I Finally Visited Buc-ee’s—and Had One Big Problem

I learned something on a recent road trip.

Buc-ee's is all it's cracked up to be — and more. But I'd be okay with never going back.

What Makes Buc-ee’s So Famous?

You've heard of Buc-ee's, right? It's that travel center on steroids with the beaver mascot plastered on its signage and pretty much everything else. The location I visited even had a bronze beaver statue out front which had a steady line of tourists taking selfies with it. (Maybe they all do.)

Most Buc-ee's locations are in its home state of Texas, but the chain of travel centers has begun to proliferate outside the Lone Star State in the past decade — primarily across the Southeast. Expansion into the Midwest has begun, but no locations are currently in the planning stages in Michigan.

READ MORE: Buc-ee's Is Creeping Closer to Michigan — How Close?

It was a little past noon on a Saturday when I visited the one in Smiths Grove, Kentucky. The place was swarming with travelers, but I was able to pull up immediately to one of the 120 gas pumps on-site and fill up before venturing inside.

Inside the World’s Most Talked-About Gas Station

Buc-ee's boasts that its clean restrooms are "world famous", and I found them to be spotless. Just like its gas pumps outside, there were plenty of places to park it inside too. No notes. (No pictures either, because, ew.)

The "store" part of the travel center is overwhelming.

How Big Is Buc-ee’s, Really?

By square footage, the Buc-ee's I visited in Kentucky is roughly the same size inside as the Hobby Lobby on W. Saginaw in Lansing. Now imagine a space that size serving as a Walmart and a BBQ joint and a candy store and a gift shop all at the same time. That's Buc-ee's. Stop for gas and walk out with a brisket sandwich, a new hoodie with a beaver face on it, some deer corn, and a new personalized keychain to give someone as a souvenir.

Sounds great, huh?

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Maybe it is for some. For others — including me — the Buc-ee's experience can be anxiety-inducing. It's sensory overload to begin with, but when you pair that with hundreds of people milling about like ants on ice cream that's dripped onto the sidewalk, it can become "too much". I cut my visit short before seeing everything Buc-ee's had to offer just so I could get back outside.

Could Buc-ee’s Come to Lansing?

While Michigan's not yet officially expecting its own Buc-ee's location, I'll go on record right now and predict one in the Lansing area within the next 10 years. With I-69, I-96 and U.S. 127 all passing through the area, it simply makes sense from the standpoint of a touristy travel center to set up shop in a place situated to draw the highest number of travelers.

And when it does, I probably won't visit. At least not at noon on a Saturday.