Mississippi Coast residents and travelers celebrate. ‘We’ve got our Buc-ee’s’
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- Buc-ee’s opened a $50 million travel center off I-10 in Harrison County, MS.
- Store draws crowds with 74,000 square feet, 120 pumps, and Texas-style barbecue.
- Local officials invested $15 million in infrastructure to support Buc-ee’s traffic.
The opening of the new $50 million Buc-ee’s travel center lived up to its hype Monday when people poured into the three entrances chanting “Buc-ee’s!”
The doors opened at 6 a.m. and, now that it’s open, it will remain that way 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year, Christmas and holidays included.
Monday had a black Black Friday feel, as die hard Buc-ee’s fans, some of whom slept in their vehicles for the bragging rights to be among the first in line, headed straight for the Buc-ee’s Mississippi T-shirts, magnets and other merchandise.
Others, who had no idea why there was so much hype about a gas station and convenience store, were startled as they stepped inside the 74,000-square-foot store packed with souvenirs, gifts and all kinds of food.
Harrison County Supervisor Marlin Ladner was one of those newbies. He and the board approved $15 million for a new interchange to accommodate the extra traffic, and he vowed to wait to step inside Buc-ee’s for the first time in Harrison County.
At the groundbreaking Ladner talked about how Buc-ee’s sounded to him like a general store.. “It’s one helluva of a general store,” he said.
What Buc-ee’s brings
The first Buc-ee’s opened along I-10 in Texas, said Arch Aplin III, co-founder of Buc-ee’s. He’s excited that Mississippi’s first Buc-ee’s is along the same highway. With the next closest stores in Loxley, Alabama, and Baytown, Texas, 350 miles west, “Mississippi just made so much sense,” he said.
What this gas station superstore does is make South Mississippi “a destination instead of a drive-through,” said Tommy Duff, owner of TL Wallace Construction Company, which built the bridge leading to Buc-ee’s.
Traffic built through the day at Mange Avenue exit 24 of I-10, and was slow coming south as residents of the neighborhood stopped by for a first look. Many also were attracted by the low price of gasoline at $2.37, and nearby gas stations also lowered their prices to stay competitive. The average price of a gallon of regular gas on the Coast Monday is $2.58.
Texas size and taste
The 120 gas pumps and 24 electric vehicle charging stations are just the start of the Texas attitude at Buc-ee’s. The cinnamon rolls are huge. There’s a whole wall full of jerky. The fudge has its own counter and comes in flavors like blueberry cheesecake and key lime pie.
Brisket is the best-seller and the brisket sandwiches are available day and night.
About eight years ago Buc-ee’s was looking for a Texas-style barbecue for their stores and approached Randy Pauly.
“I’m a competition barbecue guy,” he said, boasting of a current No. 2 ranking in the world in brisket category.
“Make it competition-worthy,” they told him, and he now brings his family’s barbecue legacy — and his Texas cowboy style — to every Buc-ee’s.
Also out for opening day was Jim Mills, director of culinary, who has only missed two of the 52 Buc-ee’s openings. “There’s no commissary at Buc-ee’s,” he said. All the sandwiches, salads and fruit bowls are made in the local store.
Everything to eat is grab-and go, so Randy Doubleday from Mandeville, Louisiana, was tailgating breakfast on the back of his pickup truck. He and his son planned their return from a Destin vacation so they could be at Buc-ee’s on opening day.
“It’s very exciting, I think, for the region,” he said.
A lot of other people thought so, too, as they went home with their Buc-ee’s brisket, beaver nuggets corn snacks and gear on opening day.
This story was originally published June 9, 2025 at 12:52 PM.
