Recently,there has been talk about a possible Buc-ee’s coming to the state of Ohio. It’s true, Ohio’s first ever Buc-ee’s is officially open in a suburb close to Dayton, Ohio. It will be located in Huber Heights, Ohio off state route 235, which is just North of Interstate 70. If you are curious and want to learn more about this brand new Buc-ees in Ohio, as well as the history behind the company, then read on.
On April 6, 2026, Ohio’s first-ever Buc-ee’s opened to the public. This is a monumental moment because it is the franchise’s first gas station in the state of Ohio. It will feature 120+ gas pumps plus a 50,000+ square foot store. Buc-ees originally first opened in Texas. Specifically on the border of Clute and Lake Jackson, Texas. Its founders are Arch Alpin the III and Don Wasek, who originally founded the company in 1982. The way the founders came up with the name Buc-ees for their company is that Arch Alpin the III’s nickname was “Beaver”, and he had a dog that was a Labrador breed named Buck. So they named the company Buc-ees after the dog named Buck and made the mascot a beaver after Arch’s nickname, Beaver.The original Buc-ee’s building was around 3,000 square feet, and it sat at 899 Oyster Creek Drive Clute, Texas. While we all know how successful the Buc-ee’s franchise is today, it remained at its small first location until 2003. When they opened their first-ever “Travel Center” in Luling, Texas. The first-ever Buc-ee’s location is no longer considered to be in operation, but you can visit their first-ever Travel Center in Luling, Texas. However, it is not the original one because the original one caught on fire in 2024 and burned to the ground. They rebuilt a new one on top of where the original Travel Center sat prior to catching on fire. In total, there are 55 Buc-ee’s locations across the United States.
The Buc-ees franchise is known for its clean restrooms, brisket, and Beaver Nuggets. Since the opening of Ohio’s first-ever Buc-ee’s on April 6th, 2026, there has already been talk about a second Ohio location being built. This second Ohio location of Buc-ee’s would be built in Mansfield, Ohio. Just at the interchange of Interstate 71 and State Route 39. From Huber Heights, Ohio, to Mansfield, Ohio is approximately 129 miles, which means to go from one Ohio Buc-ee’s to another, it would take about a 2-hour drive across the state of Ohio. Also, there has already been land confirmed by Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry, who announced last month a petition for annexation, which was approved by the Richland County Commissioners. The commissioners said that Buc-ee’s would develop about 35 acres of the 110 acres that were annexed from Madison Township, and the two acres annexed from Mifflin Township. The commissioners also said that the property still would need to be purchased, but that it was in the works. It is still unclear as to when construction will begin or when the travel center could potentially open to the public.
https://stories.tamu.edu/stories/arch-beaver-aplin-shows-that-dreaming-big-pays-off/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buc-ee%27s
