Adventure

If you know me, you know I love Halloween. So when I kept seeing videos of what Conway, South Carolina does for October — and several of you started sending them to me too — I knew Mom and I eventually had to go.

We’ve talked about going for the last few years, but we always seemed to be out of town. This year, we finally made it!

And technically, we didn’t go to Conway. For the month of October, Conway officially changes its name to Halloween, SC as part of its mission to become the Halloween Capital of South Carolina.

I think they’re succeeding.

Welcome to the City of Halloween

I will admit, I was a little hesitant before we went. Social media can make just about anything look fabulous with the right camera angle.

But I was genuinely impressed.

The amount of time, effort, money and love that goes into transforming downtown was obvious everywhere we looked. Businesses got into the spirit, there were decorations all over town, and despite the number of people, everything was remarkably clean and organized.

Even better? Everyone was nice.

We met so many lovely people over the weekend. I honestly can’t remember encountering one rude person — or even one rude driver — which is saying something considering how packed Conway was.

When we left Thursday night, the line of cars coming across the bridge from Myrtle Beach was INSANE. I don’t even know how many miles it stretched. If you’re planning to come for one of the big events, my advice is simple:

Come early.

We arrived well before everything started, parked, wandered around downtown, had an early dinner, did a little shopping and were already settled in before the evening crowds really descended.

Downtown Conway itself isn’t very big, so it’s easy to walk. The parking we encountered was free, although some of the spaces along Main Street had a two-hour limit. Shuttle service is also available from larger parking areas during some of the festivities.

There is an interactive Halloween map showing the displays around downtown. Even better, you can click on the locations and get walking directions to the next one.

Of course, I didn’t realize that until later.

I missed one little section that I fully intended to go back and see Saturday morning…and then completely forgot.

There was also a self-guided audio tour that we never got around to doing.

Apparently, we were very good at finding reasons to come back.

Next year!

Two Witches With Absolutely No Photographic Evidence

Mom and I dressed as witches Thursday night.

Do we have a cute photo together to prove it?

No.

Not one.

We totally failed.

We even had another opportunity the next day and STILL didn’t get a picture together. It was so stinking hot that I think our brains were slightly cooked.

Actually, why I didn’t bring one of the many sun hats I own is another mystery.

October apparently does not guarantee October weather in South Carolina.

Parade Night + Ghoul Vibration

Thursday evening was the Halloween parade followed by a concert downtown.

Ghoul Vibration performed that night and they were outstanding — tons of energy, great costumes and just plain fun.

That was their Conway performance, but if you’d like to catch them this Halloween season, you can find them performing Friday nights at Lakewood Campground’s Hallo-Wood in Myrtle Beach. I’ve heard the campground itself is quite the Halloween experience, too.

And after all that walking, witching and people-watching, naturally we needed to eat.

Actually, we did quite a bit of that over the weekend.

What We Ate: The Crooked Oak

Our Thursday-night dinner was at The Crooked Oak, and this was definitely one of the food highlights of the trip.

First of all, there’s a great story behind the restaurant’s name, so ask about it if you go.

Mom ordered the filet, and I am not exaggerating when I say you could practically cut it with your fork. It was incredibly tender and easily one of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time.

The mac & cheese was another surprise.

I’m usually a little underwhelmed by restaurant mac & cheese. It frequently looks much more exciting than it tastes.

This one delivered.

Creamy, flavorful and absolutely something I’d order again.

The mashed potatoes that came with the steak were also creamy and delicious. The creamed spinach could have used a little more spinach for my taste, but if we’d been at home, I would have happily doctored the leftovers and carried on.

We also shared the beet salad and calamari.

Mom had a Frisk wine from Australia that she absolutely loved — enough that she later found it at Encore Florals, Wines, and Gifts and bought two bottles to take home.

I don’t know much about wine, so I’ll take her word for it.

I tried one of their cocktails made with moonshine. I’m glad I tried it, but I’d probably choose something different next time.

And perhaps the best restaurant review of all?

We happily ate the leftovers Friday night.

We had brought a few things with us, so Friday dinner became leftover creamed spinach over a hard-boiled egg, a few bites of mac & cheese, beet salad and some kiwi.

Was it glamorous?

No.

Was it delicious, easy and considerably cheaper than another dinner out?

Absolutely.

Friday Morning Coffee: A Coffee Movement

Friday morning required coffee, and we found A Coffee Movement.

I had their Pumpkin Brown Sugar Latte, which was lovely.

And guess what one of the brands of coffee they use is?

Methodical!

For those of you who aren’t local, Methodical is a Greenville coffee roaster, so naturally I got a little kick out of finding Greenville coffee during our Conway adventure.

I’m also picky about flavored coffee drinks. If I’m going to a good coffee shop, I want to see interesting flavors and preferably house-made syrups rather than the same bottled syrups I can get anywhere.

This one made me happy.

Lunch: A Local-ish Recommendation Pays Off

One of my favorite things about traveling is talking to people.

Friday morning we met Michele and Angela while we were out walking. Michele actually lives right up the road from me in Travelers Rest! I got the impression she spends quite a bit of time in the Conway area as well, and they recommended Hop N’ Wich for lunch.

So we decided to give it a try.

Good call.

Mom and I split a burger, fries and coleslaw. The burger was cooked perfectly, and the fries were especially good — perfectly cooked with lots of crisp to them. The coleslaw had just the right amount of mayo.

Why is that apparently so difficult?

They also had Halloween-themed cocktails, so obviously we had to try those too.

They were tasty, the food was good and we were glad Michele and Angela sent us there.

Saturday Morning’s Food Miss: A Cup Full Cafe

Unfortunately, Saturday morning breakfast was our one real food miss of the trip.

We tried A Cup Full Cafe. I ordered the avocado toast, and based on what I had seen on their website, I was expecting something a little fresher. The bread looked and tasted more like store-bought bread, and the avocado appeared to be the prepackaged kind rather than fresh avocado.

Mom ordered sausage gravy over a biscuit with grits, which were described as a “secret recipe.” The biscuit definitely didn’t seem homemade to us.

We were pretty hungry, so we ate some of everything, but overall the meal was just very underwhelming and we didn’t finish it.

We also had some cleanliness concerns. I quietly mentioned those, along with our issues with the food, to the woman I believe was the manager. She was very nice and receptive, and I think she was planning to refund part of our meal, although that wasn’t why I spoke with her. I simply felt like she needed to know.

The staff seemed overwhelmed that morning and everyone was very nice, so it’s entirely possible we caught them on a particularly rough day.

And this is where I struggle with reviews.

I don’t want to hurt a small business when the people working there are genuinely nice and trying. At the same time, I want someone to tell me the truth before I spend my money somewhere.

One experience doesn’t necessarily tell you what happens every day, so I can only tell you what happened to us.

For us, this one was a miss and wouldn’t be on our list to return to next time.

Saturday Morning Wandering

I woke up crazy early Saturday morning and decided to head downtown by myself to walk around and see the decorations without all the crowds.

Or so I thought.

Little did I know there was a race that morning, so people were already starting to appear.

Still, early morning was a great time to see everything a little more slowly.

Later, Mom and I stopped at the farmers market and picked up some beautiful-looking vegetables, fruit and bread.

I had planned to run back to A Coffee Movement for another coffee after breakfast, but by then the line was long, the weather was starting to look a little questionable and we decided it was probably time to start heading home.

There were still a few things I wanted to do that we never got around to.

Part of that was simply the heat. By afternoon I was OVER walking.

Again: SUN HAT, NICOLE.

A Note About Where to Stay

If you’re thinking about making a Halloween trip to Conway, I would book your accommodations early.

Places close to downtown can be a little tricky to find during October, especially around the bigger events.

Our rental was large and had a lot of potential, but it was much more bare-bones than I expected. There were several basic things missing — no hand soap in the bathrooms, no hand towels or washcloths, no nightstands — and there were obvious places where things had been removed from the walls, but the holes hadn’t been repaired. The beds and pillows were not very comfortable. Luckily, I always travel with my pillow. It looks like they are in the process of fixing things. 

The lighting was also on a strange timer system, and I couldn’t get the ceiling fan in my bedroom to work. It was so warm that I eventually gave up and slept on the couch.

It didn’t ruin our weekend by any means, but it isn’t somewhere I’d personally book again.

Next time, I’ll plan earlier and be a little pickier.

Would We Go Back?

Absolutely.

In fact, there were enough things we didn’t get to see that we already have an excuse.

Conway did a fantastic job with the entire experience. The town was festive without feeling like one giant cheesy tourist attraction. Local businesses participated, people dressed up, there was music and entertainment, and you could tell an enormous amount of work goes into pulling the whole thing together.

If you love Halloween and you’re looking for a fun October road trip, I think Halloween, SC is worth putting on your list.

Some final thoughts:

• Go during the week if possible and arrive early on major event days.
• Book accommodations well ahead of time.
• Use the interactive map from the beginning instead of discovering it halfway through the trip.
• Do the self-guided audio tour we completely missed this time.
• Leave room in the schedule to wander rather than trying to see everything at once.
• We enjoyed The Crooked Oak, A Coffee Movement and Hop N’ Wich, but there are several other restaurants we’d like to try next time, too.
• Take the darn witch selfie.
• And for the love of all things October in South Carolina, bring a sun hat.

If you’ve been to Halloween, SC, I’d love to know what you found that we missed — especially somewhere delicious. I’m already making notes for next time.