Anyone who has ever traveled down I-95 to Florida has passed all the corny signs touting all of the marvels at South of the Border.
No, it’s not south of the Mexican border – it’s south of the North Carolina border.
South of the Border was developed by Alan Schafer in 1950, which was before the Interstate went through. It started out as “South of the Border Depot” which was a beer stand that took advantage of its location next to a “dry” county. Mr. Schafer steadily expanded his offerings. He started selling Mexican trinkets and kitschy items imported from Mexico.
Eventually, the site included a cocktail lounge, gas station, souvenir shop and a motel. In 1962 they started selling fireworks, because they were illegal in North Carolina.
Location, location, location!
I needed gas and besides – why not?
I have to admit, I was underwhelmed with the women’s room. There must have been a half inch of dust on top of the stall door and the floor was grimy. But, they did have restroom attendant sitting there hoping for a tip. Since I didn’t have my wallet with me, I didn’t even have to debate with myself about leaving a tip.
They didn’t forget our four-footed friends. That-a-way to the “pet toilets.”
Speaking of location, in 1964, it was announced that I-95 would pass right by South of the Border, and that it would be next to two exits and within view of the highway. They kept expanding and expanding and adding more and more attractions and a 104 tall image of its mascot, Pedro.
Actually, Pedro is well-represented throughout the complex.
There is an interesting review of Pedro in Wikipedia. An author named P. Nicole Smith described Pedro’s image as a “southern Jewish guy in brown face”. She theorized that the image might have been made in Schafer’s own image.
Schafer, incidentally, didn’t find these representations to be offensive. He thought they were “light-hearted jokes.” I’m not so sure about that. Anyway, these days all employees regardless of race, creed or color are referred to as “Pedro.”
One of the attractions they have is the water tower. You can pay to climb it. That’s not my idea of fun, but I imagine that if you are traveling with a carload of kids, it might be worth whatever they are charging to have them run up and down and tire themselves out.
As I walked around part of the complex, I noticed the Hot Tamale restaurant. Tamales are one of my favorite foods, and I thought about checking to see if they had any on the menu.
Just enter under the giant hamburger!
I did see a sign for tamales on the building, but I was a little leery of eating at a restaurant that din’t seem to have any customers. I wasn’t all that hungry any way.
As I got closer to Bart and Flo, I came across a European tourist. He was snapping photos like crazy. I imagine he is going to have a lot of things to say to his friends back home about this place.
I took his photo and he took mine. I am not sure why there was a spotted elephant here, but I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it? I mean, why is any of this stuff here?
I got back on the road and made it to the South Carolina Welcome Center.
Oh, and do you remember how I mentioned my dirty windshield would be taken care of?
Do you see that “UFO” in the middle of the above photo? My windshield caught a rock. It was just a chip at this point, but a day or two later, after heating and cooling and bouncing around on the roads, it eventually cracked.
Since it cracked, it couldn’t be repaired. My deductible was $100. That is not the cheapest way to clean your windshield, but I now have a nice, clear view.
And on to Charleston!