Sip & Savor

BROKEN BOW LIBATIONS

By Maggie Halligan

With the state of the world today and as we work through this pandemic, we are having to get a little more creative in traveling with some family members and groups of friends.  I have a group of friends that were wanting to do something, but through we trust that each other are being safe, for someone in the group going to a hotel or flight was not an option due to being high risk.  Therefore, we opted to go to Broken Bow, Oklahoma, which is about 3 hours from Dallas, and rent a cabin for a few nights through vrbo.com.  We could not have been happier with our choice.  However, we did find out upon arrival that sometime back in the day there was a sighting of Sasquatch!! ……I just wanted to point that out in full disclosure. LOL!!

Another reason I wanted to share this experience with you is that we will typically report on our 5 Star / 5 Diamond style experiences and we want you to know that there are some other great “off the beaten path” unforgettable experiences out there.  Some of the best places to eat when on vacation are the local dives, so we will definitely report on these as well so that you may travel like a local. 

This was my first experience in Broken Bow and I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.  The cabin worked out perfectly.  Of course we sanitized everything before we unpacked and brought most of our food for the stay, though we could have had a vendor stock the refrigerator for us.  It was a lot of fun to hang out, grill, soak in the hot tub, play games and most importantly we were able to bring our furry friends.  However, we definitely had the most fun when we got out and about in town one afternoon.  I will note that our stay was Wednesday through Saturday, when there weren’t as many people there and we were able to keep to ourselves away from other guests.  I can definitely see that over the weekend when it is busier that we wouldn’t have felt as comfortable going to some of these places due to their limited mask restrictions. 

Our first stop was to Girls Gone Wine and I probably could have stayed here all day.  Girls Gone Wine is so much more than a simple tasting room.  It’s a boutique winery featuring all fermented wines and a super sassy gift shop.   You can walk in off the street and do a complimentary 15 minute wine tasting, where you choose to sample either sweet or dry wines in the gift shop tasting room.  With the complimentary tasting, you also have the option to skip the line by reserving a time in advance on their website.  We were lucky enough to be their only guests at that time, so we did not have to wait.  At the end of the tasting, you are able to keep your commemorative wine glass. They also have a nice (heated) outside patio area where you may enjoy a glass of wine and some fresh air.  However, if you have a group of friends and want to pre-plan something, they also host VIP tastings which may be held inside the “G Spot Tasting Room” or outside on the patio.  These tastings last about an hour and a half. 

If you are in need of a sober driver for your outing, Girls Gone Wine offers a pink polka dot bus with a driver, which can accommodate up to 25 people for a day or night out.  The cost is $50/hour with a minimum of 2 hours.  The bus is available to pick you up at your cabin or other designated meeting spot and will take you wherever you want to go. 

My absolute favorite part of our Girls Gone Wine experience was the gift shop!!!  ….of course this is after I tasted some of their wonderful wines! 😉 I purchased a ton of gifts for my friends and family and I can’t wait for their online store to feature the gift shop items, so that I may have them shipped to my home.  You can currently order wine through their online store, and my friends, who have already done so, said the shipping was “faster than Amazon Prime”.  I’m not sure how accurate that statement is, but it sounds like your wine will arrive quickly. 😊

Our next stop, as recommended by our new “friends” at Girls Gone Wine, was Beaver’s Bend Brewery.  Though we had no idea what they were talking about, they seemed VERY excited to also inform us that the “WIENERY” was open at the Brewery. I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried but very curious as to what the WIENERY experience was going to be.   

To get to Beaver’s Bend Brewery from Girls Gone Wine, we just had a quick walk across the parking lot and up a pretty long set of stairs.  You do have the option to park in the Beaver’s Bend parking lot and skip the hike up the stairs….but what’s the fun in that?  Beaver’s Bend was another great experience.  They had all kinds of funny t-shirts, etc. in their store and you are able to sample 2-3 of their ales complimentary at the counter before making your choice.  Here again, you get to keep the commemorative glass or mug of your choice when you order your first round.  I ended up sampling the Front Porch Peach and the Strawberry Backwoods Blonde.  Though I did enjoy both, my favorite was the Strawberry Backwoods Blonde and we, as a group, decided we needed a crawler of this one to take back to the cabin when we departed.  It didn’t take long for us to realize we should have purchased more than one crawler and since we can’t order it online we will have to wait until our next visit to enjoy another round. 

Beaver’s Bend Brewery also has a great outside courtyard with seating and games. 

And now for what turned out to be the highlight of our day…..The WIENERY!!!  Outside of Beaver’s Bend Brewery is a trailer that is home to The WIENERY.  You can actually place your WIENERY order from the Brewery counter while you make your drink order.    

The WIENERY has an interesting list of names on its menu, and I’ll be honest and admit I had the “THREE SQUIRTS”.  Everyone in the group got something different and we were all overwhelming pleased with our selections.  Any future visits I make to Broken Bow will always include a stop at the WIENERY!!!