Minnesota does not have a Buc-ee’s, and for now, there is no confirmed sign that one is coming soon. Despite speculation and what’s going on in Wisconsin.
That may disappoint road-trippers who have watched the Texas-based travel center chain push farther into the Midwest. Buc-ee’s is known for its giant stores, clean bathrooms, barbecue sandwiches, Beaver Nuggets, branded merchandise and fuel pumps that seem to stretch forever.
As Buc-ee’s expansion plans keep adding new states, Minnesota has become one of the obvious “what about us?” states.
So is Buc-ee’s coming to Minnesota?
Right now, the answer is no — at least not officially.
There is no confirmed Minnesota Buc-ee’s location, no announced opening date and no public project on the company’s map. Local speculation has popped up, but the real Buc-ee’s movement in the Upper Midwest is happening next door.
Wisconsin is the state to watch — and it may get two
A first Wisconsin Buc-ee’s is targeting an April 2027 opening in Oak Creek, at the southwest corner of I-94 and Elm Road — about 20 miles south of Milwaukee and 85 miles north of Chicago. The store will be a full-size travel center: 73,370 square feet, 120 gas pumps (including EV charging stations) and roughly 250 full-time jobs. Buc-ee’s purchased 27.5 acres for $7.5 million to make it happen. When it opens, Oak Creek will be the chain’s northernmost location ever.
For Minnesota fans, that is both good news and frustrating news. The good news is that Buc-ee’s is clearly willing to enter the Upper Midwest. The frustrating part is that the Twin Cities are still about a five-hour drive from Oak Creek on I-94 — a meaningful improvement over the existing Missouri and Virginia locations, but hardly a short trip.
That said, Wisconsin may not stop at one location. A second Wisconsin Buc-ee’s was announced back in March 2023 for DeForest, a village just north of Madison on I-39/90/94. That project has stalled over a funding dispute — Buc-ee’s and the village are negotiating who pays for a roughly $15 million infrastructure upgrade needed to handle the traffic the store would generate, and the state is involved in those discussions. DeForest is not dead; it’s waiting on a state funding decision. And DeForest is actually closer to Minnesota than Oak Creek is, sitting on the interstate corridor that runs northwest from Madison toward the Twin Cities.
If both Wisconsin locations are eventually built, Buc-ee’s will have bracketed the Upper Midwest from two angles — Chicago side (Oak Creek) and Madison-northwest corridor (DeForest) — before it ever comes to Minnesota.
On paper, Minnesota has corridors that could work
Interstate 35 connects the Twin Cities to Duluth, Iowa and the broader middle of the country. Interstate 94 runs through the Twin Cities toward Wisconsin and North Dakota. Interstate 90 crosses southern Minnesota and could serve long-distance drivers moving east and west.
A Buc-ee’s near Albert Lea, Rochester, St. Cloud, the Twin Cities outer suburbs or along I-94 toward Wisconsin could all make sense in theory.
But Buc-ee’s needs more than highways.
The company’s travel centers require large highway-adjacent parcels — typically around 25 to 36 acres — easy exits, traffic planning, local approvals and enough room for a massive store, parking and fueling areas. It also needs confidence that a location can draw heavy year-round traffic.
Minnesota’s convenience-store competition is unusually strong
Drivers already know Kwik Trip, Casey’s, Holiday, Speedway and regional travel stops. But Kwik Trip deserves a specific callout.
Kwik Trip is headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and has built a cult-like following across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest that rivals Buc-ee’s in regional loyalty. The chain has won national workplace awards, is known for its fresh food, generous employee benefits and spotless stores, and has become deeply embedded in Minnesota’s everyday driving habits. For many Minnesotans, Kwik Trip already fills the “beloved regional convenience brand” role that Buc-ee’s occupies in Texas and the South.
Buc-ee’s is a different experience — much larger, more of a destination — but it would still enter a state where fuel-and-food habits are already anchored to a chain with a devoted regional following of its own.
What comes next
That does not mean Minnesota will never get one.
Retail analysts quoted by FOX 9 suggest that if the Wisconsin locations succeed, states like Minnesota or Illinois could be logical next steps. The northward pattern of Buc-ee’s expansion — from the South through the Midwest and now toward Wisconsin — points in Minnesota’s direction. And the interstate infrastructure is there.
The first realistic Minnesota Buc-ee’s would probably be somewhere along I-35, I-94 or I-90, outside the densest urban core — a highway site with room for 25-plus acres, easy on-off access and enough through traffic to justify the investment.
For now, though, Minnesota is still waiting.
The demand is there. The highway map is there. The Midwest momentum is getting closer — with Oak Creek targeting April 2027 and DeForest still in the pipeline.
But there is no official Minnesota Buc-ee’s yet. And given Buc-ee’s careful, one-site-at-a-time approach to new markets, Minnesota fans should probably plan a Wisconsin road trip before they expect a local option.
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