Buc-ee's Named South's Top Travel Stop by Southern Living

Buc-ee's employees stock food on opening day at the new largest Buc-ee’s travel center in Luling, Texas on Monday, June 10, 2024.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman

If the South’s favorite travel stop surprises you, you haven’t been paying attention.

Each year, Southern Living magazine publishes “The South’s Best,” a compilation of surveys voted on by the magazine’s readers. The South’s Best 2026 features all the reader’s new favorites, spanning culture, food, shopping and more. One such category recognizes the region’s best travel stops.

Travel stops play a key role in everyday life — especially for Texans, who might spend hours on the road in a single weekend while driving from one part of the state to another. And it’s not just about putting gas in the tank. A good travel stop should also have clean bathrooms and a selection of on-the-go snacks to choose from.

Did that description conjure images of a specific gas station chain, perhaps one with an iconic beaver mascot? It should.

Buc-ee’s named the South’s No. 1 travel stop

Southern Living crowned the Lake Jackson, Texas-based chain Buc-ee's the best travel stop in the South for pulling out all the stops when it comes to traveler-friendliness. Here’s what the magazine had to say:

Buc-ee’s is best understood by stepping foot inside a sprawling location, then you get the hype. Founded in 1982, what was once a Lone Star State secret has become a Southern obsession, thanks to its famously spotless bathrooms — dubbed the “cleanest in America” — and made-in-house fresh food stations turning out brisket sandwiches, fudge, breakfast tacos, kolaches, and more on an hourly basis. The behemoth roadside spectacle also welcomes travelers with dozens of gas pumps, a grinning beaver mascot, and a country-store-feeling home section stocked with over-the-top souvenirs.

With more than 55 locations now open across Texas and the South and continued expansion into new states, this beloved pitstop is officially no longer just a Texas thing. However, make sure to pencil in a bit of extra time for your visit, because it’s easy to get lost in the extravagance of it all. And don’t forget to grab a bag of its signature cinnamon-sugar crunchy snack, Beaver Nuggets, for the road.

Christie Conley, left, and Michael Conley, right, wait in line in Buc-ee's onesies on opening day at the new largest Buc-ee’s travel center in Luling, Texas on Monday, June 10, 2024.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman

Southern Living: 10 best travel stops in the South, 2026

While no travel stop could compare to Buc-ee’s, here are the ones that come close.

1. Buc-ee’s
2. Cracker Barrel
3. Waffle House
4. Love’s Travel Stops
5. QuikTrip
6. Stuckey’s
7. Circle K
8. South of the Border
9. Flying J
10. Parker’s

March 25, 2026