Buc-ee’s T-shirts have become favored road-trip souvenirs for N.O. area folks in recent years. I’m surprised they only expanded out of Texas in 2019 – seems like they’ve been in Florida and Alabama a lot longer than that (see article below).
Lots of folks from the New Orleans metro area take car-ride vacations along the Emerald Coast between Gulf Shores AL and Fort Walton Beach, FL. Buc-ee’s built a location off of Interstate 10 east of Mobile Bay, roughly halfway between Pensacola and Mobile. Last time we were in Gulf Shores, we tried to stop at Buc-ee’s on the way home. There was a lengthy line backing up the highway just to get into the Buc-ee’s lot. Had to pass on by.
Suburban Baton Rouge was supposed to get the first Buc-ee’s outside of Texas in 2016, but plans fell through. Ever since, there are occasional rumors about this location or that location near New Orleans getting a Buc-ee’s. Right now, it looks like Mississippi has stolen out thunder – Pass Christian, MS (less than an hour from N.O. city limits) is currently slated to get a Buc-ee’s.
Meanwhile, Ruston LA, in the northern part of the state, has a Buc-ee’s location under construction right now. It will serve Interstate 20 traffic – a lot of drivers going between Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth plus other sizeable Southern US cities.
Yep. This article is from earlier this month, and it looks like the mob scene at this Buc-ee’s is still there:
The Buc-ee’s in Robertsdale, Alabama is Known as the “Beach Express”.
There is nothing express about this experience. We added another hour and a half to our trip back to Shreveport. Not only was the line to enter the restroom complete havoc, but we ended up trapped in the parking lot for 45 minutes. My average trip to a Buc-ee’s is maybe 30 minutes at the most. This was supposed to be a quick bathroom break and filling up the truck.
If You Can Add An Extra Couple of Hours to Your Trip Stop Here.
There was a point where people were getting out of vehicles to direct traffic. We were convinced that we were going to be stuck in a Buc-ee’s parking lot for the rest of the day. Where did all of these cars and people come from? If you’re eager to get back home and you are okay with a mediocre bathroom and you’re not crazy about snacks just stop at any gas station.
I’d still like to try it one day if I’m ever out that way on a weekday, or in mid-winter or something like that.
EDIT: Lots of photographs of Buc-ee’s fare in that article for anyone wanting to get an idea of what they’ve got.
Give Buc-ee’s credit for what they are and what they do. They’re not running a charity organization to feed orphaned whales. If you judge them by that standard, they fail.
They’re running truck stops. And they do a really good job at running truck stops. They provide good service and pay their employees good wages.
I’m as anti-MAGA as anyone. But I’ve never felt a political vibe at Buc-ee’s (other than what you feel in the entire state of Texas).
That place looks really overwhelming to me. Not the crowds, I mean the selection. Seems like a place you’d visit very rarely. I would have such a hard time trying to decide what to get! Because I won’t be back soon. So I would end up buying either way too much (gotta get me some Beaver nuts!) or nothing at all cuz I can’t decide.
Although, I know for sure I’d buy some kolache. I’ve always wanted to try some. Because Texas Czechs are not like the rest of the Czechs.
That is ridiculous. The whole point of a service plaza is that it should be easy to get in and out of. Especially if one of the attractions is the bathrooms. I’m trying to imagine sitting there in that long line with a full bladder.
That was my first time ever seeing an actual Buc-ee’s location … so I didn’t know if that was typical for a Buc-ee’s or if conditions that day were atypical.
OK. So now knowing that the first non-Texas locations opened in 2019 … the Robertsdale, AL location must’ve been brand-new when we passed it Labor Day, 2019. The novelty of “Buc-ees!” was still well in effect.
And we were trying to go there right at the tail end of a holiday weekend. One of the peak weekends for any beachside resort community and especially so for Gulf Shores.
I can imagine that a lot of people stopped just because it’s new, but once the novelty wears off, it should be a quick in and out.
In the Northeast, like where I grew up in Connecticut, there are travel plazas along some interstate highways. They have gas stations, restaurants and clean bathrooms. And usually it’s easy to get in and out.
Buc-ees has become a family thing for us. Well, for portions of our family.
My oldest son (almost 30) is a Buc-ees fanatic. LOVES the place. To the point that our annual trip to the Gulf Shores / Orange Beach area in Alabama had to be re-routed once the Robertsdale Buc-ees location opened.
My college-aged son got a job at one of the newest Buc-ees in Auburn. He’s one of the brisket-slingers. He and my oldest son have created a conspiracy to put a new Buc-ees bumper sticker on my car every time we go to the beach. They claim “hooligans” do it, but we all know better. Currently three of the things adorn my rear bumper.
I like the store okay, but the Malthusian levels of people in the place are overwhelming. And I, too, have waited at the off-ramp of the interstate for about 10 minutes to get into the parking lot.
I thought their kolaches were only okay, but my theory is that your preference in kolaches is heavily influenced by the first ones you have (like many other things).
I pass by there monthly (at least). But medical stuff has kept me home for a while. Last time I passed it was closed because a car crashed inside the store. I hear they’re reopened though. I’m headed down there a week from today so I guess I’ll find out.
Buc-ees is a great place to take a dump. For some reason, I can’t buy diet Mountain Dew there. Their jerky, nuts and fudge are pretty good, although their BBQ is pretty mediocre. It’s not Bill Miller’s but it’s not Franklin’s (or even Rudy’s IMHO). For those that don’t know, if you swallow Bill Miller’s, do not induce vomiting and seek medical attention immediately.
We hit the location just south of Jacksonville, FL on I-95. A madhouse. Hard to get into, even worse to get out. Added 30 minutes to our trip over a regular stop. I never saw the inside but the wife got some snacks. I was too busy edging through the gas lines and trying to park after I filled up (folks would just stop at a pump and wander off???). This was mid-afternoon on a Thursday - holy-hell if it was the weekend.
I’ll go to about anything else after that “experience”. The food thing isn’t on my radar.
There’s a clothing brand called RSVLTS that make fun and flashy Hawaiian-style shirts that I’ve fallen in love with. They have a line that’s exlusive to Buc-ee’s but, since I live 40 miles from the Pacific, I have no ability to go check them out. My bank account appreciates this, my students do not.
