The Most Quaint Small Town in Every State

Mom.me blog names Abilene, Kansas the Most Quaint Small Town in Kansas.

Most Visited Attraction

Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum Named One of The Most-Visited Places in Kansas in 2018

Abilene's Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum received an award for being one of the most visited places in Kansas from Arrivalist, a visitation-intelligence company and the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism (KDWPT). 

At the annual Travel Industry Association of Kansas' (TIAK) legislative day in Topeka, the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum was recognized for having the most visits in the in the Amusement Parks, Water Parks and Attractions category. 

At this event - known as "Destination Statehouse" - TIAK members have the opportunity to network with legislators directly to advocate for Kansas tourism, observe House and Senate Legislative Sessions, and showcase the unique assets that Kansas has to offer visitors. This year, KDWPT and Arrivalist handed out ArrivaLIST visitation awards. Arrivalist is a visitation-intelligence company that empowers marketers with a new suite of measurements to evaluate the lifetime value of a visitor. In 2014, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism was the first state agency to partner with Arrivalist to track visitors who research the state online and then enter Kansas.
Abilene CVB Attends Destination Statehouse

Abilene CVB booth at the Kansas State Capitol.

Eisenhower featured cover of the 2018 Kansas Travel & Tourism's Fast Facts.
Thank you to Senator Randall Hardy for visiting the Abilene CVB booth!

Thank you to Representative John Barker for visiting the Abilene CVB booth!
Wes Anderson's Abilene

Click image to view

Thanks to  5 Star Studios  for this great short Wes Anderson-inspired film about Abilene!
Abilene Travel Information Center

Red = 2018 visitor state of origin
Open 7 days a week

Served 4,372 visitors to Abilene in 2018

Visitors from 82 Kansas Counties

Visitors from 14 countries including:
  • Africa
  • Canada
  • China
  • England
  • France
  • Germany
  • Holland
  • India
  • Japan
  • Norway
  • Puerto Rico
Abilene's Victorian Inn Specials

Treat your Valentine to one of Chef Adrian's special dinners while you are staying at Abilene's Victorian Inn February 12-17. Reserve now, limited seating.
 
We will also be taking reservations for lunch from 11-2pm for small groups Wed -Fri through the month of February. Please call to reserve.


Throwback Thursday - Old Abilene Town
 

5 Star Reviews - La Fiesta
 
2019 Calendar of Events

2019 marks 150 years since the City of Abilene's official incorporation. Community events make Abilene not only a great place to live, but also a great place to visit. Make plans now to visit Abilene, Kansas and enjoy these great events! 

Take the Abilene Event Challenge - how many can you attend? Snap a photo and tag us in your Facebook posts @VisitAbilene.


EVENT

WHEN

LOCATION
LEARN MORE
Moulin Rouge: A Party In Paris
GPT FUN-Raiser kicks off our 25th Anniversary Season in style!

Saturday, February 23 @ 6 pm Great Plains Theatre
Les Misérables performed by PGP
Thursday, February 28 @ 7 pm
Friday, March 1 @7 pm
Saturday, March 2 @7 pm
Sunday, March 3 @ 2 pm
Great Plains Theatre
30th Annual Ida Stover-Eisenhower Memorial Quilt Show
 March 11-24
 Dickinson County Heritage Center
KS Gift & Craft Show Sunday, March 31 @ 1pm Sterl Hall
Eisenhower Marathon
Saturday, April 6 @ 7 am
St. Andrews Parish Hall
Easter Bunny Train Saturday, April 13 @ 1 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
National Greyhound Association Spring Nationals April 15-20 National Greyhound Association
Eisenhower Easter Egg Roll Saturday, April 20 @ 1 pm Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds
Reitz & Rust Vintage Market
Saturday, April 27 @ 10 am
Dickinson County Fairgrounds (Abilene)
Arts & Ales Saturday, April 27 Downtown Abilene
Abilene Aviation Association Fly-In  Saturday, May 4 Abilene Municipal Airport
National Travel & Tourism Week May 5-11 Abilene
Antique Fest Saturday, May 11 Downtown Abilene
Mother's Day Tea Saturday, May 11 Eisenhower Presidential Library
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, May 25 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides Saturday, May 25 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Sunday, May 26 @ 2 pm
Monday, May 27 @ 10 am & 2 pm		 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Symphony at Sunset
Saturday, June 1
Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds
75th anniversary of D-Day Thursday, June 6 Eisenhower Presidential Museum
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Mr. K's Farmhouse) Saturday, July 6 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Mr. K's Farmhouse Saturday, June 8 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Pirates of Penzance June 14-23 Great Plains Theatre
Heart of America Greyhound Gathering June 20-22 Sterl Hall
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, June 22 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Disaster! July 12-21 Great Plains Theatre
Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration July 4 Eisenhower Park
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Thursday, July 4 @10 am & 2 pm
Friday, July 5 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Saturday, July 6 @10 am & 2 pm		 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Wild Bill Hickok PRCA Rodeo
Wednesday, July 31 - Saturday, August 3
Dickinson County Fairgrounds (Abilene)
Central Kansas Free Fair
Wednesday, July 31 - Monday, August 5
Dickinson County Fairgrounds (Abilene)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
 August 2-18 Great Plains Theatre
National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo August 2-3 Shockey & Landes Building
Vintage Base Ball Game August 3 Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, August 31 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Chisholm Trail Days Saturday, August 31 - Sunday, September 1 Old Abilene Town
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Saturday, August 31 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Sunday, September 1 @ 2 pm
Monday, September 2 @ 10 am & 2 pm		 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Hitching Post Restaurant)
 Saturday, September 14 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, September 28 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Heritage Day Saturday, October 5 Dickinson County Heritage Center
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Saturday, October 5 @ 10 am - 3 pm (hourly departures)

 Dickinson County Heritage Center
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Sunday, October 6 @ 2 pm (last steam run of the year)
 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Mr. K's Farmhouse Saturday, October 12 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Empires Fall October 18-27 Great Plains Theatre
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, October 26 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Tombstone Talks Saturday, October 26 Abilene Cemetery
Makin' Magic - 25 Years of Fun November 29 - December 15 Great Plains Theatre
Abilene's Victorian Inn Christmas Afternoon Tea Saturday, December 7 Abilene's Victorian Inn
Heritage Homes Association's Homes for the Holidays Tour Saturday, December 7
Sunday, December 8		 Varies each year
Night of Christmas Magic Saturday, December 7 Downtown Abilene
Share your news!
Have an upcoming event? Help us, help you. We do our best to stay up-to-date, but please make sure to include us in your event and special promotions. Please send announcements to  [email protected].

ATTRACTION UPDATES

Dinner Trains
 
All aboard! The 2019  Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad  dinner train schedule is now available. Book now to reserve your preferred time, train and meal

ACDC Annual Winter Film Fest
 
Our annual Winter Film Fest will begin Sunday, February 3, 2019. The list of films will show each consecutive Sunday. The free admission films start at 2:00 p.m. at the Eisenhower Visitor Center, 200 SE 4th Street, Abilene. Popcorn will be available, also free of charge. The Visitor Center has drinks available for purchase and will also be open for shopping. Joann Hettenbach of Abilene, will host the films. A brief discussion will follow the films for those who would like to stay and participate. 

Each year we ask our patrons to bring an item to contribute to the Abilene Area Food & Clothing Bank. This year we ask our patrons to please contribute toiletry items, i.e. tissues, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, toilet paper. Thank you in advance for the aid we give to one another.

THE GLASS CASTLE (PG-13) A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of nonconformist nomads with a mother who's an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would stir the children's imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty.

WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? (PG-13) An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers. This film is a documentary and biography.

THE POST (PG-13) A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (PG) Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

ROMAN ISRAEL, ESQ. (PG-13) Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.

Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum - Open House
 
Token of our Appreciation!

Community Open House
Visitors Center Auditorium
Sunday, February 10
Brief remarks at 1:30 pm
Refreshments     Shopping Discounts    FREE Admission
 
The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum was closed during the 35-day government shutdown. We missed you and we're glad to be back!
Let's celebrate with some sweet treats and special deals just in time for Valentine's Day.
 
Please join us in person or shop online!

*Use code "OpenHouse" for 20% savings during February.
Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum - Ike's Mystery Man  Evenings at Ease Series
 
The Cold War, the Lavender Scare, and the untold story of Eisenhower's first National Security Advisor

The first Evenings at Ease program of the year begins Tuesday, February 12, at 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center Auditorium of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, 200 SE 4th Street, Abilene. This program is free and open to the public.
 
Author Peter Shinkle will present Ike's Mystery Man: The Secret Lives of Robert Cutler. President Eisenhower's National Security Advisor Robert "Bobby" Cutler helped shape U.S. Cold War strategy. Cutler worked with secrets in both his professional and private lives as he grappled with his own sexuality as a gay man in an age of discrimination against homosexuals. He left behind a revealing six-volume diary detailing his struggles.
 
In addition to the diary, Ike's Mystery Man relies on thousands of personal letters, interviews, and previously classified archives to tell a gripping story. This book brings a new understanding of the inner-workings of the Eisenhower White House. It also shines a light on the indispensable contributions and sacrifices made by patriotic gay Americans in an era when Executive Order 10450 banned anyone suspected of homosexuality from federal employment.
 
Peter Shinkle worked for 19 years as a reporter at various news organizations, including most recently the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He covered the federal court system and also wrote investigative stories on subjects ranging from improper disposal of radioactive waste to the political influence of the payday loan industry. Shinkle is the great-nephew of Robert Cutler. It was during a family vacation in 2006 that his mother and aunt told him that their "Uncle Bobby" was gay. That sparked a 12-year endeavor to explore the story of the man who was one of President Eisenhower's closest advisors.

Great Plains Theatre - Moulin Rouge: A Party in Paris
 
Moulin Rouge: A Party In Paris
GPT FUN-Raiser kicks off our 25th Anniversary Season in style!

February 23rd at 6:00pm
Join us for an evening of food, fun, and frolicking!

There will be cabaret style music, games, tastings, entertainment, heavy hors d'oeuvres, a silent and live auction, prizes and more!

Advance reservations are just $25 or $35 at the door, and are only available to those 21 years of age and older. 
About us
The Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau  is the marketing arm of the City of Abilene and provides services to tourists and groups convening in Abilene.
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