Abilene

Seelye Mansion – A Living Time Capsule

Who's up for a little time traveling? A visit to Abilene, Kansas can take you back to the early 1900s just by touring the Seelye Mansion. This turn-of-the-century home has 25 rooms and more than a few fascinating features. One fact that surprised us was that the furnishings cost more than the home, which was built in 1905. In 2022, it's unusual to find a place that still has the original appliances and electrical components. As we toured this massive house, we felt like we were in a living time capsule. We want to thank Travel Kansas and Visit Abilene for hosting our [...]

By |2022-09-23T06:08:52-06:00September 23rd, 2022|Abilene, Kansas, Midwest, North Central|2 Comments

War and Peace – Eisenhower Presidential Library

Our trip to Abilene, Kansas would not be complete without a visit to the site that honors one of the most famous Kansans. The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Boyhood Home is a top destination for travelers from all over the country and the world. They come to Abilene to pay homage and learn more about the man who served as the 34th President of the United States. Our first visit occurred during renovations, so we were excited to get the opportunity to see the space after its facelift. This time, we were able to view the exhibits and discover how Ike handled issues he [...]

By |2022-11-29T12:52:10-06:00August 23rd, 2022|Abilene, Kansas, Midwest|4 Comments

Abilene, Kansas – Presidents, Residents, and Plenty Of Chicken

We enjoy visiting destinations that can be reached in just a couple of hours. Living in the Midwest, we tend to space our cities a little farther apart than what is found on the coasts. Fortunately, the miles between them are filled with some beautiful landscape. Abilene, Kansas makes a perfect day trip from the Kansas City area, but on our visit, we spent the night. This allowed us to add a couple more stops to our itinerary. Being the northern end of the Chisholm Trail meant that the rowdy and rambunctious cowboys couldn't wait to arrive. Much like them, we were ready [...]

By |2022-10-11T12:55:04-06:00September 5th, 2018|Abilene, Daytrips, Destinations, Guides, Kansas|8 Comments

Cowboys, Calls, and Carousels – Dickinson Heritage Center

On a warm summer day we rolled into Abilene, Kansas. We arrived from the south, much like the cattle drives of old. The first destination on our itinerary was the Dickinson Heritage Center. This multi-subject museum is a good spot to learn the background of the area, as well as some extra informational tidbits. The museum is located in a section of the city that has a collection of historical sites and specialty museums. It was nice to find that many of the places we would be touring were all within walking distance of each other. The Dickinson Heritage Center begins with a [...]

By |2022-10-11T12:54:30-06:00August 15th, 2018|Abilene, Kansas|0 Comments

The Quick and The Dead – Old Abilene Town

There is something engrossing about seeing history come to life. At Old Abilene Town visitors have the chance to witness this happen each weekend during the summer. This place is family-friendly and includes a mix of static museum-style displays with interactive activities. We dropped in on them on a Saturday afternoon and found that they even had a concession truck available for those needing a snack. The Town Our arrival was made in time to give us the leisure of walking around the town before the afternoon performance was scheduled to begin. The buildings are laid out like an old street, but there [...]

By |2022-04-14T04:23:47-06:00August 8th, 2018|Abilene, Kansas|9 Comments

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner At Brookville Hotel

UPDATE: The Brookville has been reopened under new ownership. We plan to revisit to update this article.  Abilene, Kansas held a few unexpected surprises for us. Some of you may have heard of the Brookville Hotel, which originated in Brookville, Kansas in the late 1800's. In those days, cowboys were driving Texas longhorns north up the Chisholm Trail. The town of Brookville sprang up along the route, and quickly grew in population with the aspiration of attracting a railroad center. When Union Pacific settled on nearby Junction City, it was a crippling blow for the town of Brookville. Even though the population dwindled, [...]

By |2022-10-13T08:18:37-06:00August 1st, 2018|Abilene, Kansas|22 Comments

All Aboard The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad

Growing up neither of us had much opportunity to travel by train. The heyday of this mode of transportation had passed and most families navigated the countryside by automobile. Recently, we had the chance to take a lunch train ride that piqued our interest in experiencing more of this form of travel. When we laid out the plans for our visit to Abilene, Kansas, a stop at the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad was high on our list. We arrived at the Rock Island Depot, which was built in 1887, with time for a tour of the facility before our journey. We want to [...]

By |2022-10-11T12:52:42-06:00July 25th, 2018|Abilene, Destinations, Kansas, Midwest|4 Comments
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