It wasn’t the moon, South America, or Antarctica like the kids and Cowboy tried to convince me it was but as far as I’m concerned, it was a whole lot better – a little cabin tucked back in the woods. If I could go anywhere to get away and recharge, it would be a cabin in the woods (this was actually my first time to stay in one but now I can say I stand by that statement!).
I’ve been wanting to go to the Beaver’s Bend/Broken Bow part of Oklahoma for a while now after hearing such good things about it and pouring through pictures online. I eventually stopped looking at accommodations a couple months ago after I struck out on finding a place that could comfortably, for-sure accommodate our 41 foot 5th wheel. But Cowboy remembered I wanted to go and surprised me for our 13th anniversary with a two night stay in a little luxury cabin in Hochatown, Oklahoma. It was perfect.
I feel that most people who live within several hours of Beaver’s Bend have probably been, but in case you haven’t, this blog post is for you.
We obviously did not go during the busiest season, so some of the shops and restaurants that are open in the summer were closed, but there was still plenty to do. We are and have been in the middle of a deluge in Texas and it has been raining nearly non-stop for… a very, very long time, but we took our rainsuits and decided we were going to do what we wanted to, rain or shine. And we did. It was an amazing little trip that I will remember forever.
Where We Stayed
There appear to be about a zillion cabins in the area but Cowboy booked us a little one-room cabin through this site and it was absolutely beautiful. He told me later that he had a really hard time deciding between a regular cabin (knowing that I’m pretty low-key) or a luxury cabin with more amenities. He settled on the luxury cabin and it was so special. It might have had something to do with the fact that we live in our 5th wheel and don’t have a bathtub, hot tub, or porch but I think more than that, the company who rents it just did a really great job making it inviting and romantic. If you go for a romantic getaway, I definitely recommend a luxury cabin.
The area we stayed in was all cabins for rent, some tucked way back with privacy, some out on the main road. I asked Cowboy if there was any indication on the websites he looked at about the location of the cabins or their proximity to the ones next to them and he said there really wasn’t. I think that would be a nice feature to add to the websites but in the meantime, the only cabins I know for sure were more private than most are The ZaZa and Happily Ever After (from the site linked above).
Where We Ate:
The Blue Rooster – A family member recommended this place to us and it did not disappoint. It is a charming little restaurant, sitting high off the ground and strung with white lights, with a beautiful outdoor patio and clean, rustic décor. We sat outside on the covered patio and colored on our paper tablecloth while we waited for our food to arrive – a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries with Ranch dressing for me and a fried shrimp basket for Cowboy. The restaurant and service were a little slow but we were not in a hurry so we didn’t mind and our dinners were great. Cowboy’s shrimp basket was tiny – I think our 11 year old would still be hungry after eating it – but my burger was good-size so we ended up sharing it and had leftover fries. We would definitely go back!
Okie Girls Ice Cream & Coffee – This place was right outside the “neighborhood” our cabin was in and
we went three times during our stay. They serve Blue Bell ice cream, fresh homemade muffins, and coffee and espresso drinks. This is the first place I’ve ever been besides Starbucks that made a decent mocha – most places make them way too sweet or watery (I always get them iced) but this one, though not very strong on mocha flavor, was creamy and rich without being too sweet. We got muffins and coffee for breakfast each morning of our stay and took them back to the cabin to eat in the front of the campfire on our porch.
Beaver’s Bend Restaurant – this restaurant is inside Beaver’s Bend state park and really surprised me! When you walk in it’s like walking into any state park storefront – nothing special. The dining room is equally unimpressive as far as ambiance but the menu is actually quite large and the food was very well done. While we waited we walked out onto the outside deck and a little squirrel ran up to us asking for food. She was so cute that Cowboy went back out to the truck to get the baggie I left in it with cheese wisp crumbs in it and we fed her and her little pregnant belly while we waited for our food. Our waitress said she loves French fries. What pregnant girl doesn’t.
Mountain Fork Brewery – We went to a few places in the afternoon to try to decide where to eat our second dinner and we decided on Mountain Fork Brewery. While it seemed a little more casual than the Grateful Head or a couple other places we checked out, the girl we talked to was very friendly and sold us on their pizzas and, after all, we are pretty casual. We ordered fried pickles, Caesar salad, and two pizzas and everything was very good. I forgot to ask but I’m almost sure the Caesar dressing was homemade. The pizzas did not have as many toppings as some places nowadays do (I guess if you like that, check out the Grateful Head) but we prefer that because then the crust doesn’t get soggy. We aren’t big alcohol drinkers so we didn’t try any of their beer but it was neat to see the distillery they have on-site and visit their gift shop next door.
What We Did
We mostly drove around Beaver’s Bend state park, hiked, took pictures, and ate lots of food, but we also stopped at a handful of local shops. One that was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend is Janet’s Treasure Chest.
What I Will Remember
I will remember the tall white paper hats our daughter made us especially for our dinner out and wearing them in the mid
dle of the restaurant. I will remember the waitress giggling as she took a picture to send home to our girl and losing it when I looked over at Cowboy to see his chin strap under his nose. I will remember how ecstatic our girl was to see a picture of us wearing the hats she made us out to eat and how freeing it is to not worry what people may think. And how having someone to laugh with makes that so much easier.
I will remember sitting and watching a movie without feeling like it was a waste of time or trying to do something that felt more worthwhile simultaneously. Just sitting and watching a movie and being okay with just sitting and watching a movie – in bed, with a glass of cold kombucha and lap of cookies. We are thoroughly enjoying making our way through our favorite new series.
I will remember a hot bath by myself, in front of a fire, without anyone talking to me (I don’t know if those two together have ever happened before).
I will remember sipping my mocha and eating my muffin in front of a warm fire on the porch with Romans 6 in my new Bible opened on my lap and the most wonderful man sitting across from me.
I will remember being glad that we didn’t let the rain stop us from exploring. I’m so glad we didn’t settle for comfortable and miss out on that little adventure through the rushing waters of the stream running through the woods.
I will remember wading through puddles, meandering through little local shops, and the oddest little Walmart I’ve ever seen (did not know such Walmarts still existed and it’s not often I feel high-brow – I’ll leave it at that).
I will remember Cowboy holding me close, laughter, rain – so much rain – and I will remember to never trust where the kids say I am going. If I did, I might have missed all this and ended up on the moon – and that would not have been nearly as sweet to me.
Have you been to Beaver’s Bend/Broken Bow? If so, what are your favorite places to eat, things to do, and places to stay?
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