Back when my husband and I were dating, I did what a lot of young and in-love girlfriends do and decided to make him a nice dinner. Considering I was used to cooking for one (and most of those meals were health food and not the way to my man’s heart), I took a chance on this new blogger I had run across called the Pioneer Woman and tried her recipe for seafood pasta. With that first bite, I realized this city girl-turned-cowgirl named Ree Drummond made delicious meals with simple ingredients. It clearly won my husband’s heart and introduced me to a world of incredible recipes that never fail and appeal to a variety of tastes. So when she opened her own restaurant/store/hotel, I knew I had to go check it out!
The Boarding House
The Boarding House is Pioneer Woman’s eight room hotel, nestled in the middle of her empire in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Each room is uniquely designed, with themes like The Butterfly Room, the The Prairie Room, and The Boudoir Room – just to name a few. The details are absolutely stunning in all the rooms! When you stay at the Boarding House, you get reservations for dinner and breakfast at her restaurant (which is a huge perk, because wait time to get a table can be up to a couple of hours). After dining out, expect to return to your room to be welcomed by bedtime snacks (in our case, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies) on the nightstand. In the morning, a brand new offering of scones, muffins and hot coffee make sure waking up is an actual experience. (I HIGHLY recommend the Spicy Cowgirl. My husband and I are both addicted!) One small catch though… these rooms are tough to reserve. My suggestion is to get on the mailing list and follow The Boarding House on Instagram to get a heads up when they are opening up new dates to get your reservation!
The Merc
The Merc is a beautifully restored building where you can shop, eat, and visit the bakery upstairs. They recently changed the process for getting a table to eat. No longer do lines wrap around the block, as now you can give them your phone number and receive a text when your table is ready. This gives you time to do some shopping! The Pioneer Woman Merc has darling clothes, accessories, decor and more, but there are also several amazing boutiques on the same street you can shop at, too. After you’ve worked up an appetite shopping, you won’t be disappointed in the menu options, which are all tried and true Pioneer Woman recipes.
PTown Pizza and Charlie’s Sweet Shop
While The Merc offers a variety of delicious options, PTown Pizza is right across the street with delicious wood-fired pizzas, delightful salads, and it’s own unique desserts. It offers outdoor seating and a bar, and all recipes are of course Pioneer Woman authentic. Charlie’s Sweet Shop’s main attraction is the ice cream, but there are also other sweets that will appeal to the young and young at heart!
Visiting the Ranch
If you time your visit right, you can actually get a free day pass to visit the ranch where all episodes of The Pioneer Woman are filmed! Passes can be picked up at The Merc and this is a great stop to make as you head out of town. The Ranch is so beautiful it will make even the most city loving people think about having their own farm, and it’s really fun to step into the world of Ree’s Food Network show. Nothing is off limits- you can even see her dressing room and walk through her pantry!
At just two hours away from Wichita, visiting all things Pioneer Woman is such an easy and fun trip. Just don’t forget to wear your stretchy pants!
