Navigate to Buc-ee’s Benton, AR
1400 Highway 229, Benton, AR 72019
Directly off Interstate 30 at Exit 114 (Saline County)
EXIT 114 · I-30 · SALINE COUNTY, AR
Buc-ee’s Benton opens August 17
Arkansas is finally getting its own Buc-ee’s, and it’s landing right between the state’s two biggest tourist draws on I-30. Here’s the address, the opening-day timeline, the store specs, and everything worth knowing before you go. Doors open Monday, August 17, 2026 at 6:00 AM.
01 Where Is Buc-ee’s Benton?
The new travel center sits at 1400 Highway 229, Benton, AR, right off Exit 114 on Interstate 30, near Haskell at the southern edge of town.
It’s built right into Arkansas’s busiest tourist route: Little Rock is about 25 miles east on I-30, and Hot Springs is about 30 miles southwest. That puts Benton almost exactly on the path travelers already take between the state capital and one of Arkansas’s most-visited destinations, which is a big part of why this site was chosen.
Pro Tip: Coming from Little Rock, stay on I-30 W all the way to Exit 114 rather than cutting off early onto US-70 — the newer exit ramps were built with Buc-ee’s traffic in mind and move faster than the older downtown Benton exits during busy hours.
02 Opening Day: What to Expect
The City of Benton confirmed the date and schedule: doors open to the public at 6:00 AM on Monday, August 17, with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:00 AM. This is the first Buc-ee’s in Arkansas history, so expect the kind of turnout usually reserved for a state fair.
- 6:00 AM — Doors open Fuel pumps, the full kitchen, and the entire store go live at once. Given this is Arkansas’s first-ever Buc-ee’s, arriving before sunrise is a realistic plan for anyone who wants to avoid the worst of the line.
- Morning — Fresh bakery case Kolaches and breakfast pastries are baked in batches through the morning, so an early arrival means first pick before popular items sell down.
- 10:00 AM — Ribbon-cutting ceremony City and county officials mark the official opening. Expect road and parking-lot congestion around Exit 114 as the ceremony draws a crowd on top of regular customers.
- Afternoon — Peak congestion The brisket line and checkout queues are typically busiest from late morning into the afternoon on any Buc-ee’s opening day — first-in-state openings tend to run even longer.
Pro Tip: If you’d rather skip the historic-opening crowds entirely, the store runs 24/7 from day one — a Tuesday or Wednesday overnight visit in the following weeks will get you the same brisket and Beaver Nuggets with a fraction of the wait.
03 Store Specs at a Glance
At roughly 75,000 square feet, Benton opens as one of the larger stores in the Buc-ee’s chain — a serious statement for a company’s first store in a brand-new state.
Address 1400 Highway 229, Benton, AR
Highway access I-30, Exit 114 (near Haskell)
Store size ~74,000–75,000 sq ft
Fueling positions 120
EV fast chargers 25 stations
Parking spaces ~750
Groundbreaking April 16, 2025
Full-time jobs 200–250
Hours Open 24 hours, 365 days a year
Buc-ee’s projects the store will draw an estimated 3 to 5 million visitors a year, with roughly half of that traffic coming from outside Arkansas — meaning this single travel center is expected to function as a genuine tourism draw for Saline County, not just a gas stop.
04 The Backstory: How Benton Landed Arkansas’s First Buc-ee’s
This has been roughly a two-year effort. The project was first floated publicly at the 2024 Salt Bowl — a well-known local high school football rivalry game — before construction broke ground on April 16, 2025. Buc-ee’s co-founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III called it the biggest groundbreaking ceremony in company history, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders attended and spoke at the event.
The store sits on part of a much larger 511-acre tract the City of Benton purchased along the Saline River — the largest land acquisition in city history. Buc-ee’s is only one piece of what’s planned for the property, which also includes soccer fields, an RV park, a pool, walking trails, and an indoor sports facility.
Pro Tip: Once the surrounding sports complex and RV park are built out, Benton is shaping up to be a genuine weekend-trip destination on its own — not just a highway stop between Little Rock and Hot Springs. Worth keeping an eye on if you’re local.
05 The Backstory: How Benton Landed Arkansas’s First Buc-ee’s
| From | Distance to Benton | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | ~25 mi | ~25–30 min |
| North Little Rock | ~27 mi | ~30 min |
| Hot Springs | ~30 mi | ~35–40 min |
| Bryant | ~5 mi | ~10 min |
Distances are approximate driving distances via I-30 and connecting highways, outside of rush hour.
06 What’s Nearby
Benton’s Buc-ee’s lands right in the middle of Central Arkansas’s main travel corridor:
- Little Rock & North Little Rock — the state capital and largest metro area, about 25–27 miles east on I-30.
- Hot Springs — the historic spa town and Hot Springs National Park, about 30 miles southwest, one of the most-visited destinations in the state.
- Saline River — runs through the 511-acre city property the store sits on, with parks and trails planned nearby.
- Bryant — Benton’s neighboring city, just a few minutes down I-30, adding to the local traffic base beyond highway travelers.
Pro Tip: Heading to Hot Springs for the weekend? Stop at Buc-ee’s on the way out of Little Rock to fuel up and load the cooler — it’s the last major travel center before the drive turns into two-lane highway toward the lake and the bathhouses.
07 What to Buy on Opening Day
Benton launches with the full Buc-ee’s menu from day one — no soft-open, scaled-back version:
Brisket Sandwich: Sliced fresh at the central cutting board — the chain’s signature order, and the longest line in the building.
Beaver Nuggets: The caramel corn puffs that have made their way into Arkansas group chats for months already.
Fresh Kolaches: Czech sausage-and-cheese kolaches, baked fresh throughout the morning.
Homemade Fudge: Sliced to order from full slabs — arrive early for the widest flavor selection.
Beef Jerky: Dozens of house-made flavors, a longtime road-trip staple of the brand.
Arkansas Merch: Look for state-specific gear alongside the standard Buc-ee’s apparel lineup — a first for the brand in Arkansas.
Pro Tip: First-in-state openings tend to sell out of exclusive merchandise fastest. If a state-specific T-shirt or cap is the goal, that’s the first stop to make — before the food line, not after.
Frequently Asked Question’s
The Bottom Line
Buc-ee’s Benton opens Monday, August 17, 2026, bringing Arkansas its first-ever location: a roughly 75,000-square-foot travel center with 120 pumps and 25 EV chargers, sitting almost exactly between Little Rock and Hot Springs on I-30. After the biggest groundbreaking in company history and nearly two years of anticipation, Saline County is about to become a genuine stop on the map for Buc-ee’s road-trippers, not just the destination of local curiosity it’s been since 2024.
Go early on opening day for the full ribbon-cutting experience — or give it a couple of weeks and enjoy the same brisket and Beaver Nuggets with none of the line.