Toby Keith Invites People to Oklahoma Ranch

Finally. The invitation into Toby Keith’s Oklahoma house I’ve been waiting for. Actually, now that I’ve seen the pictures in People Country, the word “house” doesn’t really do this place justice. Maybe something more like “estate” works. Because you know anytime you give your house a name (his is Dream Walkin’ Farms), it kind of ceases to become just a house. But it is spectacular, from the big ol’ gates out front to the nearly 9,000 square feet of living space he and his family call home on the 160 acres. There is a theater room, a lake full of bass, perch and catfish, an eight-car garage and a racquetball court. And even though all that space doesn’t make it your typically cozy country house , Keith tells People.com, “When you’re born and raised in a place like Oklahoma, no place else feels like home.”

They Had a Barbecue Stain on a White T-Shirt …

In the latest issue of People Country, you can find out exactly where country stars find the best barbecue. But I have to warn you, if you don’t live south of the Mason-Dixon Line, it’s kind of depressing. Tim McGraw likes Podnuh’s in Baton Rouge, Jason Aldean picks Fincher’s Bar-B-Q in Georgia and Jake Owen names a spot in Florida. Dolly Parton chooses Couser’s Southern Restaurant in Nashville (and also serves up quite a spread at her Dollywood theme park). I’m sure all those meals are just fine. But for those of us who live up north, what about us? Even though it didn’t make it to the top of anyone’s list, Memphis-based Corky’s is my personal favorite. Not just because it’s tasty, smoked and hand-pulled, but because they will deliver it to your door. You can get three pounds of their pulled pork and a bottle of sauce for around $70 and eat like a star no matter where you live.

Photo credit: Dollywood

Kix Brooks Finds Serenity on His 600-Acre Farm

A funky little cabin. A two-story tree fort. These are the kinds of things that inspire Kix Brooks. Well, those and the 600-acre farm he has them on. He tells People Country magazine that this is where he finds peace, and that “anytime you can get some peace, I think it serves as great inspiration.” (He in fact co-wrote the Brooks & Dunn hit “Only in America” on this property.) I’m guessing the acreage also has a real home and that Brooks does not spend all his time in the aforementioned tree fort and tiny cabin. But all he says of the farm’s best feature is its remoteness, even though it’s only about an hour from Nashville. “If you get to really experience the woods, where you can’t see power lines, people or roads, you realize that there is a serenity in the world,” he says.