Updated July 2026
“The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.” – President Dwight D. Eisenhower
The 34th president of the United States and 5-Star General was raised in Abilene, Kansas.
Founded in 1857, the town grew when the railroad and the Chisholm Trail intersected, causing it to become the first cowtown in America. Today, the small but bustling town draws history enthusiasts and day-trippers looking for an afternoon of entertaining tourist stops.
Just east of Salina on Highway 70, the town that raised a president includes sites for the young and old. Full of tourist stops and antique shops, you’ll be hard-pressed to see everything the town offers visitors in one day.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home, 200 SE 4th Street.
Tourists can explore all three sites on 22 acres of land, including five buildings housing artifacts and documents that trace his life from his childhood to his final days. In fact, Eisenhower and his immediate family were laid to rest on the property, a memorial that visitors can also visit. Across from his library, the museum houses far more than nostalgic “I Like Ike” buttons.
The museum curators painstakingly collected nearly everything bearing his name, from the clothing he wore while at war.
After slowly making your way through his museum, passing artifacts documenting his achievements and family life, you can step outside and see his small boyhood home in the distance.
Visitors are able to tour the interior of the home led by a tour guide about every thirty minutes. Sightseers awaiting the next tour should sit outside on one of the shaded benches until the next free tour begins.
The three-bedroom 19th-century home is situated on its original site, and the bottom level is open to visitors. The house and its contents look exactly as his mother left them before she passed on.
It feels surreal to stand in a president’s boyhood home. You will feel a real connection to Eisenhower by the end of your tour.
Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau, 201 NW 2nd Street
This quaint visitor’s center employs one super helpful tour guide. Ask her anything. She is a proud resident, prepared to share historical facts and free maps, too.
The building is actually a historical Union Pacific Depot that is open seven days a week. If you stop here first before beginning your tour of the town, you can watch an introductory video or gather materials for your journey.
Don’t forget to take your photo inside an original bright red phone booth located just outside the center. A farmers’ market selling produce and homemade wares is held on the grounds on Saturday mornings.
Don’t forget to take your photo inside an original bright red phone booth located just outside the center. A farmers’ market selling produce and homemade wares is held on the grounds on Saturday mornings.
Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Excursion/Dinner Train, 888-426-6687, 200 SE 5th Street
You can also ride the historic rails in Abilene from the 1887 Rock Island Depot and Gift Shoppe. After buying your ticket for the next scheduled dinner train tour, you can tour the depot’s artifact museum.
The walls of the depot show the writings of railroad workers of the past. Have a question about the historic rails? The dinner train departs at 6:30 pm four times each summer and at 6:00 pm four times each fall.
Diesel, steam locomotives, a caboose, and gondola care are also on display for viewing or riding.
Be sure to head over across the depot to see the recreated Old West downtown watch the gunfighter show starting at noon each day.
Volunteer reenactors interact with the crowd and shoot blanks at one another to tell the story of the wild west.
Heritage Center, 412 S. Campbell Street
This national historic landmark was voted one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas and includes over 100 years of telephone history on site. It is a short walk from the Eisenhower complex. You’ll see early models of telephones and modern-day technological advances. It’s mind-blowing.
Behind the museum, visitors can take themselves on a self-guided tour of log cabins, the 1901 C.W. Parker Carousel (rides available!), a one-room schoolhouse, and much more.
The operator of the carousel has volunteered there for years and smiles ear-to-ear while sharing the history of this stunning, restored piece of local heritage.
Greyhound Hall of Fame, 407 S. Buckeye
Missing your family pet while on the road? Stop by a building dedicated to the history of the greyhound breed and its racing history.
Two greyhounds on-site serve as the welcoming committee. If you don’t have time to visit, cruise through the parking lot. You might just find one of the dogs in its kennel outside the building waiting for you to pet it.
