Coming from Small Town, USA I was so amazed to hear everyone say the famous words, "There's nothing to do in Abilene." However, the more time I spent here, the more I found this to be true until my friends and I went and explored our options. We found many things to do but I decided to give you my Top 10 and the most college budget friendly ideas we came up with.
1. The Grand Ole Oplin.
Every Friday for $5 you can go to Oplin! It’s a cute, clean, family friendly Dance Hall about 30 minutes outside of Abilene.
2. Abilene State Park.
For $5 you can get a day pass to Abilene State Park and go hike, or go sit out by lake Abilene. They also rent paddle boats and canoes if they wind isn’t too high. The state park also hosts a variety of fun events such as “Dancing Under the Stars”, Haunted Hike (October Only), and many more things that you can find on their Facebook page!
3. Ambler Bingo.
Down Ambler Ave, there is a large barn like building called Ambler Bingo. Bingo happens every night starting at 8 PM and you can get the tablet bingo for free on your birthday! This is actually REALLY fun and not just for old people I promise!
4. Monks Open Mic Night.
Every Thursday night, downtown is Monks Open Mic night, so if you are a singer and would like to preform, or you just would like to hear some local musicians this is the place to be!
5. Town & County Drive-In Theatre.
Thursday – Sunday nights all year long, the Town & Country Drive-In Theatre is open and you can see 2 movies for $8.
6. Guitars and Cadillacs.
College night is Thursday night and Guitars and Cadillacs and you can get in free with your College ID.
7. Primetime.
Primetime offers bowling, laser tag, and arcade games. While this might be a bit on the pricy side, it’s lots of fun with friends and if you get a HUGE group to go you can probably get a group discount price.
8. Play Faire Park.
You can play some serious Putt Putt at Play Faire Park which is fun with friends or something to do when family comes down to visit.
9. Abilene Art Walk.
The Abilene Art Walk takes place once a month and is totally free!
10. Museums Downtown.
Anything in Downtown. There’s the NCCIL, Grace Museum, Paramount Theatre, Frontier Texas!, and various other historical Abilene Landmarks to visit downtown.