Buc-ee's New Location In Arkansas Will Be One Of Its Largest

Buc-ee's small inflatable mascot as we learn about a Buc-ee's beaver mascot lawsuit filed in South Carolina

Debbie Nance

It's no secret we are huge fans of Buc-ee's. And, Buc-ee's new location, its first in this Southern state, will be one of the brand's largest built. In fact, it's tied for largest with another location. So, let's learn all about the new one and where it will be.

The extra large Texas roadside stop, strategically placed to attract weary travelers, is like a giant beaver beacon in the sky when you need gas, a snack or a pit stop in the cleanest bathrooms in America. Our many travels to and from Myrtle Beach find us purposefully routing through Florence, South Carolina to pop in to Buc-ee's often.

Debbie Nance

Buc-ee's New Location

And now, the folks in Benton, Arkansas will learn the joy and chaos that is Buc-ee's. That's because Southern Living magazine says Buc-ee's new location will be placed in the spot, 30 miles from Little Rock. Furthermore, Buc-ee's new location in Arkansas is planned to be one of the biggest. The largest space measures at more than 75,000 square feet.

Typically, each Buc-ee's has around 120 fuel pumps, enormous parking lots and tons of space for pet relief. Speaking of relief, let's talk about the bathrooms. Buc-ee's is proud of those, boasting they have been named the cleanest bathrooms in America. I can confirm they are in fact the cleanest I've ever seen.

And, during busier times, there's even a traffic director in the ladies' room moving the crowds along pointing to open stalls as they become available. I haven't counted the stalls, but there are probably at least 2 dozen if not more. Plus, they are more than stalls. They are little rooms with a door and individual sanitizing dispensers.

The staff is constantly cleaning and restocking supplies in every bathroom. The line, no matter how long, moves super quickly. And, you can even browse art for sale on the walls while you wait. It's an experience like no other.

I'm sure Buc-ee's new location in Arkansas will delight customers there as well. There's seemingly unlimited options for beverages, including coffee and all the add-ins, self serve. We definitely indulge in the caffeine for those late night trips home.

Then, there's the food. Like all Buc-ee's locations, Buc-ee's new location will no doubt offer all the snacks, including the famous Beaver Nuggets, jerky, fresh fudge, and barbecue sandwiches, wraps, breakfast bowls and tortillas and so much more. You're in for a treat Arkansas.

Plus, according to an article in Southern Living, the chain is considering a move into Oklahoma to add to its growing brand which has more than 60 locations. The Buc-ee's in Mebane, North Carolina is already underway.

What Are the Most Popular Barbecue Restaurants In North Carolina?

If there is one thing you can say about North Carolinians it's that we LOVE our BBQ. There are different styles, different meats of choice, and different sauces. But we do it all well. And no the term barbecue should never refer to the outdoor cooking of hamburgers and hotdogs- that's a cookout for your northerners. There are so many incredible barbeque restaurants in North Carolina, it's hard to say what the best is. And that's honestly a personal preference. Your choice may be different than mine which may be different from your coworker's. But while we can't objectively tell you the best barbecue restaurants in North Carolina, we can tell you the most popular.

Did you know that May is National BBQ Month? It is and in celebration, our friends at BetCarolina used Google Trends to determine the most popular barbecue restaurants in North Carolina. The data used in this analysis is from May 1, 2022-September 6, 2022. And there is a dominant winner that's right here in the Queen City. It's one that many celebrities choose to dine at when visiting Charlotte. And funny enough, when we told you about the best Charlotte BBQ Restaurants (per TripAdvisor) last year, it was also the winner. So even with different methods, it's still coming out on top.

Keep reading to see which that is, you'll also find the best Charlotte BBQ Restaurants list at the end of this one. You can read BetCarolina's full study and analysis here.

5. Buxton Hall BBQ (Asheville)

Location: 32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

Search Volume: 2%

4. Skylight Inn BBQ (Ayden)

Location: 4618 Lee St, Ayden, NC 28513

Search Volume: 3%

3. Switzerland Cafe (Little Switzerland)

Location: 9440 NC-226A, Marion, NC 28752

Search Volume: 4%

2. Red Bridges BBQ (Shelby)

Location: 2000 E Dixon Blvd, Shelby, NC 28150

Search Volume: 8%

1. Midwood Smokehouse (Charlotte & Raleigh)

Location: View all Carolina locations here

Search Volume: 83%

The 15 Best Charlotte North Carolina BBQ Restaurants

Here in North Carolina, we love our barbeque. And we do it well if I may so so myself. There is no shortage of fantastic restaurants across the state and the Queen City is no exception to that. But if you only can eat at one which should you choose? While I have my favorite (and it didn't make this list near the top), I decided to turn to the public for their thoughts on the matter. A quick search on TripAdvisor led me to a list of 30 Charlotte BBQ restaurants. It included chains, multiple locations of some, the heavy hitters, and some I hadn't heard of before. For this list, I took the top 15 restaurants (combining anywhere that had multiple locations).

Trip Advisor compiles these rankings based on average rating and number of reviews. Therefore you will see a couple of places that are ranked higher with a slightly lower rating. This means they probably had a higher number of higher-rated reviews. I have to say for the most part I do agree with this list the top 3 didn't surprise me at all and I feel could have been ranked in any order. What's your favorite of the many Charlotte BBQ restaurants?

15. Let's Meat Kbbq

Address: 1400 S Church St, Charlotte, NC 28203-4114

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviews: 31

Buc-ee’s New Location In This Southern State Will Be One Of Its Largest

It’s no secret we are huge fans of Buc-ee’s. And, Buc-ee’s new location, its first in this Southern state, will be one of the brand’s largest built. In fact, it’s…

Buc-ee's New Location

What Are the Most Popular Barbecue Restaurants In North Carolina?

5. Buxton Hall BBQ (Asheville)

4. Skylight Inn BBQ (Ayden)

3. Switzerland Cafe (Little Switzerland)

2. Red Bridges BBQ (Shelby)

1. Midwood Smokehouse (Charlotte & Raleigh)

The 15 Best Charlotte North Carolina BBQ Restaurants

15. Let's Meat Kbbq

14. Sweet Lew's BBQ

13. Bubba's Barbecue

12. Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q

11. Bill Spoon's Barbecue

10. Bobbee O's BBQ

9. The Q Shack

8. City Barbeque

7. Noble Smoke

6. Bar-b-q King

5. Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q

4. Sauceman's

3. Mac's Speed Shop

2. McKoy's Smokehouse and Saloon

1. Midwood Smokehouse

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