South Of The Border: The Tourist Trap Your Parents Never Wanted To Stop At

By | June 16, 2020

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A jovial fiberglass Mexican laughs at South of the Border, a Mexican-themed amusement park, hotel, gift shop, adult toy store, and neon-heavy rest stop on the North Carolina, South Carolina border, July 21, 2006. (Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images)

Since the early 1960s, South of the Border has presented a challenge to all families making the trip south on I-95. Billboards with a cartoon mascot and punny jokes count down the miles to the attraction in Dillon, South Carolina. When the driver finally reaches the vicinity, there it is, viewable from the highway: A sprawling village of colorful faux-Mexican structures (including a massive sombrero high in the air) that looks like a fun theme park. It's not -- it's really just a rest stop with a dated, un-PC gimmick.

You can't tell that to the kids, though. They've been counting down the miles, chuckling at every bad joke on the billboards, and they're sure this overhyped place is a promised land of fun. The kids see Pedro as their new best friend, while the parents know Pedro exists to sell Pedro-themed trinkets and t-shirts. For decades, kids have wanted to stop at South of the Border, and knowing parents -- more interested in getting to the destination than stopping to play miniature golf or buy fireworks -- have tried to avoid it.

It's a landmark and an institution to be sure -- while there are other tourist traps out there, there’s not one that’s as gloriously outdated or tacky as South of the Border.

South of the Border started as an out of state beer haven

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source: post and courier

Long before it was a tourist trap worthy of national mention, South of the Border was just a beer stand called South of the Border Beer. Founded by Alan Schafer in 1949, the stand was established to serve people living in a dry country in North Carolina, just above the border. This was a smart move by Schafer, but his most brilliant move was a complete accident.

Constructed directly along what would become the I-95 corridor in the 1960s, anyone traveling between the two states had to pass by this unmissable road side attraction. Even if you didn’t stop, you weren’t going to forget it.