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Step Into the Grand Strand’s Past at the L.W. Paul Living History Farm

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Our beautiful stretch of the Carolina coast is fortunate to have rich and proud historical roots — roots that can be explored at attractions up and down the Grand Strand such as Hobcaw Barony, Hopsewee Plantation, Atalaya Castle, Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens and more. But perhaps no historical site in the area does as effective a job of putting visitors into the shoes of the Grand Strand’s eras-ago inhabitants as the L.W. Paul Living History Farm.

At this 17-acre working farm located about 5 miles north of downtown Conway, visitors are treated to an immersive experience that teaches them what life was like on a “one-horse family farm” in Horry County between 1900 and 1955. The educational and fun activities found on the L.W. Paul Living History Farm — many of them hands-on, and some of them seasonal — include the following:

seeing a volunteer work the farm’s fields using a mule-drawn plow
observing as a historian harvests tobacco, makes cane syrup, shucks and mills corn, blacksmiths metal tools, creates household objects out of wood, or cooks on a wood stove — all using methods dating back more than a century
watching as a volunteer processes hog meat as it would have been done over 100 years ago to ready it for the family table
learning how local residents made lye soap, then watching as a local historian actually does laundry with it using turn-of-the-century technology
shopping for throwback jams, jellies, relishes and more in the on-site gift shop

The structures on the farm are true to the time portrayed — including the small farmhouse heated by a wood-burning stove, the barn where tools and animals are housed, the smokehouse where meats are cured, and more. On some weekends, guests are even treated to old-time musical jam sessions featuring guitars, violins, banjos and more.

Admission to the farm, located at 2279 Harris Short Cut Road in Conway, is free of charge. It’s open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To learn more about the L.W. Paul Living History Farm, as well as the educational activities available and the regular events presented there, visit horrycountymuseum.org.

During your next visit to The Caribbean Resort & Villas on the Myrtle Beach oceanfront, make the short drive inland to Conway — and take a step back in time at the L.W. Paul Living History Farm. Book your getaway at The Caribbean Resort & Villas today, and start making plans to explore all of the Grand Strand’s storied history.