Quality of Life

Recreation opportunities of all types abound in Conway

Conway residents and visitors have a wide a wide variety of choices when it's time for leisure and recreational activities.

The Conway Recreation Center is a 60,000 square foot facility that features a pair of gymnasiums, a one 40th of a mile indoor walking track, indoor pool, shower facilities with lockers, a cardio room with more than 30 pieces of MATRIX cardio equipment, a weight room with free weights and machines, an aerobics room, a supervised play room for kids, a meeting space and a catering kitchen.

Membership packages are available for both city residents and nonresidents. Annual memberships and corporate memberships are available. Call (843) 248-1740.

The Conway area also offers plenty of recreational sports opportunities including hunting, golfing, paddling, bicycling, walking, picnicking, festivals and concerts.

The Conway Marina is located downtown on the Waccamaw River and provides access for water sports. Water sport enthusiasts enjoy boating, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking, hydro-sliding and jet skiing, as well as fishing.

The Conway Parks and Recreation Department offers organized sports for children and adults on a year-round basis including baseball, basketball, football and soccer.

Hunting is one of the area's favorite sports with ducks and deer providing two of the primary targets.

Five beautiful parks are maintained by the City of Conway. Collins Park boasts tennis courts, picnic shelters and children's playground equipment. It is located at Main Street and 16th Avenue.

The Conway Recreation Complex is located on Mill Pond Road. The 50 acre park offers walking paths, picnic tables, a shelter, a playground, three multipurpose fields, five baseball/softball fields and a soccer field.

The Sherwood Forest Park features a train theme. It offers playground equipment for young children, picnic tables, a restroom, nine-hole disc golf course, one-quarter mile walking trail and a sand volleyball court for pickup games. It is located at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Sherwood Drive.

Smith Jones Park, located off US 378, features two shelters, a playground, a baseball/softball field, two tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts and an outdoor swimming pool.

Riverfront Park is located downtown along the Waccamaw River in Conway's historic district.

A children's playground, picnic areas and festivals are a few of the attractions. Well maintained walkways with swings and benches overlooking the marina and the river make walking a truly great experience.

Just up the street from Riverfront Park is the members-only Riverfront Tennis Center, a lighted facility with clay courts and a pro shop.

The newest park in the city is Conway Dog Park, which features areas for large and small dogs as well as benches and water stations. The park is located at 1700 New Road beside Lake Busbee. Conway Dog Park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Conway also features a number of bike routes including 4.3, 7.4 and 25.4-mile routes.

A map is available at www.conwayparksandrecreation.com.

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge has numerous opportunities for you to get out and enjoy nature. Several areas of the Refuge provide visitors with opportunities for good wildlife observation, photography and hiking experiences.

If you are interested in hiking on the Refuge, we suggest you visit Cox Ferry Lake Recreation Area on Jackson Bluff Road in Conway.

It has three trails of varying lengths including a boardwalk, which allows hikers to meander through a flooded cypress swamp. You can expect to see a variety of forest wildlife, including an array of plants and animals associated with bottomland hardwood habitats. Call (843) 527-8069.

Assistance and activities are provided throughout the county for senior citizens by the Horry County Council on Aging, headquartered in Conway.

The City of Conway offers activities through the Conway Senior Center as well as at the Conway Recreation Center.

The Grand Strand area, which includes Conway, is home to a bounty of championship golf courses.

Myrtle Beach, the "Golf Course Capital of the World" is only 15 miles from Conway.

No matter what your level of play, or how deep your pockets may be, there's a course near Conway that you'll find enjoyable and affordable. Several are located less than five minutes away.

Conway Country Club features a nine-hole layout that is ideally suited for those who enjoy walking the course. Check out their website at www.conwaygolfclub.com for the latest rates and specials.

Wild Wing Plantation is a world-class golf resort, and Burning Ridge Golf Club, located across US 501 from Wild Wing, are favorites of many golfers. Latest rates and available tee times can be found at

The Hackler Golf Club at Coastal Carolina University (www.coastal.edu/hacklercourse/) is home to the University's PGA Golf Management program, and is maintained by Horry Georgetown Technical College's Sports Turf Management Program. The golf course is only a short distance from the University and just a short drive from the beach. Membership packages are available as well. Shaftsbury Glen Golf and Fish Club, located just a short drive north of Conway, offers 18 holes of traditional English style golf. Find out more at www.glensgolfgroup.com

Residents of Horry County should always ask for the locals' discount, and senior citizens also qualify for discounts on greens fees at many of the courses. Visitors and locals can enjoy unhurried play and pleasant weather conditions during the temperate winter months.

Most of the courses stay very busy in the spring and fall when "snowbirds" head south.

The facilities, natural resources and favorable year-round climate make Conway a true haven for its residents and visitors to enjoy leisure and recreation.