How South of the Border Roadside Attraction Started

We toured South of the Border, a world famous roadside attraction along Interstate 95 (I-95) in Hamer, South Carolina, just south of Rowland, North Carolina. Themed in faux-Mexican style, it’s named because it’s located between two states and a halfway point to Florida from New York. Founded by Alan Schafer in 1950 as a beer stand near many dry North Carolina counties, this 350-acre (140 ha) compound contains restaurants, gas stations, souvenir shops with kitsch and trinkets, campground, 300-room motel, video arcade, truck stop, small amusement park, mini golf course, fireworks stores, a motocross complex, and home to Reptile Lagoon, the largest indoor reptile exhibit in the U.S. Its mascot Pedro is a 104 foot (32 m) tall caricature of a Mexican Bandido, which is paired with a 200-foot (61 m) observation tower with a sombrero-shaped deck.