If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love spontaneous trips. It comes from my parents, who once took my family on a spontaneous road trip five hours north to Niagara Falls. We arrived at 11 p.m., visited for about two hours, and then drove home. So, last weekend, I got in my car with the intention to go to the Hershey Antique Auto Museum in Hershey, Pa., a 20 minute drive from campus. Then, I opened Google Maps and saw my bookmark for “The Fill’Er Up,” a gas station that doubles as a restaurant. 

The next thing I knew, I was driving 50 minutes to Maryland. 

Let’s rewind back to why I had The Fill’Er Up bookmarked. When I am procrastinating assignments or can’t fall asleep at night, what I like to do is zoom in on random towns near Elizabethtown just to see what I can find. I love how small our campus is, but sometimes, I want to get out of here and see what I can find. During one of these digital explorations, I found The Fill’Er Up.

For those who venture to York, Pa., this drive won’t be daunting to you. The gas station may be in Maryland, but it’s only right across the border and about twenty minutes from York. 

After blasting my music for nearly an hour, and almost losing my voice in the process, I arrived at The Fill’Er Up. Immediately, I loved the vibe of it. With vintage signs and a small parking lot, I immediately knew that I was going to love this place.

The first thing I did was order the famous crab soup, at least according to a review I read on Google. I also ordered an Iced Creme Brulee coffee. Now, I am a coffee snob. My caffeine addiction is off the charts, so I had low expectations for this gas station coffee.

I cannot express how much I loved this coffee. My Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte or Iced White Chocolate Mocha could not compare. I dream about this heavenly drink. 

The crab soup was also absolutely delightful. Again, I was hesitant about ordering seafood from a literal gas station, but I really enjoyed it. 

The Fill’Er Up had two designated sections for people to sit and enjoy their food. I chose the backroom away from the kitchen, and I liked how private it was. I really felt like I was in a true restaurant with the black and white checkered tablecloth and red plastic ketchup bottle.

In the convenience store section, they had a selection of glass bottle sodas. I grabbed a ginger ale, and it was the best ginger ale I had ever had. Canada Dry was put to shame, and obviously Schwepp’s couldn’t compare. 

50 minutes may seem like a long drive, but I would 100% go back. I am a Sheetz girlie for life (I will die defending Sheetz!), but The Fill’Er Up has earned its spot as my second favorite gas station.