Before we give you all the details on how we got here...and trust us......"here" (aka South of the Boarder right off Interstate 95 in Hamer, SC) is an experience you don't want to miss when heading south...trust us with all the signs pointing to this destination it's hard to miss....but.......lets rewind a bit....
It was March 12 and we were sadly saying farewell to Washington DC. The time had come to head out on the next leg of our road trip adventure.
Truth be told....We got a bit of a later start to the day...may or may not have been because we were leisurely waking up/picking our outfits and talking till the butt crack of noon!
I guess running around DC started catching up to us...yikes!
But, the boys would swear and take any chance to blame a late start on us gals saying it took too long getting ready! Yup...I took mirror selfie of my outfit as the boys packed up the car. Hey, sometimes you have to dress up to check out of a hotel....while everyone else in the party is still sleeping! Hahah....yeah that happened. Anyway......back to the story.....
We had one last stop to pick up a final souvenir for Daniël's collection. Then we were off!
Within the first 5 minutes out of DC.....someone...ehhhh hemmmmm...fell asleep....we mean....OUT! For once it was nice to not be the one to sleep the entire car ride away! I napped, we napped (okay - not Jared) but Daniel slept......98% of the time....only to wake for....
Chick-Fil-A! We decided to stop for the night in North Carolina just because we were all feeling a bit tired and weary...ok, okay the weary part was just being dramatic. Hahaha
We ate dinner at the fabulous Zoës To Go - you can't go wrong with Mediterranean cuisine! Healthy, light, refreshing....just what we needed after full day of travel.
Oh the lengths we go to for a picture!
As you can tell....we just hated dinner....I mean forced every bite....haha....If this aftermath shot doesn't prove otherwise I don't know what will! Everything was truly delicious and the amiable staff were so welcoming!
We got back to our room and PASSED OUT... until the morning! Full schedules and full bellies will do that to you!
We got up bright and chipper....ate the hotel's continental breakfast, loaded up the car and headed South... toooooooo.....South of the Boarder.
So last year this was a spot we drove through during our mad dash to Florida! We were intrigued! First, by the amount of signs leading up to South of the Boarder - and by the signs telling you, "you have passed South of the Boarder." Secondly, by the fact that it was as if time had stopped at this portion of history... and by some miracle it's still in existence....a slight time warp if you will...Okay....to let you in on a little secret.....we 3 are kinda sappy and sentimental.....so if it has to do with "the oldest" or "serving our customers since 1949" which this place has!..... We are usually in for the exploration factor! As we drove through mouths agape last year...we vowed that the next time we came this way...we would at least get out and walk around a bit :-) And of course we had to show Daniël this important historic roadside attraction (although, Dan would probably challenge the factual part of its historic significance...no one can deny....this place is something!)
Oh and we didn't just walk around or drive quickly through this time! We properly explored this place!
First off......we had some pressing issues to take care of.... (coffee, water and OJ can only stay in the bladder for so long!)
Daniël also did a little fashion show....NBD....
And Jared......yeah.....
You can't tell but Jared was actually dancing here....shimmy shaking and all sorts of nonsense that would terrify anyone trying to just get to the bathrooms. If you need a souvenir.....this is definitely the place to grab one!
Jenneka wanted this souvineer....her new best friend....sadly they had to part ways because this dude couldn't fit in the car.....oops....maybe next time!
Next we raced to the arcade....rumor has it... that you can get to the top of the sombrero through this spot....sadly the elevator that would take us to the top....was closed for repairs :-( *Cue music...Whaam whaaaa....
That didn't keep the smiles from our faces for long...
There was still plenty of fun to be had!
A little match of air hockey to loosen up the muscles...
Things got quite intense...
In the end...to Jared's dismay....Dan won the match!
A Photo Booth selfie in the arcade for posterity and we were off to keep exploring...
Jared got a bit sidetracked by a couple of chicks ;-)
And Jen couldn't resist making fast friends with the animals.....yes those, but also those in the Reptile Lagoon ( which is said to be "the largest indoor reptile display in the US")...We didn't actually tour the entire "Reptile Lagoon" as we were taking our time enjoying a chat with this chap...
Afterwards, we went back into the wild....Jared breathlessly escaping the mouth of a hippopotamus....
:-) okay....maybe nothing quite that dramatic....but I digress....we could't resist the photo op. Really this is a great spot if nothing more than to take some wild photos! (Trust us...we did ;-)
Our time in South of The Border was coming to a close and we searched out one more bathroom spot before we resumed our trek to Charleston.
As for Dan, this was the one spot in the US where he decided to not get ice cream....for the life of us we had no idea why?!? Hahah 100% Charm!
As we went back to the car we peered into the historic "pleasure dome" of the South of the Border Motor Inn- (what.....get your mind out of the gutter! We didn't name it!)
Its a swimming pool!
Took a couple more shots....(photographs...again...minds...out of the gutter).
Hugged one more friend on the way out....and decided to embark to Charleston, at least for dinner, as we had heard over the radio that there were possible speculations of an upcoming lockdown due to Covid.
Although yes....this place is....kinda hokey, a lot kooky, maybe a little spooky....we would highly recommend. Especially, for a good leg stretch and bathroom break! Worth the stop again and again! One day we may even feel as adventurous as to stay in the motel......maybe ;-)
Either way, we were happy we got to explore this attraction a bit more this time. It truly was like an odd, yet fascinating look into a bygone era.
Until our next adventure!
X ~ The Sibs + Co
Janna, Jared, Jenneka + Daniël
