"Charlie, Chicken, & Cowboys": 5 Pioneer Woman Must-Do's

I am probably the only mid-western woman in the world who -- up until five years ago -- had no clue who Ree Drummond was. I mean, I've vaguely seen her face passing through the cookware aisles at Wal-Mart. I always thought her branding florals were hip(pie). Fellow Okies I know would often remark, "I just LOVE the Pioneer Woman! She has the best (insert buttery recipe here)". It just never clicked for me, ya know?

Things often don't click for me unless I read a book.

It was a few years ago while I was nannying for a family of two girls. The youngest was very much into all things 'dog' at this point in time. I had probably read aloud Harry the Dirty Dog, Kipper, Clifford, and more for the millionth time. We needed a new dog, doggonit!

So, while we were scouring the shelves at our local library, I found a cover of Charlie the Ranch Dog. I read a few pages, giggled to myself, and picked one more Charlie book in case it was a hit.

It was.

She absolutely loved it. I loved it. Doggonit, Charlie's voice is probably the best character voice to read aloud. We giggled and laughed and felt kindred with Charlie's love of bacon. It has since become one of my go-to read-alouds for my students. I fell in love with Ree Drummond from that moment on. I became a connoisseur of the Pioneer Woman.

I've been begging my husband to take me to Pawhuska to see Charlie for years. Unfortunately, Charlie has since passed away, so I never got to meet him. But let me tell ya! His memory still lives on in this gorgeous small town. Not to mention there are other incredibly amazing historical and cultural sights to see. If nothing else, the incomparable beauty of the drive into town is worth the trek.

5 Pioneer Woman Must-Do's in Pawhuska, Oklahoma

1. Eat Cupcakes Upstairs at Pioneer Woman Bakery

Located inside the Mercantile, there is a beautiful grand staircase where if you travel upstairs they harbor a bakery / coffee shop. We were there early in the day, so it was fairly bare, but it does get crowded as most people decide to wait there for their meal reservations in Ree's restaurant below.

However, I really enjoyed the bakery! Noah (7) got himself a strawberry cupcake that looked like it could have walked out of the 1970s. Personally, I opted for a cookies & cream cupcake which was light, fluffy, and the right amount of sweet. My husband outdid us all and got a tray of cinnamon rolls. He regretted this decision later.

I also got myself a cold brew with a pump of lavender... ooh. Mama liked it!

2. Get a Zoltar Reading at the Buckin' Flamingo

Not literary-related nor is it Pioneer Woman per se, but there is a small, eclectic shop on the main road in town called The Buckin' Flamingo.... you just have to see it for yourself.

I have lived my "BIG" dreams dancing on the giant floor piano at F.E.O Shwartz in NYC. But there's something very nostalgic and majestic about seeing an actual Zoltar machine like the one from the Tom Hanks movie. For a buck, we all had a blast getting our fortunes read to us by the great Zoltar himself.

I can't remember what mine said, but Noah's said there was a woman who was an especially bad influence on him... I say it's the girls at school. He says it's me. Meh. *shrugs* The world will never know.

3. Travel Back in Time

All the chit-chat right now has been about Hollywood coming to little ol' Oklahoma. This past summer, Martin Scorsese filmed his new Leonardo Dicaprio movie "Killers of the Flower Moon" here in Pawhuska.

While you can't see Leo, you can see the large strip of historical buildings that are original to the town which the film studio shined up a bit to look like new to use for set in the movie. Oh gosh, it is incredible!

Everything was freshly painted with "new" branding to advertise confectionaries and a J.C. Penney's... it felt like walking through time.

4. Eat More Chicken at Pioneer Woman Mercantile

You know how I said I didn't know much about Ree's cooking? That's true. So, I had no idea what to expect when we ate dinner inside her restaurant.

I was a fool, I tell you. A fool!

My dinner was indescribably delicious, but my husband's chicken pot pie was INSANE. I ordered the Dr. Pepper Pot Roast which came on a bed of buttery, delightful grits.... oh. I want some now.

But the chicken pot pie Justice ordered was out of this world. It tasted like a four course meal and a hug all in one.

5. Go Charlie Hunting!

The whole reason we went took our day trip to Pawhuska --- to find Charlie. If you look close enough (or just look!) you can find him anywhere. That sweet, dopey Bassett is throughout the mercantile, on shirts, on books, the ranch, shops, and he even has his own ice cream parlor!

I very much wanted to try the ice cream, but we were impossibly stuffed from our dinner and the line was much too long.

Oh, well. Just another reason to make another stop in Pawhuska -- maybe in time for Christmas?

"OH, HONEYYYYY....."

Happy Stories,

Bren

Have you been to Pawhuska? What did I miss? Are you also a big Charlie friend like me? I'd love to know. Write me below and let's chat.