Maryland still does not have a Buc-ee’s, but that has not stopped drivers from hoping the famous beaver will eventually cross the state line.
The Texas-based travel center chain has become famous for its massive stores, clean bathrooms, barbecue sandwiches, Beaver Nuggets, branded merchandise and huge fueling areas. As Buc-ee’s continues expanding into new states, Maryland feels like an obvious question mark.
So is Buc-ee’s coming to Maryland?
Right now, the safest answer is: not officially.
There is no confirmed Maryland Buc-ee’s location, no announced opening date and no public project listed by the company. But the surrounding region has gotten much more active, and the most important recent development came just across the Virginia border.
The Howard County rumor — and how it started
The most recent Maryland Buc-ee’s rumor to gain traction involved Howard County, and its origin says a lot about how these stories spread.
It started in the comments section of a Facebook post about a potential Tim Hortons coming to Broken Land Parkway in Columbia. One commenter wrote: “Now — we just need a Buc-ee’s.” That throwaway line prompted Howard County blogger Jeremy Dom of the Merriweather Post to write a detailed, tongue-in-cheek analysis of where a Buc-ee’s could theoretically fit in a land-scarce county. Dom identified two intriguing parcels: a roughly 70-acre undeveloped field owned by Howard Hughes Holdings in Columbia Gateway near MD-175 and I-95, and a 78-acre Maola Dairy plant in Laurel that is closing by the end of 2026. The piece went viral.
The Baltimore Sun and Fox Baltimore quickly followed with reporting that clarified the situation: Buc-ee’s has no confirmed plans for Howard County. The excitement was built on a speculative local blog post, not on anything from the company. That does not mean the underlying point was wrong — Howard County does have some of the land and highway access Buc-ee’s would need — but it is not a real project.
The Stafford County, Virginia approval — the biggest real development
The genuine news for Maryland Buc-ee’s fans is the recent approval of a Buc-ee’s in Stafford County, Virginia, just off I-95.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted 5-2 in the early hours of May 20, 2026, to approve the project following a heated public hearing that started at 5pm Tuesday and stretched past 1am Wednesday. The Planning Commission had narrowly approved the proposal in March on a 4-3 vote, despite planning staff recommending denial over traffic concerns.
The approved location is near Exit 140 on Interstate 95 in Stafford County, about 52 miles from Bethesda and roughly 40 miles south of Washington, D.C. Plans call for a 74,000-square-foot store, approximately 120 gas pumps, more than 700 parking spaces on about 36 acres — a standard full-size Buc-ee’s footprint.
For Maryland drivers, this is a meaningful shift. The current closest Buc-ee’s is the Mount Crawford location in the Shenandoah Valley off I-81, which opened June 30, 2025 — about a three-hour drive from Baltimore and even farther for DC-area and Eastern Shore residents. The Stafford location will cut that drive to under two hours from Baltimore, and will be far more convenient for anyone already heading south on I-95.
That said, construction has not yet begun and no opening timeline has been announced. Buc-ee’s projects typically take 18 to 24 months to build once groundwork starts, and it could be over a year before construction even begins. Maryland fans should calibrate expectations: the Stafford location is approved, but it is still years away from opening.
For additional context on the pipeline: Virginia’s other approved Buc-ee’s — in New Kent County at I-64 Exit 211, east of Richmond — was originally announced years ago and is now projected to open as late as 2031 due to road construction delays. That timeline shows just how long the approval-to-ribbon-cutting process can run.
Why Maryland itself is complicated
Maryland has several highways that would make sense on paper. Interstate 95 carries enormous traffic between Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and the Northeast. Interstate 70 connects central Maryland to western Maryland and Pennsylvania. Interstate 81 near Hagerstown is one of the strongest long-distance travel corridors in the region.
A Buc-ee’s near Hagerstown, Frederick, Cecil County, Harford County or the Eastern Shore could all generate attention.
But Maryland is complicated.
Buc-ee’s does not build small gas stations. Its newer travel centers need huge parcels — typically around 36 acres — with easy highway access, traffic improvements, parking, fueling infrastructure and local approvals. That kind of land can be harder to find in Maryland’s busier corridors, especially near Washington and Baltimore.
The state also has heavy convenience-store competition. Wawa, Royal Farms and Sheetz already have strong followings across Maryland’s various regions. Buc-ee’s is different from all of them, but it would still be entering a market where drivers already have habits and loyalties.
Where things stand
For now, Maryland’s best Buc-ee’s news is the Stafford County approval across the Virginia border. That may feel frustrating for Marylanders who want their own location, but it also signals that Buc-ee’s sees genuine demand in the Mid-Atlantic, especially along the I-95 corridor.
The question is whether the company eventually finds the right Maryland site.
The barriers are real — land availability, local approvals, traffic studies, community opposition — but they are not permanent. And with a 74,000-square-foot store drawing Maryland residents across the state line in Virginia, the economic case for a Maryland location only gets stronger.
Until that happens, Maryland has rumors, demand and nearby options — but no confirmed Buc-ee’s of its own.
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