This SC amusement park is best in the state — but not for its attractions, new ranking shows

It’s tempting to say there’s just no place like South of the Border.

Spectacle is probably a better word for the business on Interstate 95 just across the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.

Gas stations, truck stop, motel, family restaurant, ice cream shop, fireworks stand, a Peddler Steak House and bar.

There’s even a huge open-mouthed shark (plastic) and a reptile display that South of the Border says is the largest indoor facility in the U.S. with 15 species of crocodilians and 50 species of snakes.

Now comes a new achievement — the cleanest public bathrooms in South Carolina and No. 22 in the country.

And here’s another highlight from the survey of 3,017 drivers by American River Wellness, which helps truckers return to work, just about all of the top restrooms selected were rest stops supported by government entities.

American River Wellness said of South of the Border, “Love it or hate it, this kitschy, over-the-top rest stop/theme park/billboard empire is an I-95 legend” and one of the most memorable pit stops in the U.S.

They suggest taking a few photos.

Alan Schafer, a well-off beer distributor, opened South of the Border in 1949 on SC 301 as a beer stand, a business savvy move since the closest North Carolina counties prohibited selling alcohol.

As the business’ website says, “Business boomed.”

Schafer added a 10-seat grill, then 20 motel rooms, then a gift shop with Mexican trinkets, a cocktail lounge, gas station, and fireworks sales (illegal in North Carolina).

Interstate 95 was announced in 1964 and as luck would have it, it was planned to go beside South of the Border between two exits with views of the complex.

By the mid-1960s, South of the Border included a barber shop, drug store, a variety store, a post office and an outdoor go-kart track.

The most visible addition came about the same time, a 104-foot image of the mascot, Pedro. Also visible for miles and miles are the billboards Schafer designed, some 175 billboards from the Virginia/North Carolina state lines to the South Carolina/Georgia state lines.

“The Border, as employees call it, has become a little town within itself,” the company says on its website. “It’s unique and one-of-a-kind. Who would ever have thought Pee Dee swampland would become a multi-million-dollar a year business?”

Schafer died at 87 in 2001 but the Border is still owned by family members.

Two other South Carolina stops were included in the survey results — No. 29 Hardeeville Welcome Center on I-95 and No. 58 Santee Rest Area also on I-95.

The top 10 cleanest bathrooms were:

1. Kula Forest Reserve Picnic Area - Maui on Haleakalā Hwy in Hawaii.

2. Florida Welcome Center on I-95 Jacksonville, Florida

3. Kentucky Welcome Center - I-65 Bowling Green, Kentucky

4. Waimea Canyon Lookout, Hawaii

5. Burlington Rest Area - I-85/I-40, between Greensboro & Durham, North Carolina

6. Welcome Center - I-95 Rowland, North Carolina

7. Biden Welcome Center - I-95 Newark, Delaware

8. Painted Canyon Rest Area - I-94 Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

9. McDowell County Rest Area - I-40 near Marion, North Carolina

10. New Kent East Rest Area - I-64 Between Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia

This story was originally published May 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "This SC amusement park is best in the state — but not for its attractions, new ranking shows."