The 5 Best Gas Stations in Texas
The Lone Star State provides road trippers with all kinds of iconic sights along its highways, but none hold such a special place in the heart of Texas as the gas station. It’s a distinctly Texan quirk to add a 30-minute stop at Buc-ee’s into your itinerary or to pull off at Fuel City for a taco fill-up when your gas tank is practically full. That’s because in Texas, gas stations are destinations.
Here’s our list of the five best gas stations in Texas, each one worthy of making the mecca.
1. Fuel City
Although there are six locations around Dallas-Fort Worth, the Fuel City flagship aside Dallas’ Trinity River is truly “Texas in a nutshell.” First opened in 1995, Fuel City offers a bit more thrill than the conventional gas pumps and a car wash — including karaoke nights, a swimming pool, and a variety of livestock grazing between the gas station and the river. But for all its peculiarities, Fuel City is most renowned for its award-winning street tacos, considered by many Texans to be the best they’ve ever had — high praise in a state that’s all about its tacos, especially for a gas station.
2. Fox Fuels
If you’re in Dallas when your road trip outfit starts to ripen, you’re in luck: Fox Fuels gas stations double as laundromats. While your load tumble dries, lean into a truly unorthodox experience in Texas gas-tronomy. The gas station also serves tacos, elotes, and more authentic Mexican street food, which you can enjoy in front of one of their copious big-screen televisions. And if you thought that was extravagant, look up: The ceiling is covered with a constellation of crystal chandeliers that add to the pageantry.
3. Czech Stop
If you head south along Interstate-35 from Dallas, you’ll come to a small town called West just before you reach Waco. There are only a couple of exits for West off the highway, but it’s one of the most authentically Czech areas in Texas, the most Czech-populous state in the country. To gauge the authenticity for yourself, swing by Czech Stop and order as many handmade kolaches, klobasnikys, fruit pies, and baked desserts as you can carry. Of course, if you need pretext to pull over for pastries, Czech Stop has gas pumps out front, too.
4. Slovacek’s
On the opposite side of I-35 from Czech Stop you’ll find Slovacek’s, the primary spot for tasting the savory side of town. If you didn’t get your fill across the street, Slovacek’s serves up 35 types of kolaches plus smoked sausage, deli meat, beef jerky, cheeses, and all manner of barbecue imaginable. While you’re refilling your gas tank and your belly, your canine passengers will enjoy stretching their legs on the jungle gym in Slovacek’s dog park.
5. Buc-ee’s
Famously one of the best gas stations in Texas, the ubiquitous Buc-ee’s has been a towering presence throughout the state since 1982. Their jolly beaver mascot is a shepherd for road-weary travelers, guiding them via billboards to one of 38 locations in Texas, each one an Eden of beef jerky, fudge, barbecue, refreshments, and clean bathrooms. The New Braunfels location has even been recognized as the world’s largest convenience store, clocking in at 66,335 square feet and featuring 120 fueling positions, 40 toilet stalls, and 80 soda dispensers. The behemoth beaver has outgrown even Texas, expanding as far east as Florida and as far north as Tennessee, where plans to crush its own record by nearly 10,000 square feet are already in the works.
As you make your way through our list of the best gas stations in Texas, pass the time with our favorite road trip games.
© 2021 Texas Farm Bureau Insurance
