In downtown Abilene, you can find museums, art galleries, restaurants, shopping and cultural events nearly every day of the week!
The Abilene Cultural District was one of the first five cultural districts in the state
Abilene was among the first Texas cities to capitalize on the pivotal role the arts can play in the revitalization of a downtown and the economic impact of cultural tourism. The Abilene Cultural District is home to The Grace Museum, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, the Center for Contemporary Arts, the Elks Arts Center, Abilene Ballet Theatre, Historic Paramount Theatre, Abilene Philharmonic, the Abilene Convention Center, Cockerell Studios & Gallery, Frontier Texas!, Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden and a restored, historic train depot that serves as the offices of the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council.
Geographically speaking, the Abilene Cultural District includes the downtown areas stretching from Treadaway to Grape Street from east to west and North 8th Street to North 1st Street, north to south.
In 2010, Abilene was among the first five Texas cultural districts to receive this designation from the Texas Commission on the Arts. Cities must re-apply every 10 years to renew their designation. Benefits of being included in the state's Cultural District Program include access to funding through TCA grants, inclusion in state marketing and public relations activities, and the opportunity to utilize the state’s brand in marketing activities executed by the individual cultural districts.
Property values, arts organization attendance and gross sales are increasing within the Abilene Cultural District.
In 2019, it was announced that $100 million plus in real estate development projects are taking shape in the cultural district. That includes a new downtown hotel with 206 rooms and 130,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is expected to become a popular home-base for visitors and will be just steps from the Convention Center as well as all of downtown's dining offerings and historic attractions. The Abilene Chamber of Commerce launched a new tool to track and promote development taking place downtown. Click on the link below to see the latest real estate developments:
