Frontier Texas!, Abilene, TX

Frontier Texas! is a museum in Abilene, Texas. The facilities are 14,000 square feet. This exhibition center opened in 2004 near the Texas and Pacific Railway tracks. It sits on 6.4 acres of land at 625 North First Street. The museum is focused on the Old West. The exhibits will show the cutting edge technology of that era as well as Native Americans, wolves, stampeding buffalo, and other photos. Much of the displays are based on 1780 to 1880.

Frontier Texas is open Monday through Saturday 9am to 6pm. Sunday hours are 1pm to 5pm. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $6 for military, $5 for students with ID, and $4 for children 3 to 12. Children under 3 are free. There are group rates available for schools and other organizations. It is also possible to purchase a yearly pass to save on the entry.

One exhibit is called the Century of Adventure. This tour will take visitors through photographs of the 1780's and up to the 1880's. It is possible to see holographic images and other artwork displaying Native Americans, a Buffalo Stampede, and more. Historical figures of both Native American and European lineage are also depicted. Visitors are encouraged to sit in the theater like area to watch the images scroll by. Proper lighting and mood are set to make it a complete adventure.

Some exhibits in the museum will change over time. For example Women's Art, which showed west Texas from a women's point of view was at the museum from April to May of 2008. There was a Toy Stories, Spirit of the Frontier Festival, Chow Time, and other exhibits. Each display took a period of history and recreated it for education purposes. One display is the Stagecoach used in the television show Little House on the Prairie. Though it is impossible to get inside of it, one can view what it looks like up close.

Outside of the museum is a huge statue of a buffalo. The statue is made of metal, and visitors are allowed to walk up, pet it, and take pictures if they like. Another exhibit that is not permanent is the Guns that Won the West. This exhibit is on loan through 2009. It came from the Fort Phantom Hill Foundation Collection. These guns show the history of firepower Texas has had. It also shows important guns in American history like the Derringer used to kill Lincoln.

Events at the museum include Downtown Dayz. This occurs each 2nd Saturday of a new month. There is also the Buffalo Chip Classic nearby and the Spirit of the Frontier festival. Before leaving Frontier Texas guests can stop by the General Store. The store is open the same hours as the museum. They have books, toys, clothing, and house wares. Guests are able to take a little something home with them to remember the adventure into the past they went on.