Three Buc-ee’s Travel Centers are Coming to Kentucky

To the average traveler, roadside travel centers like Love's or Pilot might not be that big of a deal. Maybe the thinking is, "As long as I can go to the bathroom; get a snack and a beverage; and get some gas, I don't really care."

Well, I really care. I guess maybe I'm not an average traveler. I love the aforementioned travel centers because, yes, you CAN love them. And when word came last year that Kentucky was getting a Buc-ee's Travel Center, folks got excited. But maybe those folks are now TRIPLY excited.

We now know that Kentucky will be getting not one, not two, but THREE Buc-ee's, and two of them will be within 100 miles of Owensboro. And yes, I'm excited and plan to visit the closest one when it opens. That would be the Smiths Grove location in Warren County, just north of Bowling Green. There's no word yet on when it will open, but when it does, look for it at Exit 38 off Interstate 65.

The first Buc-ee's in Kentucky (fun to say, no doubt) will be in Richmond and will open on April 19th just off of Interstate 75 on Duncannon Lane.

The third Buc-ee's location is in Oak Grove, Kentucky near Fort Campbell and the Tennessee state line. It's expected to open in 2024.

I'm looking forward to this. I have never visited Buc-ee's, a chain that got started way back in 1982. And since it's Texas-based, I guess that's why. Despite the number of times I've been in Texas, I've only visited the Lone Star State a handful of times since then, and three of those visits were in airports.

After checking out the Buc-ee's website, seeing what all they have to offer, and how the store is laid out, it was fun to learn that one of the chain's big points of pride is their incredibly clean restrooms. Here's a look inside the Buc-ee's in Warner-Robins, Georgia.

I'm not scoffing; that's important. I've BEEN to roadside gas stations/convenience stores/travel centers and in very desperate situations, if you know what I mean, and have actually chosen to wait until the next stop.

Welcome to Kentucky, Buc-ee's. And, by the way, we'll happily take more than three.