Foliage has been turning colors all over the state, which often brings to mind one of Oklahoma's best locations for viewing fall color — Beavers Bend. This area has long been known as a place for enjoying our great fall weather by hiking, biking or horseback riding on one of the many trails or taking a drive up the Talimena Scenic Byway.
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But there is a lot more to southeastern Oklahoma than spectacular fall foliage. It's a fun weekend getaway destination or day trip that can help you relax before or after the rush of the holiday season. Whether you're looking for a family outing, ladies-only retreat or guys' weekend, the Beavers Bend area has it.
For those seeking a girl-friend getaway, one must-see stop is Girls Gone Wine in Broken Bow.
This place started when three girlfriends decided that a winery would be a fun gathering place for groups of friends, so they created Girls Gone Wine. But this is more than just a tasting room; it is a fun place where you can taste, select, make and bottle your favorite wines for gifts or special occasions.
Of course, you can simply select your favorite bottle of wine and be on your way to enjoy your vacation. Or you might choose to spend a little more time to make your batch of wine, returning about eight weeks later to bottle, cork and custom label your wine. Girls Gone Wine offers a winery, tasting area and gift shop, plus a large covered patio with fire pits.
While the ladies are off making customized wine, the guys can focus on catching dinner on a trout fishing excursion. Beavers Bend is an area with abundant wildlife, wilderness and adventure. Wade into a cool mountain stream, and get the whole family hooked on trout fishing — or bond with just the guys.
The Lower Mountain Fork River offers year-round trout fishing throughout a 12-mile portion of the lower river and its tributaries from Broken Bow dam downstream to U.S. 70 bridge. About five miles of this designated stream lies within Beavers Bend State Park.
When planning a trip to the area, you'll find several lodging choices. One resource is Beavers Bend Creative Escapes. They can help you plan every detail for a fun-filled family vacation or romantic retreat. From bed and breakfasts and cabins to boating and outdoor equipment rentals, Creative Escapes can help customize your vacation in the Broken Bow area.
You'll definitely want to look into Beavers Bend State Park and Lodge. The scenic beauty — crystal clear water and 100-foot pine trees — of Beavers Bend State Park makes it one of Oklahoma 's most popular resort areas.
Much of the charm of Beavers Bend lies in the fact that when the park was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the materials of choice came from the land: slabs on native stone, and hardwood timbers thicker than a man's chest. From them, CCC crews fashioned cabins, staircases, fireplaces, campsites and even the Forest Heritage Center and Museum, which doubles as the Beavers Bend Resort Park office.
The beauty of Beavers Bend State Park is that you are free to explore on your own or join in group activities — or to try a little of both. Visitors can participate in eagle watches from November through February, trout fishing, fly-fishing clinics, guided horseback rides on scenic trails, or hayrides throughout the park.
A year-round naturalist and a well-stocked nature center make for an event lineup that includes campfire programs on the banks of the Mountain Fork River, nature hikes, arts and crafts classes and nature films. In the park's Riverbend area, water lovers can find yakanoes (a combination kayak and canoe), paddle boats, canoes and sandy beaches with roped off swim areas.
The clear waters of the 14,000-acre Broken Bow Lake are also a favorite haunt of scuba divers. Other park diversions: golfing, miniature golf, tennis, jet skiing (rentals available), bumper boat rides, boating (party barge rentals available) and canoeing (rentals available).
Beavers Bend Resort Park also draws the serious hiker. Its David Boren Trail offers 16 miles of hiking trails with 4 miles of multipurpose (mountain bike) trails that wander along ridge tops, over creek bottoms, through tall stands of timber, and into areas so remote one can almost experience what early-day explorers must have felt upon seeing the Ouachita National Forest for the first time. Good news for the not-so-serious hiker: The same trail can also be divided into short and long hikes.
With all of this activity, you're bound to work up an appetite. I suggest trying Abendigo's Grill and Patio in Broken Bow. The folks at Abendigo's call their food "creative casual cuisine with a Cajun Creole kick.” With a constantly evolving menu and a fun yet relaxing atmosphere, customers leave full and happy, then return again and again.
Abendigo's prides itself on great-tasting food and live music which make for a lively casual dining experience.
So call your friends or check the family calendar and set a date for that weekend getaway to southeastern Oklahoma.
Lindsay Vidrine is public relations director for the Travel and Tourism Division of the state Tourism and Recreation Department.
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Beavers Bend State Park
For more information on Beavers Bend State Park or the Broken Bow area, go online to www.TravelOK.com or call an Oklahoma travel counselor at (800) 652-6552.
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