Buc-ee's in South Carolina: Florence Location & Hardeeville Coming 2031

South Carolina has one open Buc-ee's, located in Florence at 3390 North Williston Road off I-95 Exit 170. It opened on May 16, 2022, spans 53,000 square feet, and operates 24/7. A second location is planned for Hardeeville near the Georgia border, with an expected opening around 2030-2031.

What are the quick facts for South Carolina's Buc-ee's locations?

Where is the Buc-ee's in South Carolina?

South Carolina's only open Buc-ee's sits at 3390 North Williston Road in Florence, off I-95 Exit 170, at the junction where Interstate 95 meets Interstate 20. This dual-highway position makes it one of the most strategically placed travel centers on the entire East Coast, accessible to travelers moving both north-south and east-west.

The I-95/I-20 intersection is no accident. Florence serves traffic moving up and down the East Coast and traffic moving between the coast and the interior of the Southeast. Columbia is 80 miles west on I-20. Myrtle Beach is 70 miles east on US-501. The store sits directly in the middle of those two flows.

Getting there is straightforward:

• From I-95 northbound or southbound: Take Exit 170 toward Williston Road. The store is visible immediately on the right.
• From I-20 eastbound or westbound: Exit at the I-95 junction (Exit 170). Follow signs for Williston Road.

How far is South Carolina's Buc-ee's from major cities?

Buc-ee's Florence is roughly 70-80 miles from the closest major South Carolina cities and about 95 miles from Charlotte. It sits in a central position that makes it the natural refueling point for road trippers approaching from multiple directions.

Drive time from Myrtle Beach runs about 1 hour 15 minutes. From Columbia, figure on roughly 1 hour. Travelers heading south toward Jacksonville, Florida, will pass Florence roughly 280 miles before reaching the city.

When did Buc-ee's open in South Carolina, and why does the location matter?

Buc-ee's Florence opened on May 16, 2022. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster attended the ribbon-cutting alongside Buc-ee's founder Arch "Beaver" Aplin III. The store filled a critical gap on I-95, which had no Buc-ee's between Virginia and Georgia before that date.

Before May 2022, the SC stretch of I-95 offered travelers a stretch of aging rest stops and limited-service stations. Florence changed that immediately. Within days of opening, traffic backed up past the exit ramp. Beverly Mahone, a writing consultant from Durham who visited not long after, described the experience to Spectrum News as "a Target, Walmart, gas station all rolled into one."

The opening also triggered something that competitors and travel planners quickly noticed: Florence became a planned stop rather than a desperate one. Road trippers started routing specifically through Exit 170.

Why is the Florence Buc-ee's one of the busiest on the East Coast?

Florence is the only Buc-ee's on I-95 between Mount Crawford, Virginia (more than 380 miles north) and Brunswick, Georgia (more than 200 miles south). That gap means millions of Northeast-to-Florida travelers have no other Buc-ee's option on this entire stretch of highway.

That coverage gap is the key number. For anyone driving I-95 from Washington DC toward Miami, or in the opposite direction, Florence is the singular Buc-ee's opportunity across hundreds of miles of highway.

Three distinct traffic streams converge here:

• Northeast-to-Florida travelers on the full I-95 corridor, who treat Florence as a guaranteed mid-corridor stop
• Myrtle Beach vacationers arriving from Charlotte, Raleigh, and Fayetteville via I-95 before cutting east on US-501
• Columbia and interior SC residents using I-20 as their access point to I-95 services

Peak times follow those patterns. Summer Fridays bring heavy southbound pressure. Sunday evenings push northbound traffic back toward the Carolinas. Spring break (March through April) and the Thanksgiving and Christmas travel windows are the most congested periods overall. Early morning arrivals before 9 AM and late-evening stops after 8 PM consistently see lighter parking lot traffic.

What does the Florence Buc-ee's offer EV drivers on I-95?

Florence runs one of the most capable EV charging setups on the entire East Coast I-95 corridor:

• 16 Tesla Superchargers running at 250kW, available 24/7
• 10 multi-brand fast chargers supporting all major EV types at up to 400kW
• 26 total charging stalls, enough capacity to keep wait times minimal even during peak travel periods

For EV drivers planning the Northeast-to-Florida run, Florence represents the logical charging stop between Virginia and St. Augustine, Florida. A meaningful battery top-up takes roughly as long as a brisket sandwich and a restroom break, making it a practical interruption rather than a detour.

Ethanol-free fuel (90 Octane) is also available for travelers with small engines, motorcycles, or boats.

What is the second South Carolina Buc-ee's, and when will it open?

A second Buc-ee's is planned for Hardeeville, South Carolina, at I-95 Exit 8 at the intersection with U.S. Highway 17. The project is part of the 40-acre Hardee Station mixed-use development and is expected to open around 2030-2031, timed to coincide with the SCDOT I-95 widening and Exit 8 redesign project.

Hardeeville sits in Jasper County in the Lowcountry, near the Georgia border and close to Savannah. The confirmed details as of April 2026, per Hardeeville City Administrator Josh Gruber:

• Site size: More than 40 acres, including out-parcels for additional commercial businesses
• Job creation: Approximately 200 new jobs, from entry-level through managerial roles
• Highway access: I-95 Exit 8 at U.S. Highway 17, with a redesigned diverging diamond interchange to handle high traffic volumes
• Construction dependency: Buc-ee's vertical construction is timed to follow completion of the SCDOT I-95 widening project
• Projected opening: "Sometime around 2030," per Gruber's April 2026 statement, with 2031 as the outer estimate if the highway project extends

The long timeline is not a planning delay. It is a deliberate coordination strategy. Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams explained at a city council meeting that the goal is for the SCDOT widening, the Exit 8 redesign, and the Buc-ee's grand opening to coincide. As of April 2026, land had already been cleared at the site.

Why is the Hardeeville Buc-ee's opening timeline so long?

The SCDOT I-95 widening project covering the stretch from the Georgia state line to mile marker 9 is a major infrastructure undertaking. The diverging diamond interchange redesign at Exit 8 is intended to manage the high traffic volumes the Buc-ee's will generate. Without that road infrastructure in place first, opening a 40-acre travel center with 200+ jobs would create gridlock at Exit 8 immediately.

Buc-ee's is not waiting because of permitting or financing. Buc-ee's is waiting because the city and the state are rebuilding the road around it.

What road trips pass through South Carolina's Buc-ee's stops?

DC to Miami via I-95

Florence is the only I-95 Buc-ee's stop for roughly 650 miles of corridor between Virginia and St. Augustine, Florida. Plan the stop at Florence heading south, or on the return leg if northbound timing works better. Once Hardeeville opens, that corridor shrinks to two stops across South Carolina.

Charlotte to Myrtle Beach

From Charlotte, I-485 south connects to I-74 east toward Rockingham, or travelers can run I-77 south to I-20 east toward Florence. From Florence, US-501 east is the direct route to Myrtle Beach, 70 miles from the Buc-ee's exit.

Charleston to Wilmington, NC

I-26 west from Charleston connects to I-95 north at Florence, roughly 100 miles from Charleston. From Florence, I-95 north runs toward Fayetteville and US-74 east toward Wilmington.

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