Wawa Opens New Travel Center in Lima, Ohio

SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — A large crowd welcomed Wawa to Lima, Ohio, on Thursday, March 19, 2026, with the grand opening of its newest travel center located on Breese Road at I-75 [1]. The opening drew significant excitement, with attendees arriving more than two hours early.

A New Travel Center Experience

The 8,000 square foot facility is only the third travel center in the Wawa family, which comprises nearly 1,200 locations across 13 states [1]. General Manager Aliza Hughes expressed enthusiasm about bringing Wawa to the Lima community.

Visitors to the new Wawa Travel Center can expect “friendly service, fast service and a large variety of food and drink options” [1]. The travel center offers Wawa’s signature fresh food and beverages, with both interior and exterior seating areas.

Fueling and Amenities

The Wawa Travel Center provides a comprehensive range of services for travelers, including gas, diesel, and electric vehicle charging with 18 charging stations [3]. A high-speed diesel fuel court is available for tractor-trailer drivers, and a pet relief area is also on site.

Grand Opening Festivities

The grand opening featured a special price on regular unleaded gasoline at $3.09 a gallon, significantly lower than the Ohio average of $3.734 reported by GasBuddy.com [1]. Attendees enjoyed free snacks and coffee, and the first 250 customers received T-shirts. Wawa’s mascot, Wally Goose, entertained the crowd with music and interaction [1]. A hoagie-building competition was also held with local first responders.

Wawa’s History

Founded in 1902 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Wawa began as the Wawa Dairy, bottling fresh milk from Guernsey cows [3]. The first Wawa Food Market opened in 1964 in Folsom, Pennsylvania [3]. The name “Wawa” originates from the Ojibwe Native American word for the Canada goose [3].

The Wawa Travel Center on Breese Road will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week [3].