Blackwell's Corner

Awesome stop area! They have clean bathrooms, snacks galore, an awesome diner, James Dean & Marilyn Monroe items. I found several small gifts for family. We will stop here again!

I have passed by here for years and never stopped, but finally did on our way back from Monterey, to finally partake in the location that James Dean made his last stop.The actual convenience part of the store is only about a 1/4 of the entire building, but I had no idea everything else the building had inside. The James Dean memorial part of the store could be done a lot better as the newspapers really need to be framed and behind glass, but it was still fun to see and read.There is also a 50s soccer type restaurant inside as well as a general store / flea market area. You can basically get just about anything you would want for your road trip.

I have given this stop a five star for their incredible fudge and chocolate shop! Wow! Some of the best fresh confectioneries! We bought caramel, marshmallow, peanut butter, chocolate fudge, and caramel macadamia clusters. They did not disappoint. Restrooms available in the back. The 50's restaurant was closed, so we will make sure to try it next time if open. The staff was kind and professional, making us feel welcomed.

Bought some honey and a few souvenirs, stopped for a restroom break on a nice road trip.There is a nice cafe with made to order menu items, lots of Hollywood Relics.Great music and chill vibes.

If it wasn't for the macabre notoriety it has as being James Dean's last stop before his fatal crash; something they blatantly advertise. It's nothing more than a big truck stop. Their store area is huge and they advertise local nuts and other agricultural products but when I walked in, the shelves for local goods were pretty sparse. They have a fast food counter in the back that's seen better days and a fudge shop that was also closed. I usually don't have to get gas at this point on my trip and now that I've been stopped by I don't really see the need to come back.

James Dean's Last StopThis was a cool detour while we were looking for a gas station to fill up. Actually, this was not the intended gas station we wanted to go to because gas prices here are through the roof. There was a cheaper one up the road but I wanted to take a look inside the store. That huge wooden cut out of James Dean was what really got me. On the other sign was a scrolling digital signage display and I caught the words "James Dean's Last Stop" on the screen. Inside is a store that sold a potpourri of stuff. In the back is a "Forever Young" Restaurant (closed at the time) and across the way is the "East of Eden" Fudge Factory. Totally unrelated to James Dean, there is a very old carriage-looking buggy on display with a little history about The Dust Bowl Migration. It was a mass exodus as millions moved out from the Plains states to California. The buggy was filled with "stuff." In my mind I guess they just filled their car with whatever they can bring and upped and left. I wish I had more time to look around but we were on a schedule so I ended up just buying a souvenir photo book of James Dean's last 85 days before the unfortunate car crash that took his life. Worth a stop.Review #2993

It's been over 67 years since James Dean died almost thirty miles due west on Hwy 46, but this remote gas station and souvenir and snack shop was the last place he stopped at before he crashed his Porsche 550 Spyder into an oncoming Ford sedan. He was just 24 years old and made three movies, all of which became classics after his death, so his legacy was assured.Jamie W. and I were leaving Paso Robles for LA when we saw the huge cut-out of Jimmy in his classic red jacket on the corner of the Paso Robles and West Side Highways (photo: https://bit.ly/3hxq4oa). I convinced Jamie to stop the car so I could take a photo. There was another cut-out of Jimmy's face which required another selfie (photo: https://bit.ly/3PBlzFs), but then the shop was closed because it was Thanksgiving. Oh well.Several days later, we drove back from LA to Monterey when we decided to take the same route from the I-5 to 101. Of course, we decided to go inside the shop for a look-see. All the James Dean paraphernalia was relegated to the back wall, mostly through vintage posters and glossies. Had I not gone to the restroom, I would've missed the most interesting archival pieces. Don't expect a museum here.RELATED - Exploring California's Central Coast? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3zSyudU

Update:Yelper Sue from Santa Cruz asked me to make a correction.This fuel stop is the last stop for fuel for James Dean and his passenger Before the fatal crash 25 miles up the road with Mr Turnipseed. I was given the wrong info. Mahalo

In a word, Overpriced.Lots of nuts and candy, sauces, jams, snacks, typical road side stop for gas and snacks, everything was at the high end of similar items at other similar stops along the highway, shop was a mess with pallets of merchandise on the floor, employees locker room open onto sales floor was also a mess. Resturant was closed on a Sunday afternoon. Lack of caring is obvious, best to avoid.

this is my favorite gas station ever. ps love the fudge. i was like a kid in a candy store in here. need to eat at their diner next time