Yesterday (Memorial Day) was our 24th wedding anniversary. We’ve done a lot of different things for our anniversaries over the last 24 years, but I think this one was my favorite one. Did we go to an exotic island? No. Maybe next year for our 25th. Did my husband buy me some spectacular piece of jewelry? No. We actually didn’t get gifts at all. Instead, we took one night away. We went to Cincinnati, Ohio. A week ago, when my husband asked me what I wanted to do for our anniversary I said, “now hear me out…I want to drive to Buc-ees in Ohio”. Yes. I wanted to go to a gas station for our anniversary. Seems weird. I know. But I’ve wanted to go to Buc-ees ever since we drove across the country to Utah in 2021. This year we did it and it was the best anniversary we’ve had!
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The Best Anniversary Roadtrip
The Buc-ees in Ohio is in the Dayton area. Just far enough away that it makes for a lot of driving in one day. So we decided to leave in the morning the day before and stay one night in Cincinnati (about 40 minutes from Buc-ees). After checking into the hotel, we had a few hours before our dinner reservation at Coopers Hawk (my FAVORITE place that has an awesome gluten free menu). Since it was raining off and on outside, we decided to go to the Hard Rock casino. I would love to say I won $6.75 million dollars, but I lost everything. My husband, on the other hand, was pretty lucky at craps and won everything he put in, everything I lost, and then an additional $577!
Anniversary Meal at Coopers Hawk
Our meal at Coopers Hawk was delicious. It is the best anniversary restaurant! They are extremely accommodating with people that have food allergies. We ordered the Thai lettuce wraps as an appetizer. They are good, but not something I would order again. Everything is cold. I didn’t care for that. For my meal, I ordered the grilled tenderloin medallions. It was delicious and probably my favorite thing I’ve eaten there. My husband ordered a chopped wedge salad and the country gnocchi. I tasted a small bite (I wanted more, but it’s heavy dairy) and it was probably one of the best gnocchi’s I’ve ever had. Our server was so kind. When she found out it was out anniversary, she had us pick out a dessert. We got the salted caramel creme brûlée. I ate a little more than I should (again…dairy), but it was worth it. That desert is worth going to Coopers Hawk just for that!
Best Anniversary Trip to Buc-ees!
Now…for the main event…Buc-ees! It is off the beaten path a bit, which I found surprising. I expected it to be seen from the freeway. But, within 10 seconds of pulling up to the entrance, I realized it definitely did not need to be seen from the freeway. The best way I can describe it is that it is like Costco, the day before school starts again in August, times 1000! Seriously! It was unreal! We lucked out and got the first parking space! Once inside, I instantly thought of Walmart on Black Friday, but a lot more orderly. There were so many people. So, what did we get?
- Buc-ees t-shirts. I’m a sucker for a tie dye shirt
- Beef jerky
- Cherry sours
- Buc-ees Nug-ees in a variety of flavors
- Peanut butter & caramel popcorn
- Beaver Nuggets
- Black bean and corn salsa
- Peach chipotle salsa
- Brisket
- Smoked turkey
I know I am probably forgetting something. Everything we have tried so far is so good! One thing I wish they had, but didn’t, were Buc-ees salt and pepper shakers. I collect salt and pepper shakers and would have loved to add these to my collection!
To some, this might seem like a lame anniversary, but to me, this was the best anniversary. It came at a time that both of us needed a night away. No more than a night…the hotel bed and pillows were TERRIBLE! But the roadtrip, casino, dinner, gas station…that all made up for the uncomfortable night of nothing but tossing and turning!
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