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Wilde About Texas: Travelers delight at Buc-ee's
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When traveling across the big state of Texas, a regular gas station is just not big enough.
Beaver Aplin got into the convenience store business in the early 80s, and now his logos dot highways across Texas.
"My name was Beaver so, hence, Buc-ee the beaver. It's just something I created," Aplin said.
He created a road tripper’s paradise. The food varies from beaver nuggets to barbecue, but restrooms are really what Buc-ee's is famous for. At Buc-ee's the bathrooms are large, private and clean.
"These are the restrooms. Texas sized restrooms, Buc-ee's style." Aplin said. "This is something you'd expect to find in a really nice hotel, maybe in someone's home."
The company's newest and largest store is in New Braunfels. It’s the first along the Interstate-35 corridor.
"The store is 67,000 square feet. It has 60 gas pumps, fueling positions, all of the general merchandise, the foods," Aplin said. "[There’s] just a multitude of Texas gifts and novelties. Everybody who comes to Texas wants to take something home. They want some memorabilia from Texas."
The New Braunfels Buc-ee's opens for business at 11 a.m. Monday.
Construction is currently underway for another large store in Bastrop which is expected to open later this year.