This past weekend, we took a day trip down to Orange Beach, Alabama, and decided to make a quick stop at Buc-ee’s. If you are not familiar with Buc-ee’s, it is a large gas station and travel center with locations across the South, primarily along interstates. The chain was mostly located in Texas until 2018, when it began expanding across the Southeast.
Though we have taken many trips to the Gulf, we had yet to stop by a Buc-ee’s. With the kids out of school for the summer, we decided to add the extra stop to pick up some souvenirs and see what all the fuss was about.
Location
The Buc-ee’s we visited is located at 20403 Co Rd 68, Robertsdale, AL. This is off Interstate 10 in Baldwin County at the Baldwin Beach Express. It should be noted that the Beach Express is no longer a toll road.
Buc-ee’s has its own dedicated lane for reaching the store once you get off the interstate. This is necessary due to the high level of traffic. We went on a Sunday morning, so it was probably not as busy as usual, but it was still VERY busy.
While there is a ton of parking, you might have to drive around a bit to find a good spot. This place is almost always busy, but if you visit during off-hours, you can find a decent spot. We were able to snag a spot in the second row of parking spots.
Overall, it was very easy to get in and out of Buc-ee’s. I’m sure part of this was due to the timing of our visit. Sunday morning is probably one of the slower times there, and it was noticeably busier when we left than when we arrived. But the roadways and entrances were well designed to handle the traffic.
Products
Buc-ee’s is not a typical gas station. This place was huge, big even for a travel center. We walked in through the main front door, though there were several other ways in and out of the store. This brought us right into the souvenir section.
The Buc-ee’s mascot is a beaver, and they had just about every piece of memorabilia you could think of with that beaver on it. Plushes, pillows, shirts, dog toys, you name it. My daughter ended up getting a plush and my son a pillow.
On top of Buc-ee’s memorabilia, they also had local souvenirs for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Coffee cups, shot glasses, t-shirts, all of the usual things you find in the dozens of souvenir shops at the beach.
On the other side of the store, there were plenty of name-brand products, such as Columbia, to choose from. We didn’t spend much time on that side of the store, as tourist spots tend to be more expensive when it comes to name-brand items.
Food
Buc-ee’s is more known for its food than its souvenirs. There is an entire grocery section full of snacks and other goods. We picked up a bag of their famous beaver nuggets to try. They tasted like Cracker Jacks, but in nugget form. Pretty good!
However, it’s the sandwiches that Buc-ee’s is known for. Unfortunately, we arrived too early to try their BBQ sandwiches. There were plenty of breakfast sandwich options, and even breakfast tacos, but we did not try them this time as we had already eaten breakfast and had plans for lunch.
I’ve heard good things about their brisket. Its on my list to try next time we pass through and they are available. Buc-ee’s also has a bakery, but we didn’t sample it either on this trip. I’ll report back once I’ve had a chance to sample it.
Service
One thing that shocked me was how quickly we were able to get out of the store once it came time to pay. The place was packed, and I thought it would take forever to go through the checkout. However, there were registers everywhere.
Once we decided to check out, we were out the door in 5 minutes. The cashiers were friendly and went about their work quickly. The multitude of registers kept most of the lines relatively short. I was pleasantly surprised with how quick the check out process went.
Overall Impressions Of Buc-ee’s
Don’t let the large crowd or busy parking lot intimidate you. The fast service will have you in and out in no time. The place is spacious enough to accommodate the large number of visitors, and the many cash registers means a quick check out when its time to go.
We had a good experience on our first trip to Buc-ee’s. We will definitely be stopping by again on our next beach trip. The service was great, there were plenty of interesting products, and lot of food we still want to try. If you are near one of their many locations, I recommend paying them a visit.
