Parts of South of the Border are for sale. Here’s what it costs
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- About 30 acres of South of the Border along I-95 are listed for $2.85 million.
- Property includes convention center, casino shell, motel and former amusement park site.
- Sombrero Tower and several stores and restaurants are excluded from the sale offer.
About 30 acres of the popular roadside attraction South of the Border are for sale.
The property, which is located along Interstate 95 on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina, features a 12,000-square-foot convention center, a 10,000-square-foot casino building and a 32-room motel, plus a former amusement park site — miniature golf course and other attractions included, according to the property listing.
Not for sale are the Sombrero Tower, stores such as Fort Pedro Fireworks — named for the property’s mascot, Pedro — and Myrtle Beach Shop, and restaurants including The Peddler Steak House. According to the venue’s website, the South of the Border Motor Inn and Camp Pedro RV Park are still open.
The asking price is $2.85 million.
“This versatile property is well-suited for businesses that benefit from high traffic and visibility,” the property listing states. “Potential uses include hotel or resort redevelopment, RV sales or service center, retail, dining, or entertainment complex, logistics or travel services hub.”
The Post and Courier first reported news of the sale in June.
What is South of the Border?
Drivers on I-95 can spot billboard advertisements for miles approaching the Mexican-themed property, a marketing tactic devised by its late founder, Alan Schafer, his family members wrote in a piece for the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.
Before South of the Border became a sprawling roadside attraction, it was a mere 648-square-foot beer stand known as South of the Border Beer Depot, according to the property’s website, founded in 1949.
Schafer, who owned Schafer Distributing Co., was “well off financially” and enjoyed early business success as neighboring North Carolinians traveled south to his beer stand to purchase alcohol, Schafer’s family wrote. At the time, some North Carolina counties prohibited the sale of alcohol.
The business soon grew with a 10-seat grill and was renamed South of the Border Drive-In.
In 1954, 20 motel rooms were added, and the property was renamed to South of the Border.
“The Mexican theme was a play on the name South of the Border, which really meant we have beer here because we are south of the North Carolina border, but some Mexicans who stop in expect the staff to speak Spanish and not one of them can,” the Schafer family wrote.
Over time, new facilities and attractions became part of South of the Border, turning the property into a one-stop shop with a cocktail lounge, gas station, souvenir shop, fireworks store, barber shop, drug store, post office and go-kart track.
