Broken Bow Oklahoma
Travel 8 Weekend Getaways
The Broken Bow/Hochatown Oklahoma area is becoming a popular tourist destination. Our group of nine rented a cabin in the Beavers Bend State Park, which is in Hochatown, but considered as part of the “Broken Bow Area”. It’s about a three hour drive from Garland, and we broke it up with a stop for lunch in Paris, Texas.
Traveling in 3 separate cars, we met up in the quaint town of Paris for a rather unremarkable lunch in a downtown cafe. Being the Lamar County seat, there’s a lovely old courthouse in the center of the downtown commercial district. Before continuing on our trip to Broken Bow, we decided we would first visit the Eiffel Tower, located a short distance out of town, and the Evergreen Cemetery. The Eiffel Tower, topped off by a red cowboy hat, provided a good backdrop for a group photo. Then on to the Evergreen Cemetery to search for the grave marked by a statue of Jesus wearing cowboy boots. This stop provided a history lesson, with graves of Revolutionary War generals, and other prominent historical figures.
Back on I 30 and on to TX 24. Traffic became pretty heavy on this Friday afternoon, as we approached the Broken Bow area. Arrangements had been made online, so we needed instructions to find our cabin. We were told to turn into Beavers Bend State Park after we spotted the “Liquor & Weed” sign on the highway. As Texans, we were reminded that that stuff is legal in Oklahoma. After a rough drive over rocky dirt paths, up and downhill, and around several sharp bends, we found our cabin. All the roads leading in had names of fish, so we figured that fishing was a favorite pastime in the Beavers Bend woods, located near the big Broken Bow Lake. We finally gathered at the cabin we had rented for the weekend, and were amazed at the beauty of the place, indoor and out.
More than a cabin, this was a luxury lodge, with all the amenities. It was brand new, with a hot tub out on the deck with a double sided fireplace nearby, and a table set for outdoor dining. There was also a conversational grouping near a large screened TV on the covered wooden deck. The kitchen had all the latest appliances and came equipped with everything one would need to feed a group like ours. We bought all the food, and used all those brand new appliances and farmhouse sinks. There were three nicely appointed bedrooms and baths and a large game room with bunk beds and its own bath. Towels and linens were provided and topnotch.
The cabin was costing us $650 per day, which we divided 9 ways, making our luxury lodging very reasonable. We loved being deep in the woods, surrounded by all the towering trees. Our group gathered around the firepit down below in the evening, and felt no need to visit the breweries and distilleries popping up in the area. There was a grocery store nearby, and we were able to find anything we might need there. There was another cabin being constructed near ours, and a lot of development in the area. In addition to the perilous roads getting to and from our cabin, getting out on the main highway was also a challenge. We did rent a pontoon boat for a tour of Broken Bow Lake, but had to cancel a visit to Girls Gone Wine, due to the wear and tear to our vehicles and their drivers, getting in and out of Beavers Bend State Park. That was the only negative we encountered, and would highly recommend the experience to anyone seeking a weekend getaway. The Broken Bow Area Chamber of Commerce is available and ready to help with information and suggestions for those interested in planning a visit.
Nancy Ghirla
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