"The store is scheduled to open on November 16 at 6 a.m.; customers may begin lining up at midnight." Buc-ee's media manager Crissy Gonzales gave that timeline to MTSU Sidelines in September. She also said a ribbon-cutting would happen that morning, at a time not yet set.
For most of Middle Tennessee, that means a Monday-morning road trip to see the beaver. For The Maples, the line forms at its own front door to the interstate. Middle Tennessee's first Buc-ee's sits at the I-24 and Joe B. Jackson Parkway interchange. The standard directions into The Maples run through that same interchange. The opening-day crowd will clear. What lasts is a regional destination sitting on the road Maples residents use to reach the interstate, and that gives the neighborhood's second exit a new job.
The directions to The Maples already run past the roundabout
The community's own driving directions spell it out. From Nashville, take I-24 East to Exit 84B for Joe B. Jackson Parkway and stay on Joe B. Jackson for 1.5 miles. Then turn right onto Manchester Pike, US-41 South, and go 1.3 miles. The Maples is on the left. From the neighborhood entrance to the interchange is a bit under three miles.
The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce lists Buc-ee's at 3355 Elam Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37127, right at that interchange. Here is what WGNS reports is being built there:
- About 47 acres of site
- A store of roughly 74,000 square feet
- 120 fueling positions
- Nearly 490 parking spaces for passenger vehicles
- Electric vehicle charging, plus 15 spaces for RVs and buses
- No car wash, unlike some other Buc-ee's locations
WGNS also reported in September that the plans include a walking trail. Inside, expect the usual Buc-ee's lineup of brisket sandwiches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fudge. About 200 jobs are expected, and hiring has been underway ahead of opening.
Joe B. Jackson has been rebuilt around it for almost three years
Exit 84 already looks different if you've used it lately. The changes have come in stages:
- December 2023. The Murfreesboro City Council approved moving Butler Drive west so it meets Joe B. Jackson about 600 feet west of the old intersection. Under the approved plan, it becomes a 0.9-mile, three-lane road with curb, gutter, sidewalks and a traffic signal where it meets the parkway. Elam Road was realigned to match. The old stretch of Butler stays open for property access but no longer connects publicly to Joe B. Jackson.
- February 2026. Three new signals went to flashing mode on Feb. 2 and into full operation on Feb. 10. They sit at the I-24 westbound ramps, the I-24 eastbound ramps and Elam Road/Butler Drive. In its release, the city warned drivers about new traffic patterns and ongoing lane closures from TDOT and Buc-ee's contractors, and said staff would adjust signal timing to keep delays down.
- June 2026. A new eastbound on-ramp to I-24 was in use. For one day of concrete work, the city sent westbound Joe B. Jackson drivers through the Buc-ee's roundabout and Elam Road, then back onto the parkway to reach that ramp.
That roadwork is the reason for the long wait. WGNS reported the store was originally expected in 2024, and the interchange improvements pushed it back. Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland has said Buc-ee's paid for the roadway and interchange work tied to the project.
The roundabout used for that June detour is the piece to remember. Buc-ee's traffic and Maples traffic now share it, along with the signals and the ramps.
Opening week lands just ahead of Thanksgiving travel
Nov. 16 is a Monday, ten days before Thanksgiving. In August, WGNS pointed out that the opening falls just ahead of holiday travel. In its Oct. 11 report, WGNS added that final construction or operating work could still move the date.
Buc-ee's openings tend to follow a pattern: doors at 6 a.m., a ribbon-cutting mid-morning, and a crowd that started lining up the night before. Local TV covered several recent openings:
| Store | Opened | What local reporters saw |
|---|---|---|
| Crossville, TN, 2045 Genesis Road | June 27, 2022 | About 75 to 100 people lined up before the 6 a.m. opening, per WVLT; WBIR described hundreds, possibly thousands, coming through on opening day |
| Sevierville, TN, I-40 Exit 407 | June 26, 2023 | People camped out Sunday night before the Monday 6 a.m. opening, per WATE; WVLT reported Sevierville Police planned to help manage the exit |
| Brunswick, GA, I-95 Exit 42 | June 30, 2025 | A line wrapped around the building at the 6 a.m. opening, per WSAV |
| Rockingham County, VA, I-81 Exit 240 | June 30, 2025 | Thousands came through on opening day, per WHSV |
Crossville and Sevierville both sit on I-40 tourist routes. Murfreesboro's store sits on a commuter interstate, and Joe B. Jackson is the road The Maples' own directions use to get home from it. For Maples drivers, the more useful example is the one where a store opened next to neighborhoods.
The store that shares a roundabout with neighborhoods
Mississippi's only Buc-ee's opened in June 2025 near the Menge Avenue exit on I-10 in Pass Christian. WLBT reported hundreds of shoppers inside all day despite stormy weather. The more telling story came two weeks later. Residents told WLOX that Firetower Road was bumper-to-bumper and that getting between Firetower and the interstate was hard. The sheriff's office said minor crashes had gone up and weekends were the heaviest.
A year after opening, WLOX went back. A worker at a business across the street said the extra customers helped, but the nearby roundabout backs up "about every week." Harrison County Supervisor Marlin Ladner told the station most of that backup starts in the Buc-ee's parking lot. When cars there can't make a left turn, the line spills back into the roundabout. He described who else depends on that roundabout:
"Several neighborhoods, a good number of neighborhoods. That's their main entrance to their home sites, as well as exiting."
Harrison County has since commissioned a traffic study. It recommends extending a curb in the parking lot to steer cars toward the gas pumps, plus clearer signs and two-lane markings at the roundabout. Ladner said he wants to work with Buc-ee's on those changes.
Murfreesboro's setup is different in important ways. It has three signals that went live nine months before opening, a realigned Butler Drive and Elam Road, and a new eastbound ramp, all designed with this store in mind. Pass Christian still shows where the lasting pressure can land, on ordinary weekends long after the opening-morning line has gone home.
The Maples has a second way onto I-24
The Maples community lists three interstate connections from the neighborhood:
- Joe B. Jackson Parkway: 1.3 miles away, leading to Exit 84 and the Buc-ee's interchange
- Buchanan Road exit on I-24: 3 miles away
- Medical Center Parkway exit: about 15 minutes away
Until now, Joe B. Jackson was the obvious pick because it's closest. Starting Nov. 16, it's also the exit that feeds 120 fuel pumps and nearly 490 parking spaces. Buchanan Road is the listed option that skips that interchange entirely. It's worth trying before opening week, when the stakes are low. That way it's a familiar route by the time the opening-day line can start forming at midnight on Nov. 16, and through the holiday travel stretch that follows.
If you want to see the store for yourself, it's under three miles from the neighborhood entrance. That's close enough to skip the 6 a.m. opening and stop in on another day, once the ribbon has been cut.
If you're curious how a big new landmark at Exit 84 might shape life and home values in The Maples over the next few years, the Janelle Sells Team follows these Manchester Pike changes closely and is happy to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll share what we're seeing along your route.
