QUICK VIEW: Bu-cee's is a unique experience! Buc-ee's Travel Centers offer a very entertaining Texas BBQ station, and a Texas-sized selection of jerky, fudge, nuts, and souvenirs.
At Hacking the Road, we are dedicated to finding ways to help people live a Better Life ... on the Road! We are full-time travelers and experience seekers, and we want to share our journey with you. We believe that travel opens hearts and minds, and makes the world a better place. Join us as we explore each new destination.
Now for something completely different--a visit to Buc-ee's!
As we drive the highways between destinations, we are always interested in the unique truck stops and travel centers along the way.
Each travel center has its own special character. Some travel centers are known for their burgers or fried chicken, some for their showers, and others for clean restrooms.
The major players we usually encounter across the United States are:
Pilot Flying J (over 750 stations across 44 states)
Love's Travel Stops (over 550 stations across 41 states)
TA Travel Centers (over 270 stations across 44 states)
But, there's a new player in town! Buc-ee's!
Buc-ee's Travel Center is known by its beaver mascot
Buc-ee's started out in Texas back in 1982. They have expanded to several more states over the years:
Alabama (2)
Florida (2)
Georgia (2)
Tennessee (1)
Texas (35)
Buc-ee's is a unique Gas Station-Country Store that makes a lot of people very happy!
Everyone should get to experience a Buc-ee's. The great Buc-ee's Travel Center experience includes a very entertaining Texas BBQ station, and a Texas-sized selection of jerky, fudge, nuts, and souvenirs.
Buc-ee's has so many delicious options to choose from, from sweet to savory
As we toured Florida, quite a few people recommended that we visit the Buc-ee's Travel Center in Daytona. The place was generating a lot of positive buzz!
This peaked our interest, so, of course, it was added to our visit list. There was no way a travel stop could live up to that kind of hype. Or, so we thought!
Our first visit to the Daytona Beach Buc-ee's would turn out to be quite memorable.
Many had said that the food alone was worth the visit. We arrived just in time for an early lunch ... excited, curious ... and hungry!
Driving up, we were greeted by two massive banks of gasoline pumps--about 120 pumps in all. This dwarfed what we'd see at Pilot Flying J and Love's. We were off to a good start ...
Buce-ee's has no shortage of gas pumps, a real convenience for busy travelers
'A few Buc-ee's fun facts before we continue out visit:
Most Buc-ee's have 100+ gas pumps and 50,000+ square feet in retail space.
The Sevierville Buc-ee's is currently the biggest travel center in the world (74,000 square feet).
The Sevierville Buc-ee's serves more than 5,000 customers each and every day!
The Iowa 80 TA Travel Center was the previous world record holder (69,000 square feet).
Buc-ee's now holds the title of world's biggest travel center, previously held by the Iowa 80 in Walcott, Iowa
'Back to the Daytona Buc-ee's experience ...
The main retail center entrance was lined with rows of BBQ meat smokers. Welcome to BBQ Heaven! They made a definite statement.
Once inside, our senses were immediately overloaded with all kinds of stimuli. We didn't know where to start.
Sensory overload with so many sights and smells!
One could sense a genuine excitement across the expanse of this massive store! The smells, the sounds, the ambience, and the sheer number of patrons all combined to generate an energy that was quite a rush.
On one end of the store, there was the usual travel center fare: coffee, soft drinks, snacks, etc, but with one difference. Buc-ee's has its own extensive branded snack line, proudly bearing the Buc-ee beaver motif.
The snack packages are branded with the Buceee's beaver
Their Beaver Nuggets in flavors like sea salt caramel, chocolate-dipped, and spicy are apparently quite addictive. Their yogurt-dipped pretzels and chocolate-covered peanuts are also very popular.
The middle of the store took on a whole different vibe. It was like we'd just arrived at a rodeo!
The Texas BBQ station is central to the Buc-ee's experience
A touch of folksy theatre filled the air! BBQ Masters and food preparers added to the fun ambience with their own individual shows as they called out the exciting arrival of freshly cooked brisket and pulled pork.
The show was worth an admission charge. Buc-ee's are sometimes referred to as the "Driver's Disney." It was no wonder Buc-ee's has a very loyal following.
As the brisket and pulled pork came off the cooker, the meat preparers, dressed in red shirts, announced the start of the show as they began their chopping and saucing routine.
The theatrics were first-class, and the smells were fantastic! As fast as the meat came off the chopping tables, it was freshly assembled into delicious sandwiches and placed in trays before the customers.
Barbecue sauce is added to the brisket in preparation for assembling fresh sandwiches
There's no doubt most of the people were focused on the arrival of the fresh meat. The line moved smoothly and quickly, with sandwiches continuously being added to the trays.
We definitely wanted in! The sandwiches are reasonably priced at $7 - $9. In case of a big appetite, they also have the super-sized XXL brisket sandwich with a huge load of meat ($12).
As they say, 'That's good eatin'!
The sandwiches were assembled fresh and piled high
As we moved to the other end of the store, it looked very much like a festive department store during the holidays.
All kinds of branded Buc-ee's apparel and souvenirs occupied row upon row as far as one can see: footballs, Christmas ornaments, t-shirts, sweatpants, caps, shot glasses, pajamas, you name it, they have it in 3-D!
So many festive Buc-ee Beaver gifts to choose from!
Back to the food area, we noticed a butcher-like counter filled with every imaginable type of jerky that included a vast variety of meats with uniquely spiced flavors. If you like jerky, this is the biggest selection we've ever seen!
A wall of pre-packaged jerky is also available for a quick grab-and-go if the line is too long and you're in a hurry.
The jerky choices were numerous in the butcher case
For those sweet tooth cravings, Buc-ee's has a substantial fudge counter with a colorful variety of tempting flavors.
Right next to the refrigerated salads, we found one of our biggest weaknesses--a good old fashioned cheesecake (60 oz/1.7 kg). Had to buy it on the spot!
Satisfy your sweet tooth with a variety box of fudge
Another of Buc-ee's claims to fame is that they have the cleanest travel center restrooms in the United States. A national survey of patrons vetted this notion, and Buc-ee's won!
Had to check it out, and from personal experience, the honor is well deserved. Clean, well stocked, and attractive!
The restroom was modern, roomy, and well maintained
As we left the retail store, it was clear why the store needed so much parking. Most of the patrons were eating their delicious sandwiches in their cars. Those sandwiches were never going to make it home!
The Buc-ee's gasoline prices were the cheapest in the area, and matched the perennial low-cost champion, Sam's Club, which happened to be located right across the street.
One note worth mentioning: When we filled up, we were surprised to discover that they do not provide windshield washing stations like most gas stations. Maybe it's too difficult to maintain the set-up at so many pumps?
Though the gas pumps are plentiful, they do not provide for windshield washing
Our trip to Buc-ee's was memorable, and it's hard to imagine another travel center that can top it. We're hoping to visit another one along our travels, and may even take a detour to get to it...
The Buc-ee's experience was memorable, fun, and delicious!
Stay tuned, we'll have updates as this travel center experiment expands! Make a plan ... experience a Buc-ee's Travel Center!
I love these big places with everything under one roof, the pulled pork is calling to me….
Buc-ee’s is a special Travel Center experience. We just had to share the experience with everyone. The Texas BBQ, no doubt, is the star. But, their cheese cake and jerky also bears tasting–over and over again.
{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
Session expired
Please log in again.
The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
I love these big places with everything under one roof, the pulled pork is calling to me….
Buc-ee’s is a special Travel Center experience. We just had to share the experience with everyone. The Texas BBQ, no doubt, is the star. But, their cheese cake and jerky also bears tasting–over and over again.