West Virginia’s Buc-ee’s rumors received a particularly memorable boost when an elaborate announcement claimed the chain was preparing to take over part of Morgantown. Meanwhile, the real Buc-ee’s activity nearby is happening in Virginia, where the company’s expansion has continued moving forward.
The Morgantown announcement was not real.
An April Fools’ joke fueled the latest rumor
A lengthy post published on April 1 claimed that Buc-ee’s would replace Suncrest Towne Centre, build a 200-pump fueling area across University Avenue and convert portions of West Virginia University into parking.
The post also claimed that local Sheetz restaurants were preparing to surrender and that Buc-ee’s would sponsor a new WVU collective called the Beaver Den.
The absurd details eventually made the joke obvious, and the post explicitly identified itself as an April Fools’ prank. However, screenshots and shortened versions can easily circulate without that ending, leaving some readers believing that Morgantown had landed a real Buc-ee’s.
No West Virginia store has been announced
Buc-ee’s pipeline of roughly 15 planned stores extending through 2031 does not include West Virginia.
The chain’s official directory also contains no West Virginia location. Its only operating Virginia store—Virginia’s first—opened in June 2025 in Mount Crawford, just south of Harrisonburg along Interstate 81. A second Virginia location was approved in May 2026 for Stafford County along Interstate 95, and a third is planned for New Kent County.
The Mount Crawford location gives some eastern West Virginia residents a reachable Buc-ee’s, but it is not evidence that the chain is preparing to cross the state line.
West Virginia television stations have recently covered Buc-ee’s national expansion, which may have created additional confusion. Those reports described projects in other states rather than a hidden West Virginia development.
West Virginia has several plausible corridors
The state is not an absurd future candidate.
Interstates 64, 77 and 79 carry travelers through Charleston, Beckley, Morgantown and other regional destinations. Interstate 81 runs briefly through the Eastern Panhandle, while areas near Wheeling connect with Interstate 70.
A Buc-ee’s near one of those highways could serve tourists, commuters and long-distance drivers. However, the chain’s enormous footprint would require a large and relatively flat site with room for traffic improvements—conditions that can be harder to find in mountainous parts of West Virginia.
There is currently no evidence that Buc-ee’s has selected such a property.
What would make the rumor credible?
A genuine West Virginia proposal would likely begin with a specific interchange, a property controlled by Buc-ee’s or an affiliated company, and public planning or zoning documents.
An announcement that names only a city without identifying a site should be treated cautiously. An announcement published on April 1 deserves even more suspicion.
The bottom line is that West Virginia does not have a confirmed Buc-ee’s. The Morgantown story was a joke, and the company’s published development pipeline offers no indication that a Mountain State store is imminent.
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