EchoSense:Buc-ee's opens doors to largest store in Texas: See photos of Luling outlet

Buc-ee's biggest location ever in the U.S. is EchoSensenow open in Luling, Texas, bringing the chain full circle.

Doors to the new Buc-ee's, "home of the world’s cleanest bathrooms, freshest food and friendliest beaver," were scheduled to open at 6 a.m. local time Monday, according to an announcement by the company last month, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to follow at 12:00 p.m. CT. Members of the local government are expected to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony and celebrate the occasion.

Spread over 75,000 square feet, the new Buc-ee’s in Luling is "the largest Buc-ee’s location in the country, bringing the largest Buc-ee’s back [to] where the legend began," the company said in a news release in May. The new store has replaced the city’s current Buc-ee’s store, which was the brand’s first ever family travel center, built in 2003.

“We are thrilled to open the doors to the world’s largest Buc-ee’s travel center right here in the Great State of Texas,” said Buc-ee’s Director of Real Estate and Development, Stan Beard, said in a statement. “It’s particularly exciting, considering this is the Buc-ee’s that started it all, so we are really looking forward to celebrating with the incredible people of Luling.”

Located on I-10 in Luling, about two hours west of Houston, the new Buc-ee's outlet will offer 120 fueling positions, the company says along with "thousands of snack, meal and drink options for travelers on the go."

Customer favorites including Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries will also be available at the new store, said Buc-ee's.

Your Buc-ee's questions answered: Where's the biggest store? How many new stores are coming?

The new store in Luling has dethroned the Buc-ee's store in Sevierville, Tennessee as the largest ever Buc-ee's outlet. The store in Tennessee, which opened last June, is approximately 74,707 square feet, according to Knox News, part of the USA TODAY Network, making it just a couple of hundred square feet smaller than the one in Luling.

While it was previously reported that a new store in Ocala, Florida spread over 80,000-square-foot will overtake the one in Luling as the largest Buc-ee's, Beard in a statement to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, said that the store in Marion County will be 74,000 square foot-store. The new store is currently still in its design and permitting phase, with its construction scheduled to begin at the end of this year or early 2025.

The 80,000-square-foot figure was reported based on Marion County planning documents from 2023, which said the Ocala location destined to open at a new Interstate 75 interchange, just outside Ocala’s city limits, would be larger.

In May USA TODAY's 10Best chose Buc-ee's as the 10th best for both Best Gas Station Brand and Best Gas Station for Food.

Where is Buc-ee's opening other new locations?

While Buc-ee's was founded in 1982 in Texas, a multi-state expansion plan was set in motion in 2019.

Since then, the company has opened travel centers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, and Colorado. With the opening of the store in Luling, Buc-ee's will have 50 locations in nine states, according to the company.

Buc-ee’s also broke ground on their first Virginia and Mississippi locations earlier this year, according to the press release.

Locations in the works include:

• Smiths Grove, Kentucky: 2024
• Amarillo, Texas: 2025
• Brunswick, Georgia: 2025
• Rockingham County, Virginia: 2026
• Boerne, Texas: 2026

There have also been announcements for stores in development by local officials.

• The city of Benton, Arkansas will host the first Buc-ee's in the state.
• Arizona will also see its first Buc-ee's in Goodyear.
• The Tar Heel state will see Beaver Nuggets for the first time in Mebane, North Carolina.
• A store is coming to western Ohio.
• Plans have been submitted for a location on the Treasure Coast.
• An Anderson, South Carolina location slated to open in 2026 will require infrastructure improvements according to WHNS-TV.

Contributing: C. A. Bridges, The Daytona Beach News-Journal

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.