If you’ve ever traveled I-95 within 150 or so miles north or south of the North & South Carolina border you’ve seen the billboards…but have you ever experienced it? Experienced the enigmatic South of the Border? Well, after having daydreamed past Pedroland several times over the past several years I had to finally put curiosity to rest and answer the burning question.

Can I go to the top of the towering Sombrero? The answer is a resounding yes. For one US dollar you can ride the urine smelling elevator a little closer to heaven and take in a wonderful view of…highway I-95.

From the all-knowing Wikipedia…

South of the Border was developed by Al Schafer (1914-2001), who founded a beer stand at the location in 1950 and steadily expanded it with Mexican trinkets and numerous kitsch items. He had a great deal of success because of his location, which was immediately across the border from a dry North Carolina county, and grew his small business into what was, by local standards, an economic empire. South of the Border grew to over a square mile, required its own infrastructure, and had its own fire and police departments. Schafer became reclusive, building a large compound of interconnected houses outside the Dillon city limits. At South of the Border, he kept secret apartments hidden in the backs of restaurants and shops.

The entire motif of South of the Border can be described as intentionally camp.

The brim of the Sombrero provides a view of the vastness of Pedroland and the huge number of hotel rooms, the church and the convention center that make up this playground. If anything Pedroland is nice a distraction from the monotonous I-95 and a cheap source of gasoline.

Someday I shall return to South of the Border and shoot this park of wonder in the beautiful morning light (aka, the golden hour), but for now you can view the midday sun blasted photos in this Flickr set.