S.O.B. and the Legend of Alan Schafer
Full disclosure: I’m a diehard fan of South of the Border, this Mexican-themed tourist trap which straddles the North Carolina/South Carolina border on Interstate 95. To call S.O.B. a simple attraction would be a grave understatement, though: the compound features a gas station, motel, restaurant, casino, ballroom, mini-golf park, reptile zoo and countless shops. The true attraction, though, is S.O.B.’s neon-lit, 200-foot tall observation tower topped with a giant sombrero. If you’re coming south along I-95 on a clear day, you’ll be able to see Pedro’s hat from miles away. South of the Border has clearly seen more prosperous days, although in my mind the current run-down state only adds to its appeal. I’d lost count of how many times I’d visited when my family and I stopped in during…