Gas, gifts, and a guy named Pedro await travelers at South Carolina’s South of the Border
Blue Highways by Tee Gentry
Have you ever sausage a place?
I have passed South of the Border for years. It’s hard to ignore it. The billboards, approximately 175 of them to both the north and south, herald its arrival many miles before even the most keen-eyed spot the looming sombrero. Each has a message similar to the silly sausage sentiment above and each adds to the anticipation for ice cream, reptiles, and an assortment of souvenir opportunities. You never sausage a thing.
People stop to eat, get a tank of gas, check out the alligators and snakes at Reptile Lagoon, and take an elevator 200 feet in the air under the aforementioned sombrero to check out the, uh, sites.
Inside the souvenir stores on site you can find just about anything you never wanted and will never use. When I stopped in, I bought (very cheap) gifts for my co-workers. That was fun. I love that they have embraced tacky and taken it to a whole new level and could personally spend hours amongst the key chains and pepper shakers. One thing I didn’t expect, because they are closely associated with the fancy places I don’t frequent, was a restroom attendant. He was very nice and handed me paper towels after I washed my hands. Classy. I never sausage a thing.
South of the Border in Hamer, South Carolina has been a popular roadside attraction for more than 70 years. It started as a small last-chance beer store, conveniently located across the border from the then-dry North Carolina counties. Later, a few motel rooms were added as well as stores offering every imaginable Mexican-made (or at least inspired) trinket. Today, 104-foot Pedro, mascot of South of the Border, casts a watchful eye as I-95 pilgrims stay the night in one of the motel rooms, get groceries, and buy fireworks. You can also get married at South of the Border at their wedding venue. Again – classy.
But perhaps also true love. You never sausage devotion.
