Two buildings were torn down at South of the Border. What is going on at the SC landmark?
CORRECTION: Pedro’s sombrero at South of the Border is among the renovations being made at the attraction, but it has not been taken down. A previous version of this story contained incorrect information about the sombrero.
Several buildings recently were torn down at South of the Border, leading some to wonder what was going on with the iconic Dillon County, S.C., roadside attraction. Is it closing? Under construction?
It’s not closing, but there are a lot of changes coming.
“We are currently making room for some new projects,” general manager Timmy Townsend said in an email. “A lot of people are wondering if South of the Border is closing down, the answer is no, we are still open for business.”
So far, part of South of the Border’s motel as well as the entire T-shirt shop and the Ice Cream Fiesta have been torn down. Townsend said they are also upgrading the elevator at the Tower Arcade, and they just finished putting in charging stations for electric vehicles. At the arcade, the iconic sombrero resting on the head of mascot Pedro’s iconic sombrero is refurbished, too.
South of the Border is a frequent stop for thousands of drivers each year due to its location near three major highways — Interstate 95, U.S. Hwy. 301 and U.S. 501 — and is often one of the final stops before travelers from the northeast head to Charleston or Myrtle Beach.
The Mexican-themed attraction also plans to expand its small gas station, and the Sombrero Restaurant is being remodeled.
The future of the T-shirt shop and the Ice Cream Fiesta is unclear.
“We should make a decision in the very near future as to what will go in the Fiesta and T-Shirt shop locations,” Townsend said in an email.
There is also not a definitive timeline for completing the construction.
“It seems that covid causes problems with everything now, as far as getting materials etc. and people to do the work,” Townsend said in an email. “Our elevator was supposed to be operational June 1, 2021 and at this time it still is under construction. We plan to have it operating within 3 weeks. Hopefully new projects will not have as many complications.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Two buildings were torn down at South of the Border. What is going on at the SC landmark?."
