Students often leave town for the weekend because they think they can find nothing to do in Abilene. It is even more common for students to dread returning to Abilene. The streetlights turn off at night, the city looks fast asleep by 9 p.m. and the “to-do’s” do not even compare to places like Austin or San Antonio.
But face it, we do not live in Austin or San Antonio, so we cannot expect the same city life and atmosphere. When the population of Austin is nearly 14 times the size of Abilene, it would be foolish to expect such. So stop comparing; quit whining about living in a boring town and discover the fact that Abilene has a lot to offer.
Start with the cuisine. Like any city, Abilene has its share of franchises, but it also has a diverse collection of locally owned restaurants. These include Ann Thai Kitchen, Szechuan Chinese Restaurant, Sharon’s Barbecue and Catering, Joe Allen’s Catering, McKay’s Bakery, Harold’s Pit Bar-B-Q, La Popular and Café and Alley Cats Restaurant and Top Cap Catering. If you are not looking for a meal, but rather a comfortable place to read a book with a cup of coffee, try Monks Coffee Shop, Mezamiz Deux Coffee House or Tuscany’s Café and Bistro – in case you want a little of both. These locations often double as intimate concert venues.
When the meal is finished and you need to find something to do, freshmen, whip out your iPhones and look at the Civic Center’s Web site: http://www.abilenetx.com/CivicCenter/. Comedians, artists and any other form of entertainment that comes to Abilene to perform do so at the Civic Center.
In the last week alone, the Civic Center had comedian George Lopez performand presented the musical Hairspray. In addition, it set the stage for illusionist David Copperfield on Saturday.
If money is tight, plan a trip to the Abilene State Park, experience a night of square dancing at the Oplin Dance Hall, see if the Abilene Zoo lives up to its promotional billboards on I-20, visit the Buffalo Gap Historic Village or go to a rodeo just to say you have done it.
Or, learn a little about Abilene’s history and culture at The Grace Museum, Frontier Texas!, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature or the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.
Lastly, let us not forget that Abilene is home to two other universities: Hardin-Simmons and McMurry. Explore the events on those campuses – just because we are students at ACU does not mean we are confined to activities on this campus. Check out the Hardin-Simmons’ theatre department’s performance of William Shakespeare’s Two Gentle Women of Verona through Sunday – after you see Little Women at ACU, of course. Or, try out for the Abilene Ruff Riders, an indoor professional football team, at McMurry on Saturday at 9 a.m.
So, instead of complaining that Abilene lacks a wild downtown and sleepless nightlife, take advantage of the things unique to Abilene. After all, Gary P. Nunn, Texas-country singer, says in his song London Homesick Blues: “I wanna go home with the armadillo, good country music from Amarillo and Abilene, the friendliest people and the prettiest women you’ve ever seen.”
If you still cannot find anything to do in Abilene, take into consideration a line from Harvey Danger’s song, Flagpole Sitt that says: “If you’re bored then you’re boring,” because you can find plenty to do here if only you try.
