Buc-ee’s, the wildly beloved Texas-based chain of travel centers, is planning to open one of its latest and greatest highway stops around the time of a rare upcoming celestial event.
The new Buc-ee’s in Hillsboro — envisioned as a sprawling 74,000-square-foot travel center with 120 gas pumps on I-35 south of Fort Worth — will make its grand reveal in either late March or early April, possibly aligning with the highly anticipated total solar eclipse.
As previously covered by The Dallas Express, the Hillsboro location, the seventh Buc-ee’s in North Texas, broke ground in January 2023. It will employ around 200 local workers at an above-market starting pay rate and provide them with full benefits, a 6% matching 401K, and three weeks of paid vacation.
In addition to Hillsboro-area residents eager to grab some famed Beaver Nuggets, a significant number of visitors might be lured for a stop as they travel north or south along the freeway to witness the eclipse.
Millions of people from Texas to Newfoundland in Canada will find themselves in the solar eclipse’s path on April 8. In Dallas, the eclipse will begin at 12:23 p.m. and end at 3:02 p.m., with totality occurring from 1:40 to 1:44 p.m.
Hotel rates around the metroplex are already climbing due to a surge in demand around the eclipse, as The Dallas Express reported. Visitors looking to get first-row seats to the celestial show bumped hotel rates by 390% earlier this month for an average of $139 more per night compared to the previous year.
However, more rural areas of North Texas, such as Hillsboro — dubbed the seventh best place to experience the upcoming eclipse, have already been preparing for the influx of visitors by arranging viewing stations, campsites, and RV parks for eclipse-chasers. Hillsboro already has several pop-up events in the works, including the Cosmic Cowboy Eclipse Festival, an “Eclipseboro” carnival, and a Starlight Bar Night.
“This historic total solar eclipse is a massive opportunity to put Hillsboro on the map, highlight our unique way of life, boost our local economy, and foster connections with one another,” reads a City-sponsored website dedicated to the upcoming event.