The Sombrero Tower

Jessica Avalos

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

It is ONLY $4 to ride the elevator up the tower. It was well worth it! You can see the whole park. The view is great from up there, the pictures don't do it justice.

beastlycharizard13

4 out of 5 stars★★★★☆

FINALLY! After almost SEVEN whole years, I was finally able to get a chance to scale the tower and take in the views! You pay $4 in cash, so make sure you have cash on you as it is indeed cash only. You pay for a ticket inside the El Toro Arcade and walk to the back of the arcade where you board an elevator to head to the top. Once you're up there, you're treated to some pretty good views of I-95, surrounding farmland, the rest of South Of The Border, and as you would expect, a little piece of North Carolina as well. There are even coin operated telescopes for your use if you have quarters handy. While I was beyond ecstatic to finally get up here, the elevator having been out for so long is one reason for the lack of a fifth star for this review. The other reason is the chain fencing at the top. I definitely get the need for safety so people don't jump off the tower, but it obstructs the view! You could just as easily have accomplished the same intent with plastic/glass or something like at a zoo enclosure. Despite that, definitely give this a look!

Rob M

4 out of 5 stars★★★★☆

Definitely worth the few bucks to go to the top. The scenery isn't breathtaking but if you aren't good with heights it will surely take your breath away. Im not a big fan of heights but for me the part where I was most uneasy was the elevator ride. I just had to focus on the elevator doors and not look out.

Milo Allerton Bateman

3 out of 5 stars★★★☆☆

I’ve been going to SOTB since I was a child. I still take my children once a year to get fireworks at there fireworks shop. I had not actually done the Sombrero tower until very recently with my kids. Many times I had tried in the past it was closed or we didn’t have time. It’s a very old structure and does feel mildly top heavy and nerve racking, as you can feel it moving with a good bit of wind or a lot of people up top. It is nice that the elevator is windowed and you can watch yourself go up. Although once at the top, the views aren’t all that spectacular, maybe if they dazzled their roofs up with the Pedro style or had another large structure around it would make it more of a cool spot. I mean they’ve got billboards for miles up and down the highway, but zero marketing on the roofs where they have a giant tower to see the whole park. What up with that?! Additionally there is no designated “photo spot” or “selfie area” up on the roof against the center of the sombrero. All in all I was a little unimpressed with the whole experience. But we got some awesome fireworks!

Kristin Parker

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

We spent all night driving from Florida and this was our first stop. We arrived around 8:00AM and walked around the area. The Sombrero tower wasn't quote open yet, but we did come back. We are SO happy we did! Joanavise (I probably spelled that wrong) greeted us at the door, assisted us in getting ride tickets, and entertained our little ones while we waited. The kids played video games and she came over with some quarters and let them play! Even when the games ended, we went over to the counter and she gave them each a prize! It was such a small gesture, but it made their day! To this day, the boys still have their whistles and the baby has his stuffed animal. The tower and the arcade were cool and all, but its people like her that make these moments meaningful and memorable! She was awesome!