(NEXSTAR) — To some, the sight of a bucktoothed beaver wearing a red baseball cap may mean nothing. To others, it serves as the promise of a massive travel center, Beaver Nuggets, brisket, and quite possibly the largest-ever souvenir shop you’ll see for a gas station.

We are, of course, referring to Buc-ee’s.

The first store of the Texas-based chain opened in 1982, but its first true travel center opened in 2003. That location, in Luling, outside of San Antonio, was damaged in a fire last year but has since been replaced.

It’s the massive travel centers — featuring everything from fuel and snacks to Buc-ee’s merchandise, kitchen items, and even hunting gear — that have seemingly attracted a cult-like following to the brand. The company’s beloved mascot, Buc-ee the Beaver, receives just as much adoration (and, in some cases, his appearance is at the center of lawsuits). 

In 2025, Buc-ee’s broke ground in several new travel centers, including Goodyear, Arizona; San Marcos, Texas; and Benton, Arkansas. In October alone, Buc-ee’s started work in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Kansas City, Kansas; and Ruston, Louisiana.

According to Buc-ee’s, it takes about 18 to 24 months to build a travel center once construction begins, meaning most of these new stops likely won’t open until 2027.

Some, however, could open next year.

4 new Buc-ee’s sites on track to open in 2026

Ohio’s first-ever Buc-ee’s is expected to open in Huber Heights in April, albeit later than expected. In June, Arizona’s first Buc-ee’s will open in Goodyear, a spokesperson confirmed to Nexstar. Then, in July, a store in San Marcos, Texas, is scheduled to open.

“We are excited about our expansion plans and look forward to sharing more details as they become available,” the spokesperson told Nexstar when reached for contact.

The city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, said in October that its store – the fourth in the state – would open in 2026, a timeline a Buc-ee’s spokesperson confirmed.

Even more Buc-ee’s stores in 2027

Buc-ee’s is on track to have a busy 2027.

The Buc-ee’s locations in Oak Creek, Wisconsin (which would be the chain’s northernmost location) and Ruston, Louisiana, are scheduled to open in April 2027.

A location in Mebane, North Carolina, is already slated to open in May 2027, though a spokesperson told Nexstar’s WGHP that that date could change.

Additional locations possibly being opened in 2027 include Gallaway, Tennessee (originally scheduled to open next summer); Kansas City, Kansas; St. Lucie, Florida;

Construction delays that pushed back the start of a Buc-ee’s in Oak Grove, Kentucky, mean the site may not be complete until 2027.

Other future Buc-ee’s sites in the works

In late October, the company agreed to multiple concessions on its proposed location in Boerne, Texas, including cutting back on the size of the building and the number of fueling stations. It’s still working through necessary votes from city officials, according to local reporting.

Meanwhile, Buc-ee’s stores in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Ocala, Florida, aren’t expected to open until 2028.

Communities also awaiting Buc-ee’s locations include West Memphis, Arkansas (which is expected to be the third-largest Buc-ee’s ever), and Hardeeville, South Carolina.

Buc-ee’s is still looking to grow, too.

Earlier this year, the city council in Springville, Utah, unanimously approved work that would allow Buc-ee’s to construct its first location in the Beehive State.

At least one Buc-ee’s location is also expected in central Indiana, Nexstar’s WXIN/WTTV reported last month. The company was said to be nearing a deal to purchase 28 acres near Greenwood, about 11 miles outside the heart of Indianapolis, while also considering another site in Boone County.

Norwalk, Iowa, located just south of Des Moines, started a petition over the summer to bring the company to their town. There are currently no beaver-based stops in Iowa, a fact that local leaders made sure to highlight. 

Not every community is welcoming Buc-ee’s with open arms.

In Palmer Lake, Colorado, local officials have held several contentious meetings regarding a proposed Buc-ee’s location, culminating in the October resignation of the town’s trustee and mayor pro tem and two additional trustees in December, as well as calls from the governor to reconsider the site because it lies “within one of the most consequential conservation corridors in the United States.”

Two other Colorado cities, Lamar and Pueblo, have suggested that Buc-ee’s come to their communities instead. 

A decision on a proposed Buc-ee’s in Stafford, Virginia, has also been pushed to the new year after officials and residents expressed concerns about the impacts on traffic and the environment. Another Buc-ee’s in New Kent County has been delayed, with officials saying just before Christmas that the Virginia location won’t open until 2031.

Should all these locations be built and opened, Buc-ee’s will have more than 70 locations across nearly 20 states. Each new location is expected to bring at least 200 full-time jobs to the community, according to the company.