OT: Mississippi’s first Buc-ee’s will dwarf Alabama locations

OG Goat Holder

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Sep 30, 2022
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Im sure there is the traffic count to justify it. Would probably do well near bass pro and trustmark park but would be a traffic nightmare
Anywhere along 20 would work. They’ll eventually put one there. Brandon/Pearl would be ideal. Middle of the Loves and a ton of traffic.

I think the reason they picked BSL area is because the Baldwin one is so packed, and there are a ton of TX/LA folks going to Gulf beaches. Jackson would capture the OK/AR traffic. 55 is relatively light compared to 20.
 

mcdawg22

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Sep 18, 2004
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And it hasn’t change one damned bit. You still have to go through Reform where the road is barely wide enough for two cars to meet. US Hwy 45 is four lane all the way from Chicago Il to the Alabama line south of Buckatunna Ms and then you have 50 miles of two lanes of hills and curves with no where to pass. I actually know an engineer with AlDot in south Alabama and he said that they did a traffic study on 45. They recorded traffic for a Wednesday and Thursday in February and based on the traffic those two days determined that there wasn’t sufficient traffic to warrant four lanes.
That’s not surprising they are finally working on the Schillinger Road 4 lane project. Just 20 years behind when it should have been done.
 

OG Goat Holder

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Sep 30, 2022
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That’s not surprising they are finally working on the Schillinger Road 4 lane project. Just 20 years behind when it should have been done.
ALDOT is notorious reactive, they wait until a road is dang near undriveable before they tackle it. I mean the bridges in Birmingham were about to collapse before they final rebuilt them.

You'd think they'd WANT all the Mississippi traffic that heads to the beach. I know a lot of people who now have said the hell with 45 and they take 63 to I-10. Definitely not what I do, but it is happening more and more.

Highway 98 is the same way. It's ridiculous.
 

NukeDogg

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Mar 15, 2022
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Stopped at the I-10/Gulf Shores Buc-ee's in AL this past Saturday on the way home from Ft. Walton. Had to see it for myself I guess. First time ever, and will absolutely be the last time ever. It was madhouse getting into the parking lot but plenty of available spaces. Chose poorly I guess and picked one on the back row away from the building thinking there's no way I'm fighting the crowd up against the building. Got inside and the line to the bathrooms was backed up literally to the door of the building, took my wife another 15 min to make it inside the women's. Got a brisket sammich, fountain Coke, some kind of candy/sweetened pecans, beaver nuggets, and a bag of ice and GTFO there as fast as I could. There was a line of 8-9 kids inside the store waiting to take a photo with the beaver mascot....like Disney World inside a damn gas station...walked out the door and couldn't even get to the ice freezer bc parents got their kids lined up taking photos outside the door like we're at WallyWorld I guess.

It took me 48 minutes just to get out of the parking lot, had to loop all the way around the front of the store around the gas pumps and between the THREE tanker trucks unloading gas. Should have known when the damn place has multiple employees for directing parking lot traffic that meant to stay the hell away from this place. Luckily one of the guys directing traffic asked me if I was headed E or W on I-10 and when I told him W he said to turn right out of their parking lot and go down to the next exit - probably saved me another 45 minutes just between getting from their parking lot to an actual I-10 on-ramp.

Brisket sammich was 8/10, pretty good but not nearly worth the hassle of going in and out of there.
Pecans were a 10/10.
Beaver nuggets are terrible.
I'm good for the rest of my life if I never set foot in another one. Hell, I had eaten the sandwich, drank the coke, and had to pee again before I'd even gotten out of the parking lot.
 

Dawgbite

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Nov 1, 2011
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ALDOT is notorious reactive, they wait until a road is dang near undriveable before they tackle it. I mean the bridges in Birmingham were about to collapse before they final rebuilt them.

You'd think they'd WANT all the Mississippi traffic that heads to the beach. I know a lot of people who now have said the hell with 45 and they take 63 to I-10. Definitely not what I do, but it is happening more and more.

Highway 98 is the same way. It's ridiculous.
I’ve tried 63 but it adds 30-40 minutes to the trip and you’re subject to the tunnel. I’ve even cut over the 43 at Citronel, hit I65 north a few miles and Hwy 59 through Bay Minett. This avoids the tunnel and the bay way. It’s longer but considerably less traffic during a hurricane evacuation.
 

thekimmer

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Aug 30, 2012
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Buc-ees is a perfect way to ruin a good exit.

I don't get the hype. The food is average at best. It's like a Dollar General Super Center.

The bathrooms are probably the best part.
The bathrooms are legit. The hot food is average to below average and way overpriced. Jerky counter is good. Snacks are a bit pricey but pretty good. Gas prices are average. Souvenirs and nonfood items are ridiculous. The entertainment experience is very good the first couple of times.

Kinda over it now. Takes too long to stop and wind up buying a bunch of stuff not needed. I'm good for about 1 trip a year.
 

The Peeper

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Feb 26, 2008
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I’m not sure bucees will hire your average gas station attendant or fast food worker.
They damn sure don't hire your average McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell etc workers. I've only been to the Loxley one but I didn't see any saggin pants, underwear hanging out, house slippers on their feet or hats turned around like you do in your typical fast food work place kitchen
 

The Peeper

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Feb 26, 2008
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They recorded traffic for a Wednesday and Thursday in February and based on the traffic those two days determined that there wasn’t sufficient traffic to warrant four lanes.
Notice they avoided deer season, football season, Holidays, and vacation season and surveyed in the middle of the damn week in Feb.
 

hdogg

Active member
Nov 21, 2014
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That is how I remembered Buck-ees. I stopped at one on a road trip because I heard the food was good, but there was nothing special going on.

Twenty years later, my relatives are bragging on FB about stopping at this or that Buc-ees and I had no idea it had become a "thing".

I work at a big tech company in Austin. Our ceo came in town in March, probably for sxsw, and came to our small site for a presentation. He hit the stage , immediately put on a Bucees hat and made a comment about experiencing the local culture in Texas. It was pretty funny, but yes, apparently it really is a thing to do.
Ironically I've been here 23 years and only been to 1 bucees.
 
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Mobile Bay

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Jul 26, 2020
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Stopped at the I-10/Gulf Shores Buc-ee's in AL this past Saturday on the way home from Ft. Walton. Had to see it for myself I guess. First time ever, and will absolutely be the last time ever. It was madhouse getting into the parking lot but plenty of available spaces. Chose poorly I guess and picked one on the back row away from the building thinking there's no way I'm fighting the crowd up against the building. Got inside and the line to the bathrooms was backed up literally to the door of the building, took my wife another 15 min to make it inside the women's. Got a brisket sammich, fountain Coke, some kind of candy/sweetened pecans, beaver nuggets, and a bag of ice and GTFO there as fast as I could. There was a line of 8-9 kids inside the store waiting to take a photo with the beaver mascot....like Disney World inside a damn gas station...walked out the door and couldn't even get to the ice freezer bc parents got their kids lined up taking photos outside the door like we're at WallyWorld I guess.

It took me 48 minutes just to get out of the parking lot, had to loop all the way around the front of the store around the gas pumps and between the THREE tanker trucks unloading gas. Should have known when the damn place has multiple employees for directing parking lot traffic that meant to stay the hell away from this place. Luckily one of the guys directing traffic asked me if I was headed E or W on I-10 and when I told him W he said to turn right out of their parking lot and go down to the next exit - probably saved me another 45 minutes just between getting from their parking lot to an actual I-10 on-ramp.

Brisket sammich was 8/10, pretty good but not nearly worth the hassle of going in and out of there.
Pecans were a 10/10.
Beaver nuggets are terrible.
I'm good for the rest of my life if I never set foot in another one. Hell, I had eaten the sandwich, drank the coke, and had to pee again before I'd even gotten out of the parking lot.
Most of them are nothing like that. But that location is on the best road from the interstate to Orange Beach/Gulf Shores. So it's become basically a legendary tourist attraction throughout the midwest and east coast.
 

WrapItDog

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Aug 23, 2012
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I’ve even cut over the 43 at Citronel, hit I65 north a few miles and Hwy 59 through Bay Minett. This avoids the tunnel and the bay way. It’s longer but considerably less traffic during a hurricane evacuation.

I turn by the school in Citronel on Celeste Rd. Not much traffic on that road and you can pass somebody if needed. Celeste Rd comes out on I-65 at the Saraland exit. One exit north of the Hwy 158 exit.
 
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