Pawhuska, Oklahoma, went from a 'ghost town' to a thriving tourist hub thanks to 'The Pioneer Woman' - here's what it's like to visit

And, it's helping Pawhuska as a whole. According to Thrillist, nearly a dozen new business have opened over the past year or so, and the town's sales-tax revenue has risen 33% across all businesses.

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There's construction on what Drummond referred to on Instagram as "another restoration project we've been working on in our small town."

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This summer, the lodge by Drummond Ranch began offering free tours on select days.

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The Drummonds are far from finished when it comes to bringing new activity to Pawhuska.

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Ladd Drummond comes from a prominent ranching family. With more than 440,000 acres, the Drummonds are one of the top 20 largest landholders in the US.

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As the name of her blog and show would indicate, Drummond lives on a ranch: Drummond Ranch, just outside of the town.

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Drummond lives slightly outside of Pawhuska.

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Drummond jokingly said that the coffee shop was centered around her desire for a high-quality espresso drink. "I felt that I really did this whole thing, just so that I could have a good cup of coffee everyday," she told Thrillist.

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Source: Thrillist

There's also a bakery-coffee shop hybrid.

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Basically, it's a Ree Drummond-approved Cracker Barrel.

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The general store is packed with knick knacks, kitchenware, and home decor.

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Drummond is known for her comfort food, meaning the menu is filled with items like pancakes, mac and cheese, and chicken fried steak.

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The menu features some of Drummond's recipes from her blog and Food Network show.

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Customers wait in line for hours, with some arriving as early as 5 a.m. to get into the restaurant.

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Up to 15,000 customers flock to Pawhuska every day to visit the site.

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"The Merc," as it is often called by Drummond and her fans, is a triple threat: bakery, deli, and general store.

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Drummond and her husband, Ladd Drummond, opened "The Mercantille" in 2016.

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There are no hotels and few restaurants, except for a Sonic Drive-In on the edge of town. Even the town's Walmart shut down in 1995, and the site has since been turned into a warehouse for Drummond's "Mercantile."

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More than one person told Shah that Pawhuska was a "ghost town" until recently.

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Prior to the rise of "The Pioneer Woman," the town's biggest claim to fame was being the site of the first Boy Scout troop.

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Pawhuska isn't easy to get to. The closest airport, Tulsa, is more than an hour away.

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