19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Mobile
A concrete hippopotamus with a tiny sombrero looks open mouthed at the bizarre world of the roadside tourist trap South of the Border in Hamer, South Carolina

South of the Border is a tacky, offensive, mysterious, legendary roadside attraction along I-95 located right below the border of North and South Carolina. This concrete hippo joins many other statues of luridly painted animals on the grounds of this tourist trap. It is a tradition to stop here on road trips and gawk at the randomness and wonder how something so blatantly racist is still in operation all the while feeling a sense of harmless nostalgia.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 02.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Hamer, South Carolina, United States of America
Copyright: © Kristi Cipriani