Obligatory “everything is bigger in Texas” quote. The beloved institution that is Buc-ee’s continues to endear locals and travelers alike. Its vast selection of goodies – ranging from in-house-made barbecue to delectable snacks, endless memorabilia, and miscellanea that maybe you didn’t want but are going to buy anyway – make the convenient store chain a must-stop on any passing commute.
While there isn’t a great amount of difference from one Buc-ee’s outpost to another, there is something special about the Buc-cee’s location in Katy, Texas. That is, the Houston-area Buc-cee’s is home to the longest car wash in the world.
The record was previously held by Mike’s Carwash in Indianapolis, Indiana. Described as a state-of-the-art car wash capable of offering a top-quality wash to a large volume of vehicles simultaneously, the car Indiana car wash spans a total of 147 feet.
The Houston Buc-ee’s car wash, however, makes the Indiana car wash seem like a … well… it makes it look much shorter. On the grounds of one of Buc-cee’s largest locations, featuring 100 fueling positions, the on-site car wash spans a whopping 255-feet long.
To put it into perspective, an Olympic-size swimming pool is 164-feet long, Boeing 747 plane is about 231-feet long, and the average length of a city block is about 200 – 300-feet long: the Buc-cee’s car wash in Katy defeats them all.
Traversing the near football field-length car wash takes patrons a total of five minutes.
In 2017, after the Buc-ee’s had opened earlier that year, Guinness World Records officially crowned the Katy Buc-ee’s car wash as the world’s longest car wash. Per Chron, Arch “Beaver” Aplin hadn’t intended to break any size records but rather “set out to design the best car wash in the world”.
According to Aplin, the Buc-ee’s car wash is capable of cleaning around 1,500 vehicles a day. Aplin also stated that the length of the car wash also enables it to use less water than smaller ones, making it more eco-friendly.
A basic car wash at the world’s longest car wash is priced at $13. Visitors can also opt for “The Works” for $16. The Katy Buc-ee’s is located at 27700 Katy Freeway, Katy, Texas.