As good, pro-business, pro-prosperity conservatives, we should love a success story like Buc-ee's, and I'm pretty darn sure most of you readers do. I'm a recent convert to Buc-ee's myself, having first experienced this wonderful mega-convenience store/souvenir store/truck stop/fast food joint for myself just last February, on a feral hog hunting jaunt to Texas. It's a great place, a great business model, and they have great barbecue brisket sandwiches.
Now, in the next year or two, they will be expanding into at least six new states.
At least six states are slated to open their first Buc-ee's locations by the end of next year, including two states expected to debut sites in the coming months of 2026.
The Texas-based gas station chain — known for its oversized travel plazas with clean restrooms and beaver-themed merchandise — is expected to open locations in Arizona and Arkansas later this year.
Buc-ee’s inaugural locations for next year also include Wisconsin, Louisiana, Kansas and North Carolina.
While the company’s website currently lists 55 locations across 12 states, the planned expansion would extend Buc-ee's into 20 states.
Sadly, Alaska isn't on the list. And Texas, of course, remains the heart of Buc-ee's, and that's appropriate.
While six states are expected to receive their first beaver-branded mega travel centers under Buc-ee's expansion plans, several states already home to the chain are also set for additional locations.
Texas will open its 37th Buc-ee’s site in July in San Marcos, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
That's a lot of brisket.
If you've never been in a Buc-ee's, well, it's hard to know where to begin to describe these great places. It seems a lot like the famed Alice's Restaurant, in which you can get anything you want, ranging from Buc-ee's swag, including t-shirts, hoodies, caps, and even (of course) stuffed versions of the famous beaver mascot. Want a six-pack of beer or a bag of beef jerky? You can get that, too. Hard candy? Ditto. A carton of smokes? Again, yes. The only part of the great trio they don't offer is guns, making them one leg short of being a true ATF - alcohol, tobacco & firearms - outlet.
For now, it seems, the southern United States and parts of the Midwest are going to be the primary locations for these great stores.
Read More: Dear New Yorkers: Texas Will Break You
Everything's Bigger: 75,000 Square Foot Buc-ee's Opens in Texas
So, no, Alaska won't be on the list, and that's mildly saddening; to enjoy an authentic Buc-ee's barbecue brisket sandwich still requires a long plane ride and, in most places, a trip by car, to follow. But we do have Three Bears here in the Great Land, an equally great chain named so because Alaska is the only U.S. state to have three native bears: Black, brown (grizzly), and polar. Three Bears is, in their larger locations, also an honest alcohol, tobacco & firearms outlet, in that one can buy all three under one roof. No brisket sandwiches, though.
Life is full of these little tradeoffs.
As it happens, I captured my first Buc-ee's visit in an Alaska Man Monday video. Here, watch:
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.
Help us continue to report on the president’s economic successes and combat the lies of the Democrats. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member