The Perfect Mother’s Day Weekend Trip

I’ve been on so many trips, so many trips with “all the things”! You know the all inclusive resorts, cruise ships, Vegas. All the bells and whistles. But, when I think of the BEST one, the one with all the love, all the feels, all the food and all the heart… it was our girls weekend Mother’s Day Trip! We got to slow down, breath, enjoy each other and the small town Oklahoma feels.

I planned the absolute best Mother’s Day weekend away for my Mom, My Grandma, My Aunt and myself! We were going for a “bucket list, dream trip that we’d all enjoy.”

Any guesses???

Well, if you’re foodies like us- Pawhuska, Oklahoma to see ALL THINGS Pioneer Woman is a no brainer! The four of us spend our Sunday Mornings watching Food Network and texting about what Ree Drummond is cooking up on the ranch! We love her personality, her flare, her heart for her Marlboro man and her small town country feel. We were just sure that we’d love her in person too!

First, we had to find somewhere to stay and since Air BNB’s are the only option when it comes to small town Oklahoma, that’s the route we went. Guys, this nearly MADE OUR TRIP! After a 7.5 hour straight shot up I35 from Austin, we landed in Osage County. We found the most quaint, cozy, strikingly old fashioned yet somewhat familiar farm house to call home for the weekend in Hominy just outside Pawhuska. Down a windy dirt road we found our house- complete with cows, a storm cellar, a chicken coop and our very own farm dog.

The house had a painted picture inside of the farmhouse that we later found out used to be an old stagecoach stop.

Osage County is the largest county by area in Oklahoma but truly has that small town feel. In 2011, Ree Drummond began hosting her own Food Network show called Pionner Woman, which officially put Pawhuska and Osage County on the MAP!

We started out Saturday in line at The Mercantile- her store and restaurant!

We had heard the earlier the better, so we got to the door at 7:30am ready to eat all things southern! Ree has so many favorites and popular dishes. I was excited for her signature biscuits and sausage gravy and hash browns! It did not disappoint.

We had planned to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at The Merc, to fully embrace our inner foodies! We wanted just sit and enjoy our coffee, slowly and take in all the sights and sounds. We made friends with our waiter and he became our inner source for all the things we needed to know.

We also indulged in Ree’s Spicy Cowgirl cold brew coffee which was over the top amazing! And her famous sticky buns- we just devoured!

If you do anything, make sure when you plan this trip you double check that it’s a weekend that “The Lodge” is open for tours. They close it when she’s filming the show and open it for tours in between filming. After some shopping and breakfast we headed out to the Lodge to explore- about 20 minutes on the outskirts of town is the families ranch. The ranch filled with cattle, multiple family homes, and The Lodge.

This deck is at the “Lodge” , over looking the families over 400,000 acres. This is where Ree films her food network show, Pioneer Woman and hosts many family gatherings. From the over the top kitchen, the dreamy pantry and perfectly designed guest rooms- the Lodge did not disappoint! We literally thumbed through every kitchen drawer taking in her organization and pretending we were on set during her show. The lodge was huge! We also loved sitting out on this deck and enjoying the Oklahoma breeze after our tour.

To end our day we headed back to “The Merc” for dinner and more shopping. We’ve seen Ree make her famous chicken fried steak and rolls and I was so excited to try this “cowboy” favorite as she calls it.

Boy, was it fabulous y’all! As creamy and crusty and it looks! The perfect pepper gravy, smooth and creamy mashed potatoes and the best crust on our chicken fried steak you’ve ever tasted. The rolls were golden and buttery and perfect for scooping up that extra bit of gravy. The Merc was all things shopping. From Ree’s signature dishes, books and clothes it was so hard to decide what I could live without! This was a Pioneer Woman fan’s dream! I bought books for the kids, coffee mugs and measuring cups! A little bit of everything!

After our full day in town, it was so nice to retreat to our little piece of heaven. We enjoyed the sunset and a fire pit on our back patio with the sweet farm dogs. The fire flies were everywhere. It was so fun to sit out and enjoy the stillness of our farmhouse. We headed home Sunday morning after a gorgeous sunrise. It couldn’t have been more picture perfect. The grass was dewy, the cows and horses were grazing and we walked around with our morning coffee. We could have stayed forever. We were the first one’s to stay at this farm house. A local family down the road ( Thanks Cliff and Beth) turned it into an Air BNB and we were treated like family as their first guests. From the sweet Mother’s Day card they left us on the kitchen tablet the prompt answers if we had any questions- the hospitality fit the feel.

We loved this small town weekend in Osage County. Memories made with my Mom, my aunt Laura and my Grandma that will last a lifetime.