Recreation & Culture

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Lodging Four modern hotels provide 233 rooms, dining facilities and accommodations for meetings and large groups. Three bed-and-breakfast inns in the area provide comfortable lodging in many of Abilene's Victorian homes. Three local RV and camping parks serve travelers who desire comfort and amenities while “roughing it." Recreation Faciltiies, Services A municipal recreation program offers facilities and/or lessons in: Tennis and golf; Softball, basketball, and volleyball; Dance, aerobics and acrobatic; Bowling; Swimming and wading pools; and Rodeo and fairgrounds, parks and playgrounds. Abilene also offers: The community center, which has indoor sports, games and a multi-purpose room for meetings, parties, receptions or other gatherings; The restored Abilene Union Pacific (Civic Center) Depot, which has meeting facilities for small and large groups and cultural events. Sterl Hall, which is an exhibit hall with meeting spaces and kitchen facilities; A municipal band and community theater; Two golf courses and a country club; and A public library with small group meeting spaces. Milford Reservoir is 25 miles northeast of Abilene. Its numerous coves produce the longest lake shoreline in Kansas, and allow boating, swimming, fishing, camping and water skiing.

Tourism & Museum Attractions Visitors to Abilene will find many historic and cultural attractions: Eisenhower Center features the restored boyhood home of General and President Dwight Eisenhower. Also located on the center's spacious grounds are his presidential library, museum and a meditation chapel, where Eisenhower and his wife are interred. Greyhound Hall of Fame recaptures 5,000 years of greyhound and racing history. Dickinson County Historical Society Museum and the Museum of Independent Telephony and the national landmark Parker Carousel are located adjacent to Eisenhower Center. Many stately Victorian mansions are preserved in Abilene, and several are open to the public, including the C.H. Lebold and Seelye Mansions. Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad provides frequent scenic excursion tours along its rural 18-mile course. Great Plains Theatre Festival, a premier year-round professional stage production company, is housed in a century-old former church. Numerous outstanding dining options exist in Abilene, including the Kirby House Restaurant located in a restore 1885 Victorian mansion.

City of Abilene Home Page

City of Abilene
City Hall
419 North Broadway
Abilene, Kansas 67410
(785) 263-2355
E-Mail: Economic Development Council