Crossville is a short stop for us, just long enough to clean up, sort out, and rearrange. Crossville is the golf capital of Tennessee, or so it says on the city water tower, with eight courses in the city, and another two within 10 miles. It’s a small town (12,500 or so), but it’s location on Interstate 40 offers a perfect stop to enjoy State, federal, and local parks, and hiking, biking, and water sports are close by. And of course a round or two of golf!
We bit a sour bullet and checked into site 48 at the Crossville KOA. Normally a KOA is not our style, but this one is nice, other than being located a hundred yards from I 40!
Ok, it’s a place.
The real reason we’ve stopped here is…..
Buc’ee’s!
This chain of what has been called overgrown 7 Elevens, has it’s roots in Clute, Texas. Founded in 1982, there are now 47 locations across the south, with the majority in Texas. In 2012, Buc-ee’s opened in New Braunfels, Texas, what was, at the time, the largest travel center/convenience store in the world at 68,000 square feet, with 120 fueling stations, 1,000 parking spots, 83 bathrooms, 31 cash registers, and 80 fountain soft drink dispensers. That record has since been eclipsed by the location in Kodak, Tennessee, which recently opened.
All locations include a bakery, brisket, and fudge bar, along with thousands of snacks, clothes, camping supplies and “life is better at the beach” signs. All stores offer a full range of fuels, and more than half have Tesla charging stations. In Katy, Texas, Buc-ee’s has opened the worlds longest carwash, at 255 feet of conveyor. The Buc-ee’s bathrooms are award winning and are kept cleaner than some restaurant kitchens I used to remodel.
The fuel prices are typically very competitive, and 18 wheeler trucks are strictly prohibited. It’s easy to see why Buc-ee’s has such a loyal fan base!
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