Pedro's Monte Carlo Arcade (Gone)
Hamer, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
There's no shortage of neon at South of the Border, and the Monte Carlo Arcade added a little more to the nighttime glow. This colorful sign stood outside the arcade beneath the giant Sombrero Tower, inviting travelers to drop in and spend a few quarters before getting back on I-95. 01-08
The arcade was part of the sprawling South of the Border roadside attraction, which got its start in 1949 and grew into one of those places that was almost impossible to miss. By the time you reached Dillon, countless billboards had already reminded you that Pedro was waiting just ahead.
Inside the Monte Carlo were rows of arcade games, pinball machines and the usual assortment of ways to make a pocketful of quarters disappear. But outside, it was the neon that caught the eye. With the Sombrero Tower rising overhead and Pedro signs seemingly everywhere, the Monte Carlo fit right into the colorful roadside scene.
UPDATE: The arcade remains open at South of the Border, but the Monte Carlo name and its old neon sign are gone. The game room is now known as the El Toro Arcade. 08-26
Reisert Insurance Agency (Gone)
Louisville, KY Photo courtesy Alan Culley
Who says an insurance office can't have a great neon sign? Check out the Reisert Insurance Agency sign along Bardstown Road in Louisville. With the big vertical REISERT letters glowing above the street, this was one insurance office that certainly wasn't hard to find after dark.
The family-run agency had been around since 1884, long before neon signs started lighting up the roadside. But it's the sign that makes this stop interesting. Back when just about every kind of business advertised in neon, even the neighborhood insurance agent could put on a pretty good nighttime show.
Reisert eventually moved away from its longtime Bardstown Road location, and the old neon sign disappeared from the street.
UPDATE: The Reisert sign has been removed. After more than 140 years as an independent family business, The Reisert Group was sold to Shepherd Insurance in 2025. 08-26
Parsons's Rexall Drugs
Wadesboro, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here's one old drug store that's still doing business in downtown Wadesboro. Parson's Rexall Drugs has the classic Rexall look, complete with a big backlit plastic sign hanging over the sidewalk. It may not be neon, but once the lights come on it still has plenty of old drug store character. 12-07
Parsons Drug Company has been around since 1875, making it one of those hometown businesses that seems like it has always been there. The pharmacy has occupied this downtown corner through generations of customers, changing times and more than a few changes along the streets of Wadesboro.
Take a look around the storefront and you'll find several reminders of the old neighborhood drug store days. There's the Parsons sign hanging overhead along with the familiar Rexall Drugs name, once a common sight in small towns all across the country. Back then, you didn't need a giant shopping center to find the local pharmacy. Just look for the Rexall sign hanging over Main Street.
Parsons's Rexall Drugs
Wadesboro, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The business has quite a history, too. An earlier building at this intersection collapsed in 1912 after excavation work weakened the structure. The pharmacy survived that chapter and continued on, eventually becoming one of Wadesboro's longtime downtown fixtures.
More than a century later, Parsons is still filling prescriptions beneath those old signs. That's not something you run across every day.
UPDATE: Parsons Drug Company remains open at the corner of Greene and Wade streets, and its vintage drug store signage still survives. 08-26
Jim Reed Chevyland (Gone)
Nashville, TN Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen
Yip'eee, here's Chevyland! The Jim Reed Chevyland sign was one of those great old auto dealer displays that made Nashville's Broadway worth cruising after dark. There was the big Chevyland billboard, a glowing Chevrolet bowtie, and even a friendly cowboy perched above it all welcoming you in. 04-09
Jim Reed Chevrolet had been around Nashville since 1917 and moved to Broadway in 1930. But for roadside fans, the real attraction was up above the dealership. The cowboy, known as "Old Jim," actually moved back and forth while the Chevy bowtie glowed below. Now that's how you sell cars.
These photos caught Chevyland near the end of its run. General Motors dropped Jim Reed's Chevrolet franchise in 2009, and the familiar sign eventually disappeared along with the old dealership.
UPDATE: The Chevyland billboard and neon Chevrolet sign were removed after the dealership changed hands in 2011. The former Jim Reed property was later cleared. 08-26
Windmill Beverages
Huntsville, AL Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen
Windmill Beverages is a chain in the Huntsville, Alabama area. All of their stores (at least the ones I saw) feature this neon sign. Many thanks to Rick Ibsen for info. 04-09
Windmill Beverages has been around North Alabama for more than 35 years, with several locations scattered around the Huntsville area. Best of all, the windmill theme isn't limited to just one store. These colorful neon signs have marked several of the company's locations over the years.
It's a simple idea, a windmill outlined in neon with the Windmill name glowing underneath, but that's sometimes all it takes to make an ordinary roadside business worth another look.
UPDATE: Windmill Beverages remains in business with several locations around North Alabama, and the familiar Windmill name can still be found along the roadside. 08-26
Olympia Building Coca-Cola
Atlanta, GA Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
Now here's a sign worthy of Coca-Cola's hometown. Rising above the old Olympia Building near Five Points is this giant round Coca-Cola sign, glowing bright red over downtown Atlanta. At 33 feet across and covered in neon, this one could light up the whole corner after dark. 04-09
Of course, giant Coca-Cola signs are nothing new around here. An earlier Coke spectacular first appeared downtown in 1932 and remained an Atlanta landmark for decades. That sign stood near Margaret Mitchell Square until it finally came down in 1981.
For more than 20 years, downtown Atlanta went without its giant glowing Coke sign. Then in 2003, Coca-Cola brought the nighttime landmark back with this retro-style version on top of the Olympia Building. The big round sign was designed to look like something that might have been hanging over the city years earlier, complete with that familiar Coca-Cola script surrounded by rings of red neon.
Olympia Building Coca-Cola
Atlanta, GA Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
The location couldn't be much better. Five Points has long been one of the busiest corners of downtown Atlanta, and Coca-Cola itself got its start just down the street. It was at Jacobs' Pharmacy in 1886 that the new drink was first served at a soda fountain.
But forget the history for a minute and just look at all that neon. Sitting above the narrow old Olympia Building, the giant red circle seems to float over the intersection. With traffic passing underneath and downtown lights all around it, the Coca-Cola sign still manages to steal the show.
If you're wandering around Five Points after dark, you really don't have to look very hard to find this one. Just look up.
UPDATE: The Coca-Cola sign still overlooks Five Points, but the neon version seen here is gone. In 2019 it was replaced with an LED version designed to recreate the familiar red glow above downtown Atlanta. 08-26
Reisert Insurance Agency (Gone)
Olympia Building Coca-Cola
Olympia Building Coca-Cola
