Problem
Abilene, Texas is a two and a half hour drive from Fort Worth. Last time I was in Texas I did a two cetnre tour of Dallas and Fort Worth. Is it worthwhile going to Abiline to the Ciliex Museum. If there's more to see should I stay overnight, or make a long weekend of it?
Answers
https://www.nccil.org
Firstly, the Childrens Art and Literature museum is closed on Sunday and Monday, so you want to be going up on Friday, or starting very early on Saturday if you are driving over.
Is it worth a special trip? Most people love it.
A few were disappointed to see an exhibition on only one author/illustrator.
Bookshop
Some loved the bookshop which contains a few signed books. Others thought it was small.
The exhibitions, usually three a year, concentrate on all the illustrations from a book or books by a particular illustrator. The drawings are often larger and more detailed than they appear in the final version of the book. If you live in the area, and many do because Abilene is larger (in population - more populous is the correct term), then you may find that visiting a free museum three times a year is worthwhile and satisfies your desire to learn about more than one author/illustrator.
Multiple Authors?
If you want a museum which covers lots of authors and books, consider the Museum of American Writers in the USA. It opened in 2017. It was inspired by the writers' museum in Dublin, capital of Eire. (That's only about Irish writers).
Back to Abilene. What else might you include on your trip?
Pick up a map at the visitors centre in a converted, restored old railroad building. By the railroad on the South blvd is Everman Park.
Or print off a map which can be found online.
Look for six Dr Seuss statues on N 1st.and statues of Guardians, 3 Little kittens, 3 Little Pigs, Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and quotations from books.
Storybook Garden
Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden, 1008 N 6th Street, number 1098 Abilene, Texas 79601 5151.
Also see the giant dinosaur. Plus the VW Beetle on the Grace Museum.
Buffalo
My favourite statue is the big buffalo at Frontier Texas, 625 N 1st Street. (Oddly, the statue of the bull at the Bullring in Birmingham, England is also rated highly, though the nearest beef is in supermarket sandwiches.)
When to go? Festival Time!
Second week of June every year. CALF, Children's Art and Literature Festival.
Military Museum
The military museum got very favourable reviews. People loved the tank at the back (Americans say out back, which to me sounds like the Australian phrase Outback, which means not the back yard, but the wilderness).
Parents and grandparents said children loved the area of the toys for children to play with. It's all family friendly, except you are warned that in the WWII section the Holocaust room might not be suitable for children of all ages.
Discovery Centre
The Discover Centre is not like the Discovery centres in many other cities which are based in science. This takes the bible as a starting point. Abilene takes its name from the Hebrew bible. See reviews on TripAdvisor. You might discover that others don't believe what you believe.
Abilene is nicknamed The Key City, and The Friendly Frontier. Now you know why.
Useful Websites For Travellers
www.visittheusa.com
https://www.traveltexas.com/#/
visitbritain.com
http://visitbirmingham.com
http://www.abilenevisitors.com
https://www.visitdublin.com
https://www.ireland.com/en-gb/
https://www.nccil.org
Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other reviews on Abilene; Birming, England. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Abilene, Texas is a two and a half hour drive from Fort Worth. Last time I was in Texas I did a two cetnre tour of Dallas and Fort Worth. Is it worthwhile going to Abiline to the Ciliex Museum. If there's more to see should I stay overnight, or make a long weekend of it?
Answers
https://www.nccil.org
Firstly, the Childrens Art and Literature museum is closed on Sunday and Monday, so you want to be going up on Friday, or starting very early on Saturday if you are driving over.
Is it worth a special trip? Most people love it.
A few were disappointed to see an exhibition on only one author/illustrator.
Bookshop
Some loved the bookshop which contains a few signed books. Others thought it was small.
The exhibitions, usually three a year, concentrate on all the illustrations from a book or books by a particular illustrator. The drawings are often larger and more detailed than they appear in the final version of the book. If you live in the area, and many do because Abilene is larger (in population - more populous is the correct term), then you may find that visiting a free museum three times a year is worthwhile and satisfies your desire to learn about more than one author/illustrator.
Multiple Authors?
If you want a museum which covers lots of authors and books, consider the Museum of American Writers in the USA. It opened in 2017. It was inspired by the writers' museum in Dublin, capital of Eire. (That's only about Irish writers).
Back to Abilene. What else might you include on your trip?
Texas and Pacific Depot, Abilene, Texas, now Tourist Information Centre. Photo by Billy Hathorn in Wikipedia article on Abilene.
Pick up a map at the visitors centre in a converted, restored old railroad building. By the railroad on the South blvd is Everman Park.
Or print off a map which can be found online.
Look for six Dr Seuss statues on N 1st.and statues of Guardians, 3 Little kittens, 3 Little Pigs, Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and quotations from books.
Storybook Garden
Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden, 1008 N 6th Street, number 1098 Abilene, Texas 79601 5151.
Also see the giant dinosaur. Plus the VW Beetle on the Grace Museum.
Buffalo
My favourite statue is the big buffalo at Frontier Texas, 625 N 1st Street. (Oddly, the statue of the bull at the Bullring in Birmingham, England is also rated highly, though the nearest beef is in supermarket sandwiches.)
When to go? Festival Time!
Second week of June every year. CALF, Children's Art and Literature Festival.
Military Museum
The military museum got very favourable reviews. People loved the tank at the back (Americans say out back, which to me sounds like the Australian phrase Outback, which means not the back yard, but the wilderness).
Parents and grandparents said children loved the area of the toys for children to play with. It's all family friendly, except you are warned that in the WWII section the Holocaust room might not be suitable for children of all ages.
Discovery Centre
The Discover Centre is not like the Discovery centres in many other cities which are based in science. This takes the bible as a starting point. Abilene takes its name from the Hebrew bible. See reviews on TripAdvisor. You might discover that others don't believe what you believe.
Abilene is nicknamed The Key City, and The Friendly Frontier. Now you know why.
Useful Websites For Travellers
www.visittheusa.com
https://www.traveltexas.com/#/
visitbritain.com
http://visitbirmingham.com
http://www.abilenevisitors.com
https://www.visitdublin.com
https://www.ireland.com/en-gb/
https://www.nccil.org
Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other reviews on Abilene; Birming, England. Please share links to your favourite posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment