05 Apr A Hilltop Escape With a Side of Savory Smoky Steak…
It’s about that time of year when I start making plans and reservations for any late Summer and Fall trips on my mind. Thinking back to last Fall, at the beginning of October, my husband and I took a weekend getaway trip to Graham, Texas. Graham is located approximately 90 minutes northwest of the Fort Worth area.
We were craving fresh air and wide open spaces, so we booked a cabin at the Wildcatter Ranch & Resort. The Wildcatter Ranch offers multiple accommodation options depending on what you are looking for. You can stay in the main hotel which offers traditional style hotel rooms, or you can reserve a cabin located a little further down the road from the main hotel. There are multiple sets of cabins if you have a group you are traveling with and want to all stay next to each other. The Wildcatter also has a large homestead on the property away from the hotel and cabins that you can rent out for weddings, reunions, etc. to all be under one roof.
This rustic resort is situated high up on a hill with amazing views overlooking the Brazos River. At the top of the hill you will find the main hotel, cabins, pool/hot tub, steakhouse, and wedding venue. The cabins are the closest in proximity to where the pool and hot tub are located. The main hotel is located closer to the Wildcatter Steakhouse, if you have a preference on what you are closest to. In general though, everything at the top of the hill is very easily within walking distance to each other.
We chose to book a cabin with double queen size bed. King bed options are limited, so book your room early. The cabin included concrete floors, a stone fireplace, private bath with tub/shower combo, and a back patio with rocking chairs.
The Wildcatter is an active working cattle ranch, and many of the tour guides for the excursions, including our jeep tour guide, actually works on the ranch in between excursions and can answer an array of questions about the property. Poor guide, I asked a million questions lol. NOTE- the majority of activities on the ranch need to be booked/scheduled ahead of time by calling the reservations desk. Some of the activities offered on the ranch that we hoped to do included horseback riding, a jeep tour, calf roping, ax throwing, and a shooting range. We didn’t have time for all of them on this trip. Most of those activities are located at the bottom of the hill and would be a long and difficult walk down. We drove to our planned excursions on the ranch, and I recommend you do to!
Our main priority was to relax and refresh, so we didn’t fill up our weekend with too many activities. The only activities I actually booked for us was the calf roping (which by the way I roped that calf like a champ! haha) and the jeep tour. Let me just say this about the jeep tour…HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE! Lol! Ok, not that dramatic, but not too far off either! It was WAY more rugged and off road than I ever expected, and I was holding the roll bar and buckled during the whole ride. It was worth the bumpy trip around to catch a spectacular view of the Brazos River. The whole ride in total was an hour long.
Time for the relaxing and refreshing part of the trip! Pool and hot tub time. The majority of our trip was spent lounging and enjoying the view. The water was a little chilly that time of year, but the sun felt so nice and warm for soaking in, and the hot tub was nearby if we needed it. The views from the pool were gorgeous and serene! The landscaping around the pool area is kept rustic and natural with vines and gardens attracting butterflies and bees. It is a picturesque setting!
The pool and amazing views on the property rank very high on our favorite things about this resort, however, our #1 favorite thing about Wildcatter Ranch & Resort is the Wildcatter Steakhouse. My husband and I have said many times since that trip, that we would absolutely drive back up to Graham on a random date night, just to eat at the steakhouse again! That’s how truly yummy it was! The filet I ordered had a deep smoky and peppery flavor that lingered after every bite. I mean seriously smoky like I’ve never tasted anywhere else…in the best kind of way. Ohhhh I savored each bite. Wildcatter Steakhouse is open to the public, but MAKE SURE to call and make a reservation before showing up. It fills up FAST! There is a cozy bar area to grab a drink and wait to be seated.
The steakhouse also offers a plentiful breakfast buffet for hotel guests that is delish! I enjoyed the cutest little Texas shape pancakes with my eggs. ( I never say no to pancakes if you haven’t noticed). We grabbed a patio seat and enjoyed our cool crisp morning drinking coffee and listening to the birds. There are a few lunch options at the steakhouse as well, but we drove into town for lunch. The drive into town is a quick 6-8 minutes at the most.
Did you know that Graham, Texas, less than 10 min from the Wildcatter Ranch & Resort, has the largest downtown square in all of America?!!? Well, when I heard that, I knew I had to check it out. We ate lunch at a little deli and walked around the courthouse for a bit, but honestly did not find ourselves wanting to stay for very long. If I’m being completely honest, I feel like there is still A LOT of potential for the square to fancy up a bit, and offer more shopping and eateries than what it currently has. I had such high expectations, and felt a little underwhelmed at the time. I’m not totally crossing it off the list forever though! June might be just the perfect time to come back and let the square redeem itself. Every June Graham square hosts their annual Food Truck Championship of Texas! Food is my love language obviously.
Find out more about the Food Truck Championship on this website: http://www.foodtruckchampionshipoftexas.com/
| This was a WEEKEND trip for me. |
| What I made sure to pack: |
| my boots |
| hiking shoes |
| swimwear |
| steakhouse attire (jeans and casual shirt is perfectly acceptable) |
Possum Kingdom Lake is an easy 15-20 minute drive from Wildcatter Ranch, and could absolutely be put on the itinerary for a trip out there. There are so many possibilities for outdoor fun in and around the Graham area.
Wildcatter Ranch is where resort amenities meets the rustic wild wild west. You will experience nature and serenity…and steak in a new way! Wildcatter Ranch & Resort, a beautiful and rustic little slice of Texas. God bless Texas, and God bless the Wildcatter Steakhouse!
Direct link to resort website: https://www.wildcatterranch.com/
Have you stayed at the Wildcatter Ranch?? What activities did you enjoy? Do you have any questions about my trip? Leave a comment 🙂
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