This Secret Snow Cone Stand In Texas Has 100 Flavors You Can Enjoy

Bahama Buck’s didn’t start as a nationwide chain. It began as a 240‑square‑foot shaved ice shack on dusty Brownfield Highway in Lubbock.

A 20‑year‑old Texas Tech student, Blake Buchanan, wanted a summer job that wasn’t mowing lawns or flipping burgers.

In 1990, he found a used ice shaver in the Thrifty Nickel classifieds. With help from three generations of family, he built the stand in his parents’ backyard. He hauled it through town to a rented patch of land and opened on June 12, 1990.

Thirty‑five years later, Bahama Buck’s has grown to more than 100 locations in ten states and Puerto Rico.

Yet the headquarters is still in Lubbock — the West Texas city of cotton fields, Texas Tech football, and now, what many call the best shaved ice in America.

Where It All Began

The original Bahama Buck’s story is now a local legend. Blake Buchanan and his future wife, Kippi, built the first stand with scrap wood and family help.

His father, Tom, grandfathers Truman Golemon and Paul Buchanan, and Texas Tech friends all pitched in.

The shack was tiny—workers stood “cheek to cheek, butt to butt”—but the fluffy shaved ice was an instant hit in Lubbock’s 100‑degree summers.

The tropical idea quickly grew. Bahama Buck’s was incorporated in 1992, expanded to Arizona in 1993, and sold its first franchise in 1994.

By 2010, the company marked its 20th anniversary with a Guinness World Record: the world’s largest shaved ice, weighing over 25,000 pounds.

Today, Lubbock still boasts multiple locations, including the busy 82nd Street shop near Texas Tech, where students and families flock during the long West Texas summer.

Over 100 Original Flavors

What sets Bahama Buck’s apart from typical snow cone stands starts with the ice itself.

The company calls it “Sno” and describes it as light, airy, and fluffy—nothing like the crunchy, compacted ice that characterizes old-school snow cones.

The texture absorbs syrup evenly, creating a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth consistency throughout the entire cup rather than a sugary pool at the bottom.

The flavor menu stretches past 100 original options. Classics include cherry, blue raspberry, and strawberry, but Bahama Buck’s leans hard into tropical and creative territory.

Tiger’s Blood (a blend of strawberry, watermelon, and coconut) has a cult following. Wavebender combines banana, pineapple, and coconut rum flavor.

There’s even a Red Raider flavor honoring Blake Buchanan’s alma mater, Texas Tech University.

Beyond the standards, the menu offers birthday cake, wedding cake, cheesecake, toasted coconut, gummy bear, Dreamsicle, mango, piña colada, passion fruit, Jamaican punch, and dozens more.

Sugar-free versions are available for nearly every flavor. Sour options include Warheads Lemonberry and Sour Patch Blue Raspberry for those who want their shaved ice with a pucker.

The real fun comes from mixing. Customers can create their own combinations—half tiger’s blood and half toasted coconut, for example, or three flavors layered in stripes.

The customization possibilities number in the thousands.

Signature Creations and Upgrades

Plain shaved ice is just the beginning. Bahama Buck’s has developed signature preparations that transform the basic Sno into more elaborate desserts.

The Bahama Rama Mama adds a scoop of Blue Bell ice cream to the bottom of the cup, with the shaved ice piled on top and finished with Tropic Creme (a creamy, sweet drizzle).

It’s available in vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream versions, and essentially turns shaved ice into a hybrid between a snow cone and an ice cream sundae.

Tropic Creme also appears as a standalone topping—the signature condensed-milk-style drizzle that gives many Bahama Buck’s creations their distinctive striped appearance.

Other topping options include chamoy and chili salt for Mexican-style Mangonadas, gummy bears for the Gummy Bear Sno, Nerds candy, Sour Patch sauce, Oreo pieces, whipped cream, and party sprinkles.

Beyond shaved ice, Bahama Buck’s serves Island Smoothies in both fruit blends (made with real fruit and non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt) and cream blends (milkshake-style with ice cream).

The Lubbock Experience

Stepping into any Bahama Buck’s feels like a mini-vacation, and that’s by design. The island-themed décor features bright colors, surf imagery, beach references, and tropical signage.

The atmosphere aims for fun and relaxed rather than fast-food functional. Staff members are trained to be friendly and upbeat—part of the company’s mission to create what they call “the Ultimate Tropical Dessert Experience.”

Sizes range from kiddie to large, with pricing that varies by location but generally runs between $5 and $8 for a standard shaved ice.

The chain typically opens around noon and stays open until 10 p.m. or later, though hours vary by location and season.

Most locations operate year-round—because, as any West Texan knows, warm weather in Lubbock isn’t limited to summer.

For more information about Bahama Buck’s, including menus, seasonal flavors, and store hours, visit bahamabucks.com or check the Lubbock locations’ social media pages.

Use the map to explore the 82nd Street location, along with nearby Texas Tech University spots and local parks that make this area a popular summer treat stop.

Where: 4210 82nd Street, Lubbock, TX 79423

Bahama Buck’s started as a tiny shaved ice shack in Lubbock. More than 30 years later, it’s a Texas original serving fluffy ice, bold flavors, and pure summer nostalgia.