When you’re on a road trip in the UK, a service station is a welcome sight, but let’s face it, they’re not the most exciting of places.

While it’s nice to get out of the car for a bit, the prospect of a soggy sandwich or a lukewarm burger followed by a wander around WH Smith to marvel at the price of a Mars bar is not exactly going to be a highlight of your trip. So, while on a short road trip in Texas, I wasn’t expecting much from their service station offerings. But as we pulled into Buc-ee’s near Fort Worth, the rows and rows of petrol pumps and a huge beige building adorned with a smiling cartoon beaver came into sight and I realised this was going to be very different to your average stop along the A1.

Everything is bigger in Texas, so they say, and even the humble service station has been supersized. In 2024, Buc-ee’s in Luling officially became the world’s largest convenience store at 75,000 square feet. While the branch we visited in Fort Worth wasn’t quite the biggest in the world, it’s still up there in the rankings given it’s the size of a large superstore in the UK. 

Outside stands a bronze statue of Buc-ee, the beaver mascot whose face adorns tonnes of merchandise and own-brand products. People were queueing up to get their photo taken with the statue, myself included. In short, Buc-ee’s isn’t just a service station, it’s a destination in itself and people will re-route their road trip just to visit one.

With 120 pumps, most occupied by huge pick up trucks that looked more spacious than my living room, I was expecting to fight my way through crowds. But once inside, the sheer size of the store means it can easily accommodate crowds during rush hour.

It’s also ridiculously clean and well-run. While visiting the toilets at a British service station often involves long queues and dodging wet floor signs, the bathrooms at Buc-ee’s were immaculate. 

If you’re hungry, you won’t be picking up a sad-looking meal deal here. In the centre of the store is a huge cooking station where barbecued meats are prepared and turned into breakfast burritos, tacos, and sandwiches. If you hear a cheer and a shout of “fresh brisket on the board!” it means a new hot batch is ready to go.

There are rows and rows of bakery and other fresh items, and dozens of soda fountains with every flavour you can imagine. For a dollar you can take a huge iced cup of soft drink with you, or for a couple of dollars, get a massive coffee from the self-service area and help yourself to dozens of syrups and creamers.

The only issue is that there’s nowhere to sit and eat. The food is designed to be enjoyed behind the wheel of a big truck, so we had to perch by the entrance to eat our breakfast burritos. They were hot, fresh, and the meat was slowly cooked and falling apart. They definitely beat the usual breakfast offerings at service stations from fast food chains. 

You can also stock up on a huge range of road trip snacks, the most famous of which are Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets. These sweet, crunchy snacks are a bit like eating cereal from the box, except much sweeter, but they’re definitely popular with kids. 

Buc-ee’s has become such an institution that they also offer a huge range of merchandise with their iconic beaver logo on the front. Coffee cups, t-shirts, and even matching family Christmas pyjamas were adorned with his smiling face. In the middle of the store was a Christmas tree covered in Buc-ee’s themed decorations, and of course, you can pick up a cuddly beaver as a souvenir.

With homeware and gift sections, bottles of alcohol, and even Buc-ee’s branded swimwear on offer, it felt like every eventuality had been thought of. Lost your suitcase and need a whole new holiday wardrobe? Go to Buc-ee’s. Need to buy all your Christmas gifts at the last minute? Go to Buc-ee’s. 

So, if you’re planning a Texas road trip, make sure there’s a trip to Buc-ee’s along your route. Even if it’s just to grab a coffee, it’s a lot of fun just wandering around and appreciating the vastness of it. But be warned, British service stations will forever be disappointing in comparison. 

Book the holiday

A Texas package including one night in Grapevine, five nights in Fort Worth, and two nights in Dallas, including direct London to DFW flights starts at £1645 pp based on two sharing. For more information, call Bon Voyage on 023 80248 248 or visit www.bon-voyage.co.uk 

Find out more about Texan cities and destinations at www.traveltexas.com