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This chapter presents the story of Alan Schafer, South of the Border’s controversial owner. The tale of South of the Border is mainly Schafer’s story, because he obtained the power to construct the physical and rhetorical space of his tourist empire through his innovative business practices, accrued wealth, and political connections. South of the Border exemplified trends in mid-century American roadside culture and tourism, such as bright billboards, gigantic designs, and “modern” attractions.

This chapter analyzes South of the Border’s tacky aesthetic. South of the Border was originally tacky because it pushed booze and catered to all races in a segregated society. Today, it is tacky because of its neon palette, dated look, and stereotypical depiction of Mexicans. Its aesthetic of tackiness becomes more complex when dealing with its controversial mascot, Pedro. Examining the strange career of Pedro during South of the Border’s rise as a roadside empire reveals how the politics surrounding identity have expanded from the realm of physical occupancy to representation. Alan Schafer’s use of Pedro in the context of South of the Border’s larger history, culture, and aesthetic shows that the postmodern shift from truth and reality to representation and simulation is not only the province of privileged intellectuals, but has been gaining momentum in the provinces all along.

This introductory chapter first sets out the book's purpose, which is to examine the deep connections between two vastly different tourist sites in South Carolina—the South of the Border complex and the historically black town of Atlantic Beach. The book explores the interplay between politics, aesthetics, and the power of recreational tourism in the US South by analyzing specific people, places, and stories in South Carolina that illustrate larger cultural trends. The chapter then describes South of the Border and Atlantic Beach attractions; provides an overview of the present study; and discusses the development of the concept of the touriscape.

This chapter examines the ways in which South of the Border and Atlantic Beach may be preserved for future generations while remaining relevant sites of commerce and living history. The cultural histories of these landscapes broaden the conception of what southern tourism was and is about. But the most exciting aspect of this story concerns how younger generations are refashioning these places, which maintain their relevance even as they are transformed into something new.