Abilene, KS Tourist Attractions
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The little town of Abilene lies in the north-east of the state. Its wild days as the "cowtown" of Kansas are past, but Abilene Old Town still preserves something of the atmosphere of the Wild West. Apart from this the town is known to fame as the boyhood home of General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), 34th President of the United States, who is commemorated by a museum, the Presidential Library and his tomb in the Eisenhower Center.Abilene (pop. 6,500) is in Dickinson County, Kansas.
Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
The Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad offers a train ride between Abilene and Enterprise. The excursion train includes a restored 1900s wooden dining car, an open-air gondola car, a caboose and a 1945 diesel locomotive.
Heritage Center and Museum of Dickinson County
The Heritage Center in Abilene is home to the Historical Museum and the Museum of Telephony. The grounds feature a Pioneer Community with actual buildings from around the county and the Parker Carousel, a national landmark carousel.
Museum of Independent Telephony
The Museum of Independent Telephony in Abilene tells the story of when the Bell Telephone patents expired in 1884. Independents, nearly 6,000 of them, sprang up all over the nation.
Seelye Mansion
The Seelye Mansion in Abilene was built in 1905. It features the original furniture and Edison light fixtures. The Patent Medicine Museum contains many artifacts of the AB Seelye Medical Company, founded in 1890.
Eisenhower Center
The Eisenhower Center in Abilene features 22 acres of landscaped grounds with five buildings, including the visitor center.
Eisenhower Home
This two-story wood-frame house in Abilene was home to the Eisenhower parents and their six boys. Furniture and other items were left in the house by Mrs Eisenhower upon her death in 1946.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
The Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene features books and papers used and written by Eisenhower. This includes everything from memos to the Westerns that he like to read in bed.
Place of Meditation
The Place of Meditation at the Eisenhower Center in Abilene is a chapel that was built in 1966, several years before Eisenhower's death. It is the final resting place for Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower and a son, Doud Dwight, who died in childhood.
Eisenhower Museum
The Eisenhower Museum in Abilene contains items relating to President Dwight D Eisenhower, from his boyhood to the post-presidential years.
Eisenhower Park
Eisenhower Park in Abilene is a 60-acre park with Tom Smith Stadium, a swimming pool, basketball and tennis courts and landscaped gardens on the grounds.
Greyhound Hall of Fame
The Greyhound Hall of Fame in Abilene features exhibits relating to the greyhound dog and the history of greyhound racing.
