south of the border. location?
3346 u.s. 301 in hamer, south carolina.
pedro welcomes you to america's favorite oasis and gateway to the southeast. in 1949 it started out as a simple beer stand known as the south of the border beer depot, business boomed as it adjoined the north carolina counties, which were dry of alcohol. and it grew. boy did it grow. now it boasts a reptile lagoon, pedro land (fun park for the kiddos), along with a sombrero observation tower and numerous restaurants, gift shops and you can even get a room and spend the night (if for some odd reason you need to spend the night in the middle of nowhere). i imagine in it's hay day, it was all the rage. now it's sort of a run down roadside attraction that we all visit...well...because it's there and after seeing the billboards for miles and miles and miles how could you possibly drive by without a peek?? my favorite part was the room full of hats. and i tried on every single one. every one. i swear. it's fun to look at all of the cheap toys and gadgets and crappy souveniers (don't think you won't buy one, because you will, you just can't help yourself), but be careful, you will be there so long that before you know it, it'll feel like you got caught in some sort of time warp and a month will have gone by and you'll have nothing to show for it but a sack of fake dog poop. if you haven't been and you are just driving by and you see that sombrero looming in the distance, stop in. have a look see. then you can say 'i was at south of the border' just like the rest of us. nothing crazy exciting, but a must for the quirky traveler. on to my next aventure...
