Texas City's Buc-ee's opens and it's massive Even for its owner, giant new Texas City Buc-ee's is a 'mega-store'

This morning Buc-ee's finally opened up their 60,000-square-foot Texas City outpost just off I-45 South. This morning Buc-ee's finally opened up their 60,000-square-foot Texas City outpost just off I-45 South. Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Texas City's Buc-ee's opens and it's massive 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A crowd of people waited for hours outside the new Buc-ee's in Texas City Wednesday morning, all wanting to be the first inside when the doors opened.

General Manager Shawn Humpert said there were a few hundred people waiting to get in to the 60,000-square-foot convenience store before dawn. A giant inflatable beaver, the chain's mascot, sat outside just under the store's towering sign. A group of businessmen in shirts and ties were in front of it after 9 a.m. taking turns posing for pictures with it.

Buc-ee's co-owner Beaver Aplin was there to see how his newest location was doing. The Texas City stop is located at I-45 south and Holland Road, just steps away from a Tanger Outlet Mall.

"We had people here at 3:30 this morning staged and ready to come inside," said Aplin. "Obviously there has been lots of excitement."

Aplin calls this Buc-ee's a "mega-store" and he's not using that term lightly. It's a sporting goods store, a Texas boutique, toy store, surf shop, deli, and miniature grocery store rolled into one building. Oh, and don't forget the Beaver Nuggets, those addictive sweet snacks.

They can be found just about every five feet.

The store is set up as a one-stop shop for everything you might need for a fishing, beach, or camping trip. They have all types of bait in the sporting goods area, along with most any fishing apparatus one could imagine. They are even selling Go Pro cameras to document your vacation.

Beach and swimwear is also a big part of this location. Sorry, no Buc-ee's bikinis just yet, but you can buy a new pair of sandals. There are also men's and women's fitting rooms. Skateboard and wake boards are also on sale, if you aren't keen on fishing.

Texas-centric goodies like Texas-shaped waffle irons and Willie Nelson shirts, the kind found in every other Buc-ee's location across the state, have their own section here.

This store was under construction for nine months, Humpert said.

As most Texans know, the chain prides itself on the cleanliness of its restrooms. This Buc-ee's has 33 urinals for the guys alone, Humpert said. There are 23 stalls for the ladies. This store employs 205 hourly associates, Humpert said, and the 24- hour road stop will be staffed around the clock.

The 56 fueling stations were already getting plenty of use on opening day. And as morning edged into midday, the lunch crowd was setting in to order up barbecue sandwiches and fountain drinks.

Jimmy Hayley, president of the Texas City Chamber of Commerce was also on hand with his staff to tour the store. He's excited about the economic impact on his city.

He pointed to expansion of the outlet mall next door, a new movie theatre, and plans for an amusement park further south as signs that this part of Texas City has major growth to look forward to in the future.

"This is huge for Texas City," Hayley said. "It's going to do booming business down here."