Everything really is bigger in the Great State of Texas – including Buc-ee’s. But not for much longer.
The popular store is set to open its largest location yet in Luling, Texas, on June 10 – spanning a mammoth 75,000 square feet and boasting 120 fuel pumps.
This is even more sprawling than the current biggest outlet measuring at 74,000 square feet in Sevierville, Tennessee – dubbed the ‘world’s largest convenience store’ when it opened last year.
But not to be outdone, Florida is already set to dwarf the pair of them, with a new mega store coming to Ocala in 2025 that is set to take up 80,000 square feet.
An overhead view of the newly constructed Buc-ee’s in Luling, Texas, a town with a population of around 5,600 people
The Luling Buc-ee’s will have 120 fuel pumps and occupy more than 75,000 square feet (more than 1.3 times the size of a football field)
Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s was originally a Texas chain of highway travel centers but has since expanded to the rest of the southern US.
Nowadays, Buc-ee’s is known for having hundreds of gas pumps at any one location, tens of thousands of square feet of shopping space, meticulously clean bathrooms, and of course, a friendly beaver named Buc-ee as its mascot.
As one Florida travel influencer described Buc-ee’s in a TikTok video: ‘It’s a lot more than just a gas station. It’s more like a gas station meets a Cracker Barrel meets a Walmart meets a Bass Pro Shops. It’s got everything.’
Many Texans are already besides themselves with excitement over reclaiming the crown for the largest store when the Luling location opens later this month.
It will replace the city’s current Buc-ee’s store, which was the brand’s first family travel center, built in 2003, the company’s press release detailed.
Buc-ee’s favorites including Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries will all be available, it added.
One man, going by the user name Glennshares, posted a video on TikTok this April excitedly recapping the entire construction process of the new store.
He had been driving by the construction site periodically for about a year and a half, taking video of the progress, bit by bit.
In January 2023, the main building was up, but none of the gas pumps were there. A year later, things really began to shape up, with much of the construction equipment gone and the fueling lanes ready to go.
Meanwhile, in Florida, residents are eagerly awaiting updates on their new store.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis awarded $4 million to his state’s transportation department in April 2023 to begin adding new interchanges alongside the new Buc-ee’s, which is expected to have 120 gas pumps and more than 720 parking spots.
However, the company has not yet confirmed any details about the Ocala location, a Buc-ee’s spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
Last November DailyMail.com visited the new monster Sevierville, Tennessee, location as crowds of shoppers camped out overnight to witness the opening.
The store features 120 gas pumps, a barbecue brisket counter with a ‘Texas round-up station’ and rows upon rows of beef jerky.
But perhaps the most popular thing to eat at Buc-ee’s is its famous Beaver Nuggets – caramel corn.
Pictured: The expansive interior of the Tennessee Buc-ee’s that used to be the world’s biggest convenience store
The Texas Round-up signals the arrival of fresh brisket at one of the many food stations inside the nearly 75,000 square foot store
Buc-ee’s is known for having rows and rows of beef jerky for travel-weary visitors to choose from
Buc-ee’s cute red-shirted beaver mascot that is so popular even unauthorized third parties sell them online
Pictured: The store’s famous ‘Beaver Nuggets,’ which is actually caramel corn
The other side of the store sold merchandise, including t-shirts, mugs, socks, stickers, swimsuits and others items emblazoned with the Buc-ee’s beaver.
That Buc-ee’s, which has 400 full-time employees, also has a 250-foot car wash.
When the new Luling store opens, the company will have a total of 50 stores across Texas and the South.
It also has plans to expand beyond its current southern footprint, seeking to open new stores in Virginia, Louisiana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Missouri in the coming years.
