It’s all aboard as we take a ride on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad. The excursion train departs Abilene eastbound for a trip through the Smoky Hill River Valley to the neighboring community of Enterprise, Kansas. Train passengers are invited to visit the Hoffman Grist Flour Mill during the train’s layover in Enterprise to explore the mill, see how it operates and make purchases. Following our train ride, lunch will be served at the famed Brookville Hotel where we will dine on a family-style chicken dinner with all the trimmings. After lunch, we will visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and boyhood home. At the museum, you will have the opportunity to see the all-new 25,000 square feet of museum exhibit space, which opened this past summer. There will also be time to visit the Heritage Center of Dickinson County where you can take a ride on a 1901 C.W. Parker carousel. Our last stop of the day is the Russell Stover Candies Factory and Outlet Store where you can watch candy being made and buy some sweet treats for the ride home!

Facilitator: Beccy Tanner, Adjunct Instructor, Department of History, Wichita State University