Texas. A state known by many different identities and nicknames including The Lone Star State, The Banner State and the “Don’t Mess with Texas” state. This land of the longhorns also lays claim to being the place where everything is bigger.
Evidence backing up this statement is easily found during one of the best ways to experience all Texas has to offer…a road trip. Cruising the many roadways, you’ll find the world’s largest honky-tonk (Billy Bob’s), world’s largest mechanical talking cowboy (Big Tex at the State Fair of Texas), world’s largest high-definition video board (Texas Motor Speedway), world’s largest caterpillar (in Italy) and the world’s largest urban bat colony (in Austin).
On a recent road trip from Dallas to San Antonio we discovered another to add to the list. Its name: Buc-ee’s. Its claim to fame: world’s biggest convenience store.
Heading south on Interstate 35, we bypassed the congestion that has become synonymous with Austin by taking another claim to Texas fame – the fastest road – U.S. Texas State Highway 130, aka Pickle Parkway (posted speed: 85 mph). After hopping back on to I-35 around Buda, we traveled a few more miles and hit New Braunfels and Exit 191, which leads to the wonder of the world that is Buc-ee’s.
With its close proximity to the tubing paradise of the Guadalupe River, this particular Buc-ee’s featured a section of the store dedicated to all things needed for floating – rafts, swimsuits, coolers, etc.
Here are some of the store’s stats:
- 68,000 square feet of space
- 120 gas pumps
- 31 cash registers
- 20+ varieties of trail mix
- 80 fountain drink dispensers
- Cleanest restrooms in America
Moving through the “gastination,” we marveled at the wall lined with Buc-ee’s-branded snacks such as “beaver nuggets,” fudge, candied jalapeños and other goodies. Judging by the folks waiting in line, the deli case where you could pick out types of jerky and the barbecue sandwiches being made to order were also popular attractions for those wanting to grab and go.
After getting some soft drinks, snacks and a T-shirt, we were back on the road to our final destination – the Alamo City. (Home of the “world’s largest pair of cowboy boots”.)
We had pulled in to the travel center for some much needed petrol and pulled away amazed that places such as this exist. Although we shouldn’t be, we were in Texas after all. The state was simply living up to its famous “everything bigger” reputation.
Written by:
James Mayfield is the Director of Content at Santander Consumer USA and has been creating content on financial topics for more than 10 years. In addition to writing for the Santander, RoadLoans and Chrysler Capital blog sites, his work has…
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