Frontier Texas ~ A great way to learn Texas History

Okay, so we took the kids to the Alamo once, and frankly they found it pretty boring. I have heard it is getting a revamp and if it turns out anything like Frontier Texas I am sure we will love it.

Frontier Texas, which is located in Abilene, is simply a great way to learn a little about Texas history. It is basically a museum that in addition to more standard museum type displays features interactive displays called spirit guides (pretty cool holographic projectors) that tell you stories about the old west.

Carol, Ethan and Crystal at Frontier Texas

The spirit guides represent real people who lived and died on the Texas plains. My favorite story was of Britt Johnson a slave who was given his freedom after an Indian attack so he could go find his missing wife and two daughters (his oldest son was killed in the attack).

Britt Johnson's Spirit Guide at Frontier Texas

It was such a great story that it was used as the basis of the John Wayne movie The Searchers. I guess Hollywood wasn't ready for the true story yet or even realized black cowboys existed.

After getting his wife and daughter back Britt became a teamster hauling freight all over Texas until his death at the hands of a Kiowa raiding party in 1871. Britt made them pay though. He was surrounded by 173 shells from his shot gun and pistols when his body was found. I would love to see the true story done as a movie today.

The other spirit guides are very entertaining also, Buffalo Hunters, Indian Chiefs, and people who lived with the Indians. Everyone is represented and while Frontier Texas talks about the hostilities between White Men and Indians it does not sugar coat history for either side. Frontier Texas really makes the history of the time come alive and will entertain people of all ages.

The tour through Frontier Texas starts with a movie about life in the old west.

Human scalps on a war shield

The kids in front of a Tee Pee

A Bison Fighting a Wolf on the plains.

The final room is a theater in which you sit on swiveling chairs for a night adventure on the plains. This room might be a little scary for small kids when the thunder and lightning start, but it is a great finish to your time at Frontier Texas.  It is more then a movie and you have to swivel in your seat to see everything as it happens. It will keep you moving and you will b e entertained.

The whole museum takes about 2.5-3 hours to go through and is very reasonably priced. If you are headed through Abilene Texas it is well worth the stop and Abilene also has a great little zoo complete with giraffe feeding opportunities. I'll post pictures and review the zoo later.

So if your road tripping through Texas and find yourself in Abilene, don't skip this great attraction. Have you been to Frontier Texas? Please share your experiences in the comments.