A First Glimpse of Wildcatter Ranch

We left Ft. Worth and headed about 90 minutes northwest to Wildcatter Ranch. We had just relived some of the Old West and were hoping to actually “live” some of the New West. The drive up was easy and we arrived just before sunset. The main buildings and guest accommodations were set at the top of a Texas hill, overlooking the ranch’s 4,000 acres. What we were to discover was that all the guest rooms  overlooked the vast expanse of ranch below and we could enjoy the sunset from our window and our own back porch. We were wow-ed. This is a photo from our first sunset at the ranch.

Our room was just like the it was depicted on the Wildcatter Ranch Web site. Their photos certainly presented a true picture of what we found to be great accommodations.

Our room, the Ft. Belknap, was extremely spacious with two queen beds decked out with beautiful coverlets and real quilts — not to mention a passle of individually-designed pillows. It had a natural stone fireplace , about 20 feet tall. And it was gas, so all we had to do was flick the switch for instant fireplace ambiance. Plus a bottle of wine was left chilling for us on the hearth. Now that’s a warm Texas welcome!

The bathroom was thoughtfully split into two rooms, both with vanities and good lighting (especially important for makeup — and so often lacking in even top-drawer regular hotels.) You can tell a woman or two had a hand in designing these rooms. Lovely white robes hung in the closet. And our room had a convenient coffee bar with microwave, coffeemaker, a small refrigerator with cold bottles of water and real half-and-half creamers for coffee drinkers like me who have definite preferences. Another thoughtful touch!

Every detail of our room was carefully planned to make it as comfortable, historically authentic and enchanting as possible. We were not in a hotel of any sort, but on a guest ranch and we were delighted to be the guests.

NEXT:  Dinner at the Wildcatter Steakhouse and We Meet the Ranch Staff. 

Other Tidbits:
1) We found handmade soap wrapped in a bit of chenille and raffia on the sinks. A nice touch. Towels were soft and nappy; linens were high quality.
2) Guest rooms were built in small rustic-looking buildings, each with four guest rooms — all the same size as ours. Would be great for girlfriends or families. Rates are seasonal and start at $149/night in low season. Each room had a front entrance and a rear one facing the back porch and overlooking the ranch.
3) Rooms have a TV with DVD and come with a DVD about the ranch’s history. It was worth watching.