- HubPages»
- Travel and Places»
- Visiting North America»
- United States
Visiting South Carolina's Conway: Peaceful, Southern City on the Waccamaw River
A smooth cruise and blend of impressions
Inland from busy and bustling Myrtle Beach, is Conway, county seat of Horry County , South Carolina. Founded in 1734 as Kingston, in the 19th century this name seems to have been deemed to be vaguely 'unAmerican' by the local population and the name was changed. At first, to honour General Robert Conway, it was called 'Conwayborough' but eventually the more simple 'Conway' stuck.
From Conway, my wife and I cruised along the Waccamaw River , one of the highlights of our visits to South Carolina. The boatman, an ex-military man, was the source of a vast number of anecdotes relating to local landmarks. Occasionally he would relapse into historical references to the Civil War (he didn't confine himself to calling it this) which were infused with hints of irony and even ambiguity.
The boatman was, in short, a very articulate local character.
Conway's Historic Districts
Along the Waccamaw River , we passed the Warehouse Historic District , where 19th century buildings have been preserved near the boardwalk, despite the intervention of a fire a number of years ago which our boatman described to us in poignant detail.
The Residential Historic District is another distinct historic area of Conway. This District contains various historic properties, including the J. W. Holliday, Jr. House, the Beatty-Little House and the W. H. Winborne House. Properties in this district have continued to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Last impressions
So Conway is indeed a historic place.
But I do not know which was the strongest impression with which I was left, as my wife and I returned to Myrtle Beach: the peacefulness of the Waccamaw River cruise, the gracious, historic, tree-lined city, ... or the incessant and stimulating anecdotes of our trusty boatman!
Also worth visiting
Myrtle Beach (distance: 25 kilometres), known as the world's Golf Capital. The district's two Tanger Malls give outstanding retail opportunities and its range of accommodations is very wide. Its small Warbird Park will fascinate aviation buffs.
...
How to get there: Myrtle Beach Airport is served by Continental, Delta and US Airways and other airlines from a number of US destinations. Continental flies from New York Newark to Myrtle Beach. Ontarian travellers may find it convenient to use DirectAir which flies from Niagara Falls International Airport to Myrtle Beach Airport, where car rental is available. By road from Myrtle Beach, take US501 north. Please check with the airline or your travel agent for up to date information.
Other of my hubpages may also be of interest
- Visiting the mountains of northern New Jersey: surprising, tranquil scenes
New Jersey . What I might have expected was the hinterland of the Jersey Shore with its suburbs and retail parks, and market gardens and marshland that the air traveller sees when shortly before landing... - Visiting Toledo, Ohio: reflecting the Glass City
One reason why Toledo's nickname of 'Glass City' is particularly apt is not only on account of its glass making industry but also because, with glass as a leitmotiv, it expresses the repeated blurring of the...
