Buc-ee's watch, Utah edition
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Eager Buc-ee's fans awaited the opening of the chain's first Arizona location, in Goodyear. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
When marking your calendar for major events on Utah's horizon, your mind might drift toward the 2034 Olympics or next year's Salt Lake Temple open house.
State of play: The Texas-based gas station ("gas station") is planning to open in Springville in 2028 — and Utah's neighbors to the south have discovered folks up here are already champing at the bit.
Zoom in: Axios Phoenix's Jeremy Duda spoke with a Provo resident who traveled all the way to Goodyear two weeks ago for the travel center's Arizona debut.
- Dorie Haws planned her trip well in advance to celebrate her retirement from Brigham Young University, where she taught early childhood education.
- "We just are crazy Buc-ee fans," said Haws, who's been to the chain's travel centers numerous times in Texas.
Yes, Dorie. Yes, you are.
- And you're not alone.
The big picture: Buc-ee's cult following famously transforms its travel centers into standalone tourist attractions wherever they open.
- World Cup fans have been particularly vocal in their newfound devotion.
What's inside: Lots of merch, brisket, a wall of jerky, award-winning bathrooms, and something called "beaver nuggets."
The latest: Nerves frayed in Utah County a few months ago as residents noticed no progress at the planned Springville site near I-15 and 1400 North, Fox 13 reported.
- Town leaders reassured the gathering hordes that, no, the becapped beaver hadn't been ensnared in zoning kerfuffles like he's encountered in Colorado and Virginia.
- It just takes time to approve the roads, sewer lines and other infrastructure the site will require, city officials explained.
The bottom line: This is America, bastion of capitalism, and Utahns will be safe and snug in their adult beaver onesies soon enough.