Sort of Legal

I spent this past weekend with my cousin and her fiance in Texas. The primary goal was to take engagement photos for them with Texas blue bonnets. We set off on our blue bonnet search early Saturday morning with high hopes that the rain would stop or provide enough breaks to let us take photos. As we drove down Highway 290, they schooled me on all things Texas over Goldfish, a perfectly appropriate morning snack in our cheese loving family.

“We should stop at Buc-ee’s on the way back,” my cousin said as we drove past a rest stop so massive that I couldn’t count all the pumps before we passed.  She and her fiancé continued to enthusiastically list off all the things you could find at Buc-ee’s for a few minutes.

I expressed an interest in stopping because I was interested.  This Buc-ee’s place was clearly some type of Texas institution and I love nothing more than checking out local establishments when I’m traveling, even if that establishment is well, a rest stop. As an added bonus, I could try a Kolache there, a stuffed pastry (sweet or savory) with Czech origins that has been whole-heartedly adopted by Texans.

So, on the way back from our Blue Bonnet adventure, we stopped at Buc-ee’s.  Buc-ee’s No. 18 in Waller, Texas to be exact.  I had expected a nice, clean rest-stop, but what I found was an explanation for why the travel stop has such a cult following in Texas. 

The Buc-ee’s property itself was Texas sized (read: BIG) with somewhere between 80 – 120 pumps at the average Buc-ee’s according to Wikipedia.  The store itself is also Texas sized and it’s a bit hard to describe. It’s like a hybrid rest stop, grocery store, restaurant, souvenir shop, home goods shop, and road side attraction. In the words of Business Insider, it’s “a mix of a Walmart, a barbecue-centric deli, and the Texas tourism bureau, plus a dash of the Cracker Barrel general store.”

As I toured – and toured is an appropriate word here – I came across a bin of beaver stuffed animals and noticed the same beaver on a range of attire and goods.  “What’s the deal with this little beaver?” I asked my cousin and her fiancé.  I was quickly advised that the little beaver was not from some trendy new TV show for toddlers as would have been my guess, but the Buc-ee’s’ mascot.  A rest stop with it’s own mascot?!  Mind blown.  And to top that, apparently, the Texas flag board shorts (or should I say swimming trunks?) bearing the Buc-ee’s beaver are popular summer attire among Texas males.

We kept our shopping impulses under control and just got savory kolaches (spicy cheese and sausage for me) and sampled the Buc-ee’s Nug-ees.  

But we also could have gotten fresh fudge, a wide variety of Buc-ee’s jerky, hot food like BBQ sandwiches (pulled pork, brisket, turkey, sausage), Beaver Nuts, or any grocery store staple.  Don’t want to miss Buc-ee’s best eats?  Check out The New Buc-ee’s Food Director Shares His Top 10 Road-Trip Snacks in the Texas Monthly or this video of the 5 Foods you Have to Eat at BUC-EE’s.

….and with that, I’ll let you start planning your own Buc-ee’s adventure!

Buc-ee’s Website: https://www.buc-ees.com/
Buc-ee’s Instagram: @buceestexas
Buc-ee’s Locations: Texas, Alabama, Florida (coming soon)