Buc-ee's timeline
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Arch "Beaver" Aplin III and Don Wasek open the first Buc-ee's, a small store at 899 Oyster Creek Drive on the Clute–Lake Jackson line in Texas. |
| 2003 | The first large Buc-ee's travel center opens in Luling, Texas. |
| 2012 | The New Braunfels store opens at 68,000 square feet, the world's largest convenience store at the time, and wins Cintas' "America's Best Restroom". |
| 2017 | The Katy store's 255-foot car wash is recognized by Guinness as the world's longest. |
| Late 2010s | Buc-ee's opens its first store outside Texas, in Robertsdale, Alabama. |
| 2021 | Florida stores open in Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. |
| 2023 | The Sevierville, Tennessee store opens at 74,707 square feet, the new world's largest. |
| 2024 | Luling reopens as a 75,000-square-foot store, taking back the title. |
| 2026 | First stores in Ohio (April 6), Arizona (June 22) and Arkansas (August 17), plus a new San Marcos travel center. |
Where was the first Buc-ee's?
The first Buc-ee's opened in 1982 at 899 Oyster Creek Drive, on the border of Clute and Lake Jackson, Texas. A Buc-ee's still operates at that address today; see our Lake Jackson page.
How old is Buc-ee's?
Buc-ee's was founded in 1982, so it has been in business for over 40 years. For most of that time it was a Texas-only chain; it began expanding into other states only in the last several years.
From corner store to mega travel center
For its first two decades Buc-ee's ran small convenience stores along the Texas Gulf Coast. The 2003 Luling travel center changed the model: a much bigger store on an interstate, with dozens of pumps, a huge food and gift selection, and the spotless restrooms the chain is now known for. Nearly every store built since follows that format, and some of the older small stores have been closed.
Sources
Store facts and opening dates come from the reports below. Dates for stores that are not open yet can change.
- Wikipedia: Buc-ee's
- Cintas: Buc-ee's New Braunfels bathroom is America's best
- Click2Houston: Buc-ee's car wash in Katy gets Guinness record as world's longest
- CSP Daily News: Buc-ee's opens its biggest c-store yet
- CSP Daily News: Buc-ee's sets opening date for its first Ohio travel center
- ABC15: Buc-ee's confirms opening date for its first Arizona location
- KARK: Buc-ee's announces opening date for Benton location
- CBS Austin: Buc-ee's opens new San Marcos location