Once a small Texas frontier settlement, Abilene is a modern, thriving city where the past is…read morecelebrated and remembered in unique museums such as Frontier Texas! and the Grace Museum. Abilene Zoo has more than 1,000 animals, including some lions and tigers and bears (oh my) The 19th century Fort Phantom Hill is part of the Texas Forts Trail, connecting various West Texas frontier landmarks. 12th armored division memorial museum Located in the town of Buffalo Gap, Texas, the Taylor County History Center, previously known as the Buffalo Gap Historic Village, is a living museum that tells the nostalgic story of the last half century of the West Texas wild frontier. Located about half an hour from Abilene State Park, the Morgan Jones Planetarium is one of the very few planetariums in Texas. The National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature is an unusual museum that focuses on illustrations in literature. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's plenty to keep you and your guest busy.

The lady at the front desk was condescending, rude, and extremely unhelpful. I hope the city looks…read moreinto finding a course on customer service and maybe some sensitivity training. Cultural competency for this city would be wonderful.

Excellent place to relax with family or by yourself. Love going on my days off ! Can wait for it…read moreto reopen I hope

There's an ever decreasing number of these wonderfully nostalgic drive-in theaters in existence so…read morejust be happy this one is still with us. To the thousands of younger generations who have never experienced a drive-in movie, here's your chance.

Wonderful library with people so willing to help you. I have several ebooks checked out at all timesread more

I am all for public service. I truly adore reading and support the idea of promoting reading…read morethrough a system of points assigned per books/words written. However, it saddens me to have to only assign 3 stars to this location. First and foremost, i do realize most younger readers prefer sitting on floors to read anyways, but it would help if there were more chairs and tables available. Secondly, the accessibility to working computer stations is limited to. The choice of books is tailored around the space allotted. But, a good swapping system allows a book to be delivered if available at any other location within Abilene public libraries. I may sound a bit harsh, but if your goal is to attract younger readers, the path is still long, perilous and hard to follow. But i am confident in your abilities to improve and draw every single reader (young or otherwise). After all, words are what makes the worls go round and round.

Man, if there is one thing to do when you visit Abilene, it has to be to come here and check out…read morethis unique museum. I was in town and killing time before meeting up with some people in the evening, and came across this as an option. I swung by and was thoroughly impressed. The young man behind the counter was friendly and walked me through where I'd be going and what I'd be seeing. I was the only one in the "next group" for the intro video, and he even delayed the start time since I ran to the restroom before roaming the grounds. They have an impressive display of artifacts ranging from early Texas all the way through the frontier days, including a very impressive array of historic guns towards the end. They have interactive kiosks and hologram displays where actors portray historical figures and tell "firsthand" accounts of what was experienced on the frontier, right out of the accounts left by those people beforehand. There's a second theater towards the end of the museum that's a lot more immersive. You have to rotate around in a swivel chair as the story is told from all around you, and there's lights and sound to really sell you on the experience-- all from the comfort of your air-conditioned chair. I don't plan on being back in Abilene anytime soon, but if I ever was back with friends, I'd take them here to check this place out.

Excellent displays of artifacts from the early days of Texas. Quality movies portraying how Texas…read morechanged and the demise of the buffalo. Very sad, but made way for cattle. Good coverage of the Native Americans and their culture. It was seriously the best kept museum I have seen. And many hands-on elements. Definitely worth a visit if in the area. The staff were very friendly as well!

I wish YELP had a catagory for Sights to See or Local Attractions. I travel a lot and try to find…read morelocal flavor, or "what sets one town apart from any other." When I first went to Meridian, Mississippi I found they had the fantastic Dentzel Carousel, and beautifully painted life-sized carousel horses which were scattered around town as a fundraising venture for "Hope Village" for children. Tracking down the carousel horses made for a fantastic adventure. This adventure started a trend for me. Now I look for this same type of art project in all of the towns I travel to. Here in Abilene there are numerous outdoor Sculptures scattered all over town. I found quite a few, but I'm sure I missed a lot of them. I've posted some of these photos here. There is also a Fantastic Rock Sculpture at the University and the ruins of an old abandoned Fort (Fort Phantom Hill) to explore nearby. Besides the outdoor art, my dad loved visiting the "12th Armored Division Memorial Museum" & we both enjoyed "Frontier Texas". You can learn more about the area by checking out http://abilenecac.org/index.htm - - - So far I have found a lot of unique things in my travels. In Texas : Abilene - Iron Sculptures Amarillo - Quarter Horses Austin - Guitars Corpus Christi - Dolphins Odessa - Rabbits Wichita Falls - Mustangs - - - In Mississippi : Madison - Carousel Horses Hattiesburg - Swans Biloxi - tree sculptures - - - In Oklahoma: Shawnee - Painted Indian Ponies - - - * The next time I travel through Colorado I plan to look for the Painted Piano's scattered around Fort Collins.

Stopped buy the Abilene Chamber of Commerce to pick up welcome packets, it was the first time I had…read morewent their location to do so, as you enter the building you see the elevator, push the button for number 2 . When the doors open there it it!! Nice friendly people. Was only able to get a couple packs. I need to save some money and join the Chamber.

Abilene's storybook initiative is one of the coolest things I've seen in a small town of its size…read more The Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden, free and open year-round, was one of my favorite things to see in Abilene. The garden wraps around the Abilene Convention Center and features beautifully maintained sculptures of both classic and modern storybook characters, including Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Little Pigs, Stuart Little, and Charlotte and Wilbur from Charlotte's Web, among others. I loved how next to each sculpture is a page or the cover from the actual book, which helps you connect the character to the story. Some of the sculptures also had author bios about the storybook's writer, which is a nice detail. There are great opportunities for photos, such as sitting in the boat with Stuart Little or running away from the three bears with Goldilocks, which my girlfriend and I took advantage of. The park also has a lot of string lights for nighttime and is open all hours of the day to enjoy. If you're ever passing through Abilene while on I-20, I highly recommend making a pit stop to check out all these statues. They're still adding more each year, and the new Clear Fork Bank Storybook Garden on the opposite side of the Abilene Convention Center already features two sculptures with plenty of room for more. RIYL: Being the only adult without kids looking at statues

this is a neat little park with a nice walking path and a bunch of different statues.read more

Came in town to visit my son who attends college in Abilene and stayed this summer for an…read moreinternship...so I took him out for the day with his sisters. There isn't much to do here so we opted to bowl. This place has a variety of things to partake in and the staff are friendly. However, my family loves bowling and it was disappointing that we had to get someone to help us multiple times throughout our game. The bowling balls kept gettin stuck and at one point we had no balls nor did the people in the lane next to us. Another couple of times the lane just took all the pins when we never even threw a ball down or if we knocked down a few it would take them all. We still managed to have fun but it was quite annoying to not be able to finish a game without having to get assistance and then request for time to be added due to waiting for help. The last couple of times we didn't even ask for time back we just accepted defeat.

Expensive! Every game ranges from $2 to $9, our bowling lane kept breaking down (glitching) making…read moreus wait for 7-16 minutes. Cotton candy machine also kept breaking down. Games that did work were fun.

Looking for a wedding venue? There truly are not enough…read morewords to thank Thomas for everything he did for us during our wedding. From the moment we started working with him, we felt supported, cared for, and completely at ease. Planning a wedding can feel overwhelming at times, but Thomas had a way of making everything feel manageable and calm. On our wedding day, he was everywhere we needed him to be without us ever having to ask. He handled every detail with so much professionalism, kindness, and genuine care. Because of him, John and I were able to be fully present and soak in every moment instead of worrying about logistics. That is such a priceless gift on a day you can never get back. What stood out most was how much heart he put into his work. We never felt like "just another event." He truly cared about us, our families, and making sure our day was everything we hoped it would be. By the end of it all, Thomas didn't just feel like our venue coordinator -- he felt like part of the day itself and honestly became a friend. He danced with me and our guests, celebrated alongside us, and brought such a fun, positive energy to the entire evening. Looking back, I can honestly say I had the BEST team ever, and Thomas was such a huge part of that. We are beyond grateful for the role he played in one of the most important days of our lives. Thank you, Thomas, for helping create memories we will cherish forever.

It was a nice afternoon in Abilene when my girlfriend and I explored the historic Grace building…read moreand visited the Grace Museum. We got in a little after noon to see new exhibits that had genuinely just opened for the season that day. The museum is very quiet and, thanks to road construction, a little confusing to get to, but it is worth the drive and adventure. As we arrived, we noticed that a wedding was being set up in their courtyard and event space, and we were in awe of how cute the space was for a wedding. On the first floor was the Gail Norfleet collection, where we were amazed by these multi-layered plexiglass paintings that added depth to her floral pieces and recreated rooms. It is such a unique style. Gail's use of color is quite impressive. On the second floor sat the other two new exhibits. The first was Focus on Photography: Selections from the Permanent Collection, which includes a diverse and vast collection of still images printed on numerous materials such as gelatin, inkjet, tintype, and metal, giving each image a unique display. As a photographer myself, this was my favorite exhibit. My girlfriend's favorite was the Cindi Holt collection showcasing colorful, prairie-inspired pieces. Other areas included the play zone that has the tower challenge and the history exhibits on the third floor focusing on downtown Abilene and the Texas railway. I'm excited to return to the Grace Museum next time I'm in Abilene when new exhibits are on display. What a cute and small museum! RIYL: The Tower Challenge or feeling so much cooler than everyone else because you're being enriched at a museum

I was kind of bummed - I could have sworn the website said they had a permanent exhibit, including…read moreMo Willems' work among others we love. But alas, the museum is strictly traveling works. We went today and it was all pictures of black children's books, for Black History Month. There is a little gift shop full of *signed* children's books (signature for no extra charge). There are also a few reading areas with bins of books, so grab one and read to your kids! You'll find a Little Free Library just outside, which is awesome! Bring a book, take a book. :)

This place is a true gem. The NCCIL has world class…read moreexhibits and a lovely book store. We will be visiting as often as possible