Buc-ee's broke ground on a new travel center in Hillsboro, Texas, in January 2023. The Hillsboro Buc-ee's will occupy 74,000 square feet and offer 120 fueling positions. The planned opening is expected to coincide with a total solar eclipse passing over the country, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The total solar eclipse will span parts of North America on April 8, 2024, beginning in Mexico and finishing in Canada. This will be the first total solar eclipse since 2017 and the last one to cross the United States until 2044.

Hillsboro is one of the closest Texas cities to the path of totality. The solar eclipse is expected to draw tens of thousands of people (if not more) to Hillsboro and the rural areas surrounding the city, where numerous camp sites, makeshift RV parks, and viewing stations are being planned, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

City officials say the Buc-ee’s in Hillsboro is scheduled to have its grand opening in either late March or early April, possibly aligning with the highly anticipated total solar eclipse, reported The Dallas Express. The eclipse will begin at 12:23 p.m. and end at 3:02 p.m. in Dallas, with total eclipse occurring from 1:40 to 1:44 p.m.

More rural areas of North Texas, such as Hillsboro, have already been preparing for the influx of visitors by arranging viewing stations, campsites, and RV parks for eclipse-chasers. Hillsboro already has several pop-up events in the works, including the Cosmic Cowboy Eclipse Festival, an “Eclipseboro” carnival, and a Starlight Bar Night.

Last November, Joe Lackey, president of the Indiana Grocery and Convenience Store Association, talked with NACS Daily about how c-stores should prepare for the event.

“While the exact number is still unknown, it’s predicted that somewhere in the vicinity of 500,000 to a million people may show up,” in Indiana alone, Lackey told NACS Daily.