South of the Border Sombrero Tower

Hamer, South Carolina, United States

Buildings and structures

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

The Sombrero Tower is a sombrero-topped observation tower at South of the Border, the roadside complex on the North Carolina-South Carolina line at Hamer, South Carolina. WUNC reported in December 2025 that elevator rides to its deck continue.

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South of the Border Sombrero Tower

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 34.5459° N, 79.2717° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

A giant sombrero tops the observation tower at South of the Border, on the North Carolina-South Carolina line. In December 2025, WUNC News reported that the owners were selling 30 acres of the complex, including the Pedroland amusement park, but keeping what it called the unusual sombrero observation tower, along with the reptile lagoon, souvenir stores and restaurants. The tower has a ground-floor arcade and elevator rides to an observation deck.

Size depends on the source. Route Magazine describes a two-hundred-foot tower topped by a giant sombrero, and TIME gave 200 feet in 2010, adding that locals call it “The Eiffel Tower of the South”. South Carolina Living, in 2013, reported a 300-foot tower and a $1 glass-elevator ride from the arcade. The South Carolina Encyclopedia calls it twenty-two storeys.

The tower belongs to an attraction that began small. Alan Schafer opened a beer stand just below the North Carolina line (1949 according to the SC Picture Project, January 1950 according to the South Carolina Encyclopedia), where many counties across the border did not allow alcohol sales; a motel followed in 1954. According to the South Carolina Encyclopedia, expansion aimed at faster interstate traffic began after North Carolina announced in 1964 that I-95 would cross the border at Highway 301. A 97-foot Pedro sign was built and was later joined by the tower and Pedroland.

The complex’s size is also stated differently: 135 acres (TIME, 2010), 350 acres (SC Encyclopedia, for 2001) and 900 acres (SC Living, 2013). The tower sits in a working commercial complex of shops and restaurants.

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PRACTICAL

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WHAT TO EXPECT

The tower has a ground-floor arcade and elevator rides to an observation deck, WUNC reported in December 2025. It stands within the commercial South of the Border complex; WUNC reported in December 2025 that the amusement park and some other parts have closed. SC Living reported a $1 ride in 2013.

ACCESS

At South of the Border, on I-95 at Highway 301 in Hamer, South Carolina, just below the North Carolina line. Private commercial property; the ride starts from the tower’s ground-floor arcade. Check the current fare and deck hours on site.

COMMUNITY