We just got back from our 3rd visit to Broken Bow, OK. I like that it feels far away but is just 3 hours from our home in northwest Louisiana. Broken Bow is a happy mix of cute small town, tourist stops, and wilderness. Cam and I would enjoy it without the kids, when we get a chance to take a couples trip one day! (Right now, baby Beatrix is just 2 months old and I’m exclusively nursing, so it will be down the road a while.) And with the kids, we enjoy it as well.
This will be a breakdown of the food and drinks we enjoy there, the kid-friendly entertainment, and the outdoorsy stuff. I’ll also link the cabins where we’ve stayed each time. Note, there are a lot more trails and outdoor activities to enjoy than what I list here; the kids aren’t big on trails, and we as a family don’t really fish or camp, so I don’t have experience with the lakes that are around.
Food and drink
Hachi Hachi – This Japanese food truck has a limited menu, but it’s all delicious. Our favorites are the noodles and chicken. Alexander is allergic to shrimp, so we have not gotten that. But we’ve tried the rest of the offerings! Highly recommend! Bonus, you get a TON of food for the price.
Tacohoma – This is another little hut type of eatery. You can sit outside and eat there if you’d like, but it doesn’t have indoor seating. The quesabirria tacos are insaaaane. BIG NOTE: They have a new name now, and I can not find it anywhere!! But if you search for it on the map, it still pops up under “tacohoma”.
Okie Girls Coffee & Ice Cream – They have a huge array of Blue Bell ice cream flavors. And their coffee is really good! I’m always on the hunt for good coffee (a latte, to be precise) when we go out of town. Most of the coffee in Broken Bow is meh (Local 259, Hochatown Coffee Central, Swamp Booger Mercantile), but I have not tried all the options.
Local Habit – This is a new coffee shop in town, and the drinks are great. It’s a bit expensive, but that’s how it goes in a touristy small town. That little shopping area will be real nice once they get it going more. For now, it’s just got 4 shops, and only 2 of them were open when I stopped by.
Grateful Head Pizza – This pizza chain has two locations: one in Hot Springs and one in Broken Bow. It’s VERY cheesy, but I love it.
Buffalo Grill – Just classic BBQ. I had the pulled pork sandwich with baked beans, and it was delicious. I can’t say the rest of the menu is any good because I didn’t try it, but my parents enjoyed it!
Gutter Chaos – This is a bowling alley that has standard bar food: I had a chicken bacon wrap with sweet potato fries. It was fine, nothing mind blowing. But if you go to hang out a while (see below), you can get a decent meal while you play.
Hochahut – Fair food! Corn dogs, chili dogs, fried Oreos. It’s delicious!
The Meltdown – Gourmet grilled cheese! They’ve got a menu of a variety of grilled sandwiches. They all sound delicious. This is a food truck with limited hours.
Entertainment
Hochatown Rescue & Petting Zoo – This place has rave reviews online, but our experience was not great. I am not a fan of zoos or any place where animals are not in their natural habitat. This place is a rescue, though, where abused, injured, and abandoned animals can come to thrive and live out their days in comfort. And for some, if they are local and can be rehabilitated, they’ll be released back into the wild when they’re ready. Long story short: two different goats kept coming up to us, aggressively, hurting both Annabelle and my mom, until a worker finally secured the goats and then escorted us all the way to the exit. For the cost, the animals that are allowed to come up directly to you should NOT be aggressive at all.
NOTE: I messaged them on Facebook about the situation and got a 👍🏼 in reply. 😒
The Maze of Hochatown – We’ve gone to the maze all 3 visits, and we really enjoy it. It takes 30-60 minutes to complete. There are 5 towers, and you must visit all 5 towers in any order, get the corresponding stamp, then find the exit. We’ve done boys vs girls each time; the boys won the first two trips, but the girls won this last trip.
Chili Dippers Golf Club – This is a mini golf course next to the Maze. The only thing is that each hole is more like an actual putting green. In a traditional mini golf course, the holes will have silly features, like hitting a ball into a whale’s mouth. This one is more grown-up looking. It’s pretty! I think if you’re into mini golf, you’ll like it even without the kiddie aspects.
Gutter Chaos – I linked this above. There’s a small bowling alley – by “small” I mean that each lane is shorter than a typical bowling lane. There are 3 pool tables. And there’s a decent sized arcade, the kind where you fill up a card, play games, win tickets, then buy prizes with your tickets. We went twice: once to bowl and again to play in the arcade.
Hey Sugar – Just a big ole candy shop. It’s fun to look around at the candies and sodas and chocolates. They do have a little ice cream as well!
Outdoors
Friends Trail – This hike takes about 1.5 hours. It’s NOT easy. Then again, I’ve never done it as JUST Bethany, in peak health. I’ve either been pregnant or babywearing. It’s a loop: you go up a relatively steep, rocky hill. Then you come back down an even steeper hill! But you end up walking along this gorgeous creek (maybe it’s a river). It’s a lot of rocky terrain, so you have to go very slow. It’s only about a mile, I believe. This is one of my favorite things in this area!
Mountain Fork Trail – This is a tiny trail that goes along a river (or creek? I don’t know the difference). Very pretty! Down and back, not a loop.
Cedar Bluff Trail – Another easy trail. This one’s down and back.
Get the All Trails app! I believe there’s a free version of it. If not, you can find trail info on their website too. There are SO MANY trails in the area; we’ve only done a handful. If you’re big into hiking or just walking in the wilderness, you’ll find an option that works for you in Broken Bow.
Lodging
Last but not least, we’ve stayed in 3 different cabins on our 3 trips:
- Pretty sure this is not a rental anymore. But just in case, here’s the link for it. We loved this spot! It is our second favorite.
- This one’s our favorite. The cabin is even bigger than it looks in the pictures. Lots of room to sleep and play. Comfy and cozy. GREAT kitchen. Nice location (in fact, literally next door to number 1).
- Our most recent cabin: This is the one with all the outdoor stuff. The big slide, the lake, mini golf course. The only downside is the size; the pictures make it seem much bigger than it is. So it felt cramped to me. It was nice though and had everything we needed.
Conclusion
If you live within 5-6 hours of Broken Bow, I think it’s worth the trip! A week is a good length of time for your visit, but as little as 3 days would be a lot of fun too. If you’re into the outdoors, stay by the lake! If you want a mix of touristy stuff plus a little bit of the outdoors, stay in Hochatown in one of the MANY cabins. Either way, I think you’ll have a good time.
For what it’s worth, there are a lot of things to eat and drink if you’re going without kids! We just don’t typically go out to restaurants with the kids. They do just fine; it’s just easier to pick up food and eat it, relaxed, at the cabin. There are wineries and breweries and things like that, and the bowling alley has karaoke nights. Lots to do, lots to do. ☺️