You don’t have to be a presidential historian to appreciate the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. On a 22-acre campus that includes Dwight and Mamie’s burial site, follow Ike’s rise from a humble Abilene childhood to five-star Army general, war hero and president of the United States. Multimedia exhibits reveal the Eisenhowers’ life stories through quotes and videos. 

Near the former president’s tranquil grounds, the feisty Wild West spirit carries on at Old Abilene Town, where gunfights erupt in the street and the saloon’s cancan dancers kick up their heels in the summer months. A ride on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad will also transport you back in time. At the 1887 Rock Island Depot, board the vintage passenger train for a 10-mile round trip through the Smoky Hill River Valley, including a stop at the community of Enterprise’s Hoffman Grist Mill. Book ahead for special Christmas and dinner trains, which often sell out.

Seelye Mansion, the showpiece in the self-proclaimed Little Town of Mansions, tells its own story with guided tours through 25 rooms, including 11 bedrooms, a ballroom, a bowling alley and the grand hall. Original furniture and Edison light fixtures remain in the 11,000-square-foot Georgian-style home, which was built in 1905 by the town’s patent medicine magnate, A.B. Seelye. Learn more at the Patent Medicine Museum next door.

For edible Abilene icons, make a reservation at Legacy Kansas in the former Brookville Hotel. Choose either skillet-fried chicken or premium dry-aged beef as your entree. Sides include Brookville Hotel’s sweet and sour coleslaw (a family recipe).

TRIP TIP

Trot around Abilene to see stops along the Cowboy Art Trail. There’s the 28-foot-tall Big Spur, an 1800s hand-carved bull’s head, longhorn murals and a dozen decorative cowboy boot sculptures scattered around town. It’s hard to miss the almost-14-foot-tall World’s Largest Belt Buckle, shimmering with symbols of Abilene history. Climb stairs to the top to “wear” it for an epic photo op.

World's Largest Belt Buckle (Ulrike Schorn Hoffert)

After striking a pose at the giant belt buckle, explore the rest of the Sunflower State via the Official 2025 Kansas Travel Guide.