Buc-ee's breaks ground Jan. 30 at Mount Crawford/I-81 exit

Bill Atkinson, Petersburg Progress-Index
·2 min read
Buc-ee's operates 47 travel plazas across the South. The Mount Crawford location off Interstate 81 will be its second planned Virginia location, after the one being built east of Richmond.
Buc-ee's operates 47 travel plazas across the South. The Mount Crawford location off Interstate 81 will be its second planned Virginia location, after the one being built east of Richmond.

MOUNT CRAWFORD – Ground will be broken later this month on the second Buc-ee's travel plazaplanned for Virginia.

A spokesperson for the Texas-based chain said Monday the ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 30 near the Friedens Church Road exit off Interstate 81. Officials from Rockingham County and Buc-ee's will be on hand.

Last July, The News Leader reported that Buc-ee's was looking at land along I-81 between Staunton and Harrisonburg, but the company was not ready to commit to a specific site until all the paperwork was completed. Monday’s announcement was the first confirmation of that location.

“One of the prettiest roads we could ever hope for, I-81 is full of folks seeking fun and all that Virginia has to offer,” Stan Beard, director of real estate for Buc-ee’s, said in a statement. “We are the perfect pitstop for their road-trips and for the amazing people of Rockingham County.”

This statue of the Buc-ee's mascot can be found at just about all of the travel plaza's 47 locations across the South.
This statue of the Buc-ee's mascot can be found at just about all of the travel plaza's 47 locations across the South.

Buc-ee's also is building a travel plaza off Interstate 64 about 25 miles east of Richmond.

The Mount Crawford store will be more than 74,000 square feet with placement for 120 fuel pumps. Inside the store will be all kinds of retail and restaurant opportunities.

That’s typical of any of Buc-ee's current 47 locations across the South, according to the company. The chain, whose mascot is a cap-wearing beaver, bills itself as having “the world’s cleanest bathrooms.”

Buc-ee's started in 1982 in Texas. Five years ago, it started expanding across the South and now is in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Missouri, and Tennessee.

The closest Buc-ees to this area right now is off Interstate 95 in Florence, South Carolina.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Buc-ee's will break ground on Mount Crawford site later this month