Though Buc-ee’s announced that a 74,000-square-foot store would open in Sevierville, Tennessee, in 2023, the largest Buc-ee’s currently in existence is in New Braunfels, Texas. Now, a 75,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s is set to open in Luling, about an hour outside Austin, securing Texas’ continued claim to fame as home to the country’s largest Buc-ee’s travel center.
The new Luling location will be an upgrade to the current Buc-ee’s on Interstate 10. Construction will start next door to the current location in the fall, making for a seamless transition.
The center will feature 120 gas pumps and a 250-foot car wash alongside the expected Buc-ee’s barbeque, Beaver Nuggets, and super clean restrooms. The reincarnation of the Luling location will bring 200 more jobs to the area. The original Luling Buc-ee’s opened in 2001.
“Twenty years ago, Beaver (Arch ‘Beaver’ Aplin) and Don (Wasek) had the gumption to change the industry by building the first Buc-ee’s Family Travel Center in Luling,” Stan Beard, director of real estate for Buc-ee’s, told KXAN. “Since that time, Buc-ee’s has grown into an iconic Texas brand that now shares our Texas pride with new stores throughout the Southeast and West.”
The Dallas Morning News reports that Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ee’s, said the existing store needed a “refresh.” Nadalo added there was “careful evaluation” when choosing where to build the location, and it made sense to update the Luling center to “solidify going back to [Buc-ee’s] original roots.”
Buc-ee’s enthusiasts are excited about the expansion.
A recent Facebook thread about the new Luling location was shared over 286 times and received 1,100 likes and 211 comments. The comment section read like a group text as people made plans to visit the new location.
“Road trip! I know y’all love Buc-ee’s!” wrote Jennifer Cordova.
Roland Reyes wrote, “I have seen a lot of beavers in my life, but this is one I have to see.”
In April, there were signals that a new Buc-ee’s would be coming to Hillsboro. Arthur Mann, the Community and Economic Development director for the City of Hillsboro, told The Dallas Express that a verbal agreement had been made between the Hillsboro City Council and the Hill County Commissioners Court to bring Buc-ee’s to Hillsboro. However, those documents still need to be finalized by all parties.
Currently, it is unclear whether any land in Hillsboro has been purchased for the new store.
“I assume the purchase was completed [by Buc-ee’s] because the annexation and plating process has been scheduled, which has to go through planning and zoning and then city council. If the current Community Development Department timeline holds, that process is tentatively scheduled to be completed by mid-August,” said Mann.
The Johnstown, Colorado, Buc-ee’s was scheduled to break ground on Tuesday, June 14, with completion expected in 2024. Mann told The Dallas Express that Amarillo would also get a Buc-ee’s; however, a timeline has not been released.
Based in Lake Jackson, Texas, Buc-ee’s was founded by Arch “Beaver” Aplin III and Don Wasek and has an estimated revenue of over $500 million. There are currently 35 stores in Texas and eight others in Tennessee, Colorado, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Florida, and Alabama.