riverwalk entrance on Laurel Street and around Conway’s historic downtown blocks, which keeps this outing cheaper than most Myrtle Beach attractions.
Weekday afternoons run noticeably quieter than weekends, when local families and visitors overlap. If you want the Riverwalk closer to empty, a Tuesday or Wednesday around 2 p.m. is close to ideal. Weekend mornings before 10 a.m. work too, before the downtown shops and restaurants pick up their own foot traffic.
Compared to the parking situation at most Myrtle Beach attractions, where paid lots and metered street parking are the norm during peak season, Conway’s free downtown parking is one of the more understated advantages of this outing. A family that might spend $15 to $20 on parking for a few hours at the beach spends nothing at all here, which adds up over the course of a longer stay if the Riverwalk becomes a repeat stop.
What to Bring
Sections of the Riverwalk sit under tree cover, but stretches near the open river have no shade at all. Water and sunscreen matter even on a mild day, and comfortable shoes help since the boardwalk surface has some uneven, weathered sections in older parts of the walk.
How Long to Budget for the Trip
Between the drive, the walk itself, and a stop for food afterward, a Conway Riverwalk outing typically fills two to three hours from the time you leave your site to the time you get back. That makes it one of the easier half-day activities to fit around a longer beach day or a pool afternoon without needing to give up the rest of the day to a single outing.
Walking the Riverwalk
The Riverwalk runs along the Waccamaw River through downtown Conway, connecting several small parks, historic markers, and river-view lookout points. A full end-to-end walk takes about 30 to 40 minutes at a relaxed pace, though most visitors stretch it into an hour or more by stopping at benches and lookout spots along the way.
Historic Markers and River Views
Several markers along the walk cover Conway’s riverboat and timber history, which gives the walk a bit more substance than a plain scenic path. The river itself, wide and slow-moving through this stretch, draws kayakers and the occasional small boat, and it’s common to see herons or other wading birds along the banks in the late afternoon.
Conway grew up as a riverboat town in the 1800s, and the Waccamaw River was once the main route for moving timber and goods toward the coast before roads and railways took over that role. A handful of the markers along the Riverwalk walk through that history in enough detail to make the stroll feel like more than a scenic backdrop, especially for visitors who enjoy a bit of local context with their outdoor time.
Conway’s Riverwalk doesn’t try to compete with the beach. It offers something the beach doesn’t: quiet.
Kingston Lake, connected to the Riverwalk area, adds another short loop if you want to extend the walk. It’s a smaller, calmer body of water than the main river and makes a good stop for a break on a bench before heading back toward downtown.
Bringing Kids or a Dog
The boardwalk sections are stroller-friendly, and several open green spaces along the route give kids room to run off energy between the more scenic, slower-paced stretches. Dogs are welcome on leash in the outdoor sections, though check current posted rules near any indoor-adjacent buildings along the route.
Photography and Quiet Moments
Late afternoon light along the river, especially in the hour or two before sunset, tends to be the most flattering time for photos, with the water taking on a warmer color than it shows at midday. If you’re hoping for a quiet moment without much foot traffic in the frame, the stretch of boardwalk furthest from the main downtown access points is usually the least crowded, even on a busier Saturday.
Several benches along the walk face directly out over the water rather than toward the path, which makes them worth seeking out if the goal is simply to sit for ten minutes and watch the river rather than keep walking. It’s a small thing, but it’s part of what separates the Riverwalk from a beach boardwalk built more for foot traffic than for lingering.
Where to Eat Afterward
Downtown Conway’s restaurant scene sits within a five-minute walk of most Riverwalk access points, which makes the transition from walk to meal simple. Locally owned restaurants outnumber chains in this stretch, and several sit close enough to the river to offer outdoor seating with a partial water view.
Timing Dinner or a Late Lunch
A late lunch around 1:30 or 2 p.m., after the Riverwalk, tends to be the least crowded window at most downtown restaurants, ahead of the dinner rush that starts building by 5:30. If you’re planning a full afternoon around this outing, that timing lines up naturally: arrive by 1 p.m., walk for an hour, eat by 2:30, and you’re back at your site well before the evening heat sets in.
Conway’s downtown also runs a seasonal farmers market on select days, which is worth checking before your visit since it adds another reason to extend the afternoon into early evening if the timing lines up.
Making It a Full Downtown Afternoon
Beyond the restaurants, downtown Conway has a small but genuine collection of local shops within a few blocks of the Riverwalk, from antique stores to a handful of boutiques that don’t exist anywhere near the main Myrtle Beach tourist strip. Extending the afternoon by 30 to 45 minutes to browse a couple of these shops after lunch rounds out the outing without requiring a second car trip on a different day.
For travelers staying a full week or longer near Conway, the Riverwalk holds up well as a repeat visit, since the river and the historic downtown blocks look and feel different depending on the time of day and the season. A morning visit early in your stay and a sunset visit later in the week can feel like two different outings entirely, even though it’s the same half-mile stretch of boardwalk.
Combining It With Other Conway Stops
Downtown Conway sits close enough to a few other small attractions, including local shops and seasonal events, that the Riverwalk works well as an anchor for a broader afternoon rather than a standalone stop. Checking the city’s event calendar before your visit can turn up a concert, market day, or festival that happens to line up with your trip, which is worth building the rest of the afternoon around if the timing works.
For anyone splitting a longer stay between beach days and quieter inland afternoons, the Riverwalk is worth treating as a recurring option rather than a one-time box to check. A single visit covers the highlights, but a second or third visit later in a trip, especially at a different time of day, tends to reveal details, a specific bench, a bend in the river, a shop that was closed the first time, that make the spot feel more familiar with each return.