Celebrate the Old West in Abilene!
Calling all cowboys, cowgirls, and cowboy history lovers! You won't want to miss this perfect itinerary!
10:00 am
Ride the rails with the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad! Enjoy an open-air ride through the countryside. The train departs Abilene eastbound for a 10.5 mile round trip through the Smoky Hill River Valley to the neighboring community of Enterprise. There, the train stop for riders to see the Hoffman Gifts Mill, featuring a rebuilt working waterwheel that mills flour.
Be sure to visit the Fred Schmidt Railroad Museum inside the railroad depot and enjoy the exhibits of memorabilia and model trains.
Noon
Hop in your car and head over to Joe Snuff’s Old Fashioned Grill on W 1st Street to enjoy a tasty lunch! Take note of its location and neighboring buildings on Texas Street.
1:00 pm
Take a walk through Old Abilene Town to see the new Chisholm Trail Museum and Interpretive Center in the Way Station at Old Abilene Town. Stop in the Great Western Cattle Company Building to see more than 40 different 1:24 scale replica buildings that recreate Abilene’s 1860s Texas Street.
Stroll the boardwalk, just as Wild Bill Hickok did during Abilene’s wild and wooly days. Get a taste of the Old West by drinking an ice-cold sarsaparilla and watching the can-can dancers as they perform on stage and on the bar from the original Alamo Saloon. Gunfighters also stage mock shoot-outs during the summer travel season around 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
Bonus: Enjoy a stagecoach ride through Old Abilene Town with Wild Heart Carriages!
3:00 pm
Stop by the Dickinson County Heritage Center to learn about Dickinson County’s famous former residents, from C.L. Brown – whose telephone company eventually became known as Sprint – to Abilene’s former Marshall Wild Bill Hickok to Joseph McCoy, who brought hundreds of thousands of cattle to Abilene in the 1860s, making the community a booming Cowtown at the end of the Chisholm Trail.
Make sure to go outside behind the Heritage Center to see a two-story log cabin, general store, farm machinery, and more!
And visitors of all ages cannot pass up a whirl on the 1901 C.W. Parker Carousel!
5:15 pm
Enjoy a relaxing steak dinner at the Hitching Post Restaurant and Saloon located just steps away from the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad and Old Abilene Town.
6:30
Grab a quick photo with the Big Spur at Rittel's Western Wear to document your visit!
7:30
What does live, professional theatre have to do with the wild west? Did you know Great Plains Theatre is located on the site of Joseph McCoy's former stockyards? These shipping yards were large enough to accommodate 3,000 head of cattle. Buy a ticket to Grease - opening Friday, June 11, and enjoy the show!
Spend the night in Abilene!
Abilene is home to more than 200 rooms ready to serve travelers.