Seniors Swing Into Frontier Abilene

When I decided to write on Abilene, this senior was reminded of the song “Abilene.” Here’s George Hamilton IV who made it famous back in 1966. Enjoy. Abilene, in west central Texas, has a population of 120,000.

Senior travelers will find Abilene approximately 180 miles due west of the Dallas/Fort Worth near the center of the state. It is the center of a 22-county area commonly referred to as the Texas Midwest or the Big Country. Abilene is home to Abilene Christian University, founded in 1906, with an enrollment of 4,500 students.

Abilene was established in March 1881 upon the completion of the Texas & Pacific Railroad. It was the railroad that promoted Abilene as the “Future Great City of West Texas.”

Abilene is the home to Texas Tech with over 30,000 students. “A new era of excellence is dawning at Texas Tech University as it stands on the cusp of being one of the nation’s premier research institutions.”

Seniors Enjoy Pedestrian-Friendly Downtown

Abilene is rated one of the Top 20 places to visit in Texas. About Abilene, a travel magazine,  wrote: “Abilene won readers’ praise for its small-town feel, state park, zoo, shopping, history, and restaurants, which range from classic barbecue joints to newcomers like Abi-Hau.”

Senior visitors could easily spend a full day just exploring the pedestrian-friendly downtown, which dates to the late 1800s. The high-tech museum Frontier Texas illustrates regional history and the Grace Museum covers the art scene.

The Center for Contemporary Arts is another hit that was founded in 1989, when a former department store in the heart of downtown Abilene was converted into three beautiful galleries, classrooms and artists’ studios.

The city began life in 1875 when it was decided to establish a railhead to make it easier for ranchers to get their cattle to eastern markets. In just two years, hundreds of thousands of cattle were herded over the Western Trail to Abilene.

The Old West experience starts at Frontier Texas museum, starting point of a walking tour through downtown Abilene where you can see historic buildings from the city’s rich past. The Paramount Theatre, built in 1930 by H. O. Wooten, is the only structure of its grandeur between El Paso and Fort Worth. The theatre was fully restored and renovated in 1986.

Senior travelers will get a feel of the traditional heritage of the Old West with the advantages of a thriving contemporary city. The Old West lives on in Abilene so make plans to spend some time checking out all the amenities that the city has to offer visitors.  You will experience real Texas hospitality in Abilene.  -jeb