Part of the South of the Border roadside attraction — on Interstate 95 on the line between North and South Carolina — has been put up for sale.
The owners are selling 30 acres that include the Pedroland amusement park, the "SOB Convention Center," a motel building, a mini-golf course, vacant land and a former casino. The price is listed at $2.85 million.
Those parts of the attraction have closed, but South of the Border is keeping its unusual sombrero observation tower, reptile lagoon, souvenir stores and restaurants. The main motel and campground are also still in operation.
Real-estate agent Ken Jackson says he anticipates the buyer will redevelop the site to take advantage of I-95 traffic. The only condition is that the new owner can't sell fireworks, because that's already part of South of the Border.
"We've had a lot of interest from people wanting to do that, but that's the only thing that wouldn't be allowed," he told WUNC.
Jackson says the property for sale could be redeveloped as a hotel or other travel-oriented business. He says while South of the Border has new competition from a Buc-ee's truck stop a few exits deeper into South Carolina near Florence, the location still gets heavy traffic.
"Buc-ee's is the new shiny toy, and it is attractive to travelers as well, but there are plenty of people traveling up and down the interstate, and enough for both businesses," Jackson said.
But he says it's unlikely the new owner would reopen the amusement park. "I'm not sure there's much demand for amusement parks of that size anymore, but it's a great opportunity for someone to go in and build a modern hotel," Jackson said. "It'd be a great place for RV sales or RV service center — anything travel-related, logistics-related."
According to the real-estate listing, the old carousel that remains on the amusement park site won't be included in the sale.
South of the Border has been a quirky stop for travelers since the 1950s, but it's faced criticism in recent years for its cartoon depiction of a Mexican man in its many billboard ads. They include slogans like "You never sausage a place! You're always a weiner at Pedro's!"
For years, South of the Border included a casino because video poker was legal in South Carolina but illegal in North Carolina. Now, South Carolina has tougher gambling restrictions than its northern neighbor, and there are several gambling parlors a few miles north in the Robeson County town of Rowland.
