wonderful way to pass some time.. great works of art for young and old ... enjoyed our day here.. over three floors of very interesting displays of history and art and evn a room of hands on for the kids..
This is a great place to visit and learn about the history of Abilene and how things were back in the day!!! So informative!!!! They always have new and interesting exhibits too!!
Just happened by the museum when walking around downtown. My favorite was the exhibit of Abilene's history on the 3rd floor. While not very specific to Abilene itself, it pictures vignettes of life throughout the decades. A great collection of antique technology as well. We went on a Thursday evening, so admission was free. The exhibits from local high school students and from a local artist were pretty great as well.
There are three floors of art here, but only one showed history of interest to me. The top floor was the best for us; it showed a one hour film of local folks talking about ranching life and buffalo hunters but the sound volume was too low and it could use captions for the hard of hearing. They also have an interesting display of kitchens and living rooms from three time periods in the first half of the 20th century. There is also an interesting boot makers shop on the third floor.The first and second floors had various other kinds of art which didn't really appeal to us. I'd rather have more space devoted to the history of the hotel.
The historic Grace Hotel sat across from the railroad tracks and housed thousands of travelers over the years. It was brought back from dereliction to become a cultural center with events and exhibits year-round. It anchors the restored downtown area of Abilene. As a local, I waited years, watching it being restored, and have had a lot of pleasure from it since. Treat yourself.
I have had the pleasure of not only spending several evenings roaming the halls of this great little museum, but I have also been able to attend several events sponsored during my graduate degree in the Grace's dance hall. Extremely well done, and a tremendous venue for hosting a classy party or event. The deck on the roof is amazing!
We were married here when the Grace was first opened as a Cultural Center-- in fact, ours was the first wedding there. Beautiful venue!
Abilene has no shortage of fun things to do with your children, and the Grace is just another example of that. There is a wonderful art gallery, children's activity center, they hold classes for both adults and children and you can even rent the Grace for special occasions. Many after parties for plays held just down the street are held here at the Grace also. Wonderful spot for your family to visit while in town.
Three floors of items. Some of the art was ok but most was not "museum" quality. The history was nice and the child station was good. It is more an art center than a museum.