HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Want an overstuffed barbecue sandwich and a giant bag of Beaver Nuggets? Ohioans no longer have to drive hours to get their fix.

Ohio’s first-ever Buc-ee’s officially opens Monday morning.

The new travel center is located just north of Dayton off I-75, in Huber Heights, about an hour and 15-minute drive from Cincinnati.

Watch: Get a sneak peek at the new Ohio location here

First Buc-ee’s in Ohio opens Monday in Huber Heights

While it may look like a highway rest stop from the outside, the inside offers a different experience.

Spokesman — and showman — Randy Pauly showed what draws people from three states away.

“We don’t want to be just another gas station. We are a family travel center, and we focus on the details,” Pauly said.

Pauly said it’s all about attention to detail, from the souvenir cups to the stuffed beaver toys and freshly made fudge, roast almonds and brisket.

“You’ll notice the difference from that famous smile when you come through the front door, to the clean restrooms to the delicious brisket,” Pauly said.

Fresh beef brisket and pork barbecue are carved and served all day long, in a giant “pit” in the center of the store.

When it is ready, employees yell out “fresh chopped brisket on the board” to alert visitors that it is time to grab a sandwich.

Don’t expect roadside gas station prices, however:

• Sandwiches cost $7 to $14, depending on size
• Sausage on a Stick is $7.49
• The famous Beaver Nuggets are $5 a bag
• Beef jerky is $14 for a half-pound
• Fudge is $3.99 for a square

Firefighter Brendan Cochran drove six hours from Georgia for Buc-ee’s preview day for first responders, where active military, firefighters, police and EMTs received free sandwiches for their service.

Cochran said the slightly higher prices are worth it.

“The bang for your buck … if you get a biscuit sandwich somewhere else, that’s a plate. You are going to spend $15 to $20 for a brisket sandwich anywhere else,” Cochran said.

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Police officer Jordan Alexander also attended the preview event and shared his thoughts on the theme-park atmosphere.

“It can be a little overwhelming — there is a lot going on,” he said. “But it can be a good experience.”

So if you want to get a Buc-ee’s fix or try it for the first time, you no longer need to plan a trip south. Just drive 70 miles up I-75 from Cincinnati, and you can see the excitement for yourself.

As always, don’t waste your money.

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• An Ohio pizzeria named Lievita placed 25th in the world for its cheese pizza at the International Pizza Expo.
• Following the competition, the pizzeria said it has seen a surge in demand and adjusted its hours.
• The official results for the 2026 competition have not yet been posted on the expo’s website.

Tucked away about an hour south of Columbus, one small pizzeria is making big headlines.

Lievita, an Italian-American restaurant in Chillicothe, competed in the 2026 International Pizza Expo Pizza Challenge last week, where it says it beat out hundreds of competitors from across the globe. Its cheese pizza, entered in the Best Cheese Pizza Division, won 25th-best in the world and third-best in the Midwest, according to a Facebook post from the restaurant.

The International Pizza Challenge, which debuted in 2007, is described as the largest and one of the most esteemed pizza-making competitions in North America “and possibly the world,” according to the expo’s website.

The bake-off features 680 of the world’s top pizza-makers baking their signature pizza live at the expo, with pies judged by a panel of renowned and accredited chefs. The competition took place over three days from March 24-26.

This year’s results have not yet been released on the International Pizza Expo’s official website.

A couple days after announcing its victory, Lievita shared that it gained around 700 new followers on Facebook, pushing its audience to over 5,000.

The restaurant, located at 85 N. Paint St., also changed its hours to adjust for the “surge in demand” for its pizza, according to an April 1 post. Lievita will close one hour earlier every day except Sunday to optimize labor hours and better manage inventory and prep to avoid running out of items.

L. Helen Rankin, the first Black woman to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives, died March 22 at age 89.

Rankin, a Democrat, served 16 years in the Ohio House, representing districts in Cincinnati from 1978 to 1994.

She was appointed to succeed her late husband, James W. Rankin, who died of pneumonia in June 1978 while in office. She completed his term, then won the seat outright in the general election later that year.

She was elected to seven terms representing the 25th Ohio House District, which included Evanston, Walnut Hills, Mount Adams and Hyde Park, then after re-districting, a term for the 30th District, covering Avondale, Bond Hill, Pleasant Ridge and Kennedy Heights.