Over five fun things to do outdoors in Abilene this summer

If you're looking to change the pace for a fun weekend, check out some of Abilene's outdoor activities this summer.

Splash pads

The summer months tend to get hot in the Big Country. Abilene offers six splash pads located around the city for a place to chill out.

Splash pads are open from mid-April to mid-October and are located in these parks:

Grover Nelson Park

Redbud Park

Arthur Sears Park

Stevenson Park

Scarborough Park

Coach James Valentine Park

Charleigh Chapell aims the water sprayer at her friend Ember Pardee at the Nelson Park splash pad May 29, 2025.

Lakes, parks and trails

The city of Abilene has various parks that offer different activities.

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Cedar Creek Waterway located in the 100 block of E.S. 11th Street offers a great paved walking trail that connects southside and northside Abilene.

A bicyclist follows the cement trail as it leads under the train trestle as a group continues north along the Cedar Creek Waterway July 16, 2024.

Lake Kirby Nature Park, 5650 Maple St., has baseball and softball fields, a nature walking path and playgrounds.

Redbud Park, 3125 S. 32nd St., is one of Abilene's largest parks and has plenty of space for outdoor activities.

Stevenson Park, 441 E.N. Seventh St., has various of open courts for pickleball, basketball and tennis.

Abilene State Park, 150 Park Road 32 in Tuscola, and Lake Fort Phantom Hill, along West Lake Road in Abilene, are great spaces to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature.

Abilene Zoo

If you are looking for an educational outdoor adventure, check out the Abilene Zoo, 2070 Zoo Lane.

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The zoo consistently hosts events and has a variety of animals to see. Visitors can feed the giraffes, feed the ducks and flamingos and see the lions roar.

Patrons can also chill out down in the reptile house and the aquatics, nocturnal and aviary exhibits.

Serg, a male porcupine, enjoys a walnut while a hungry monkey watches from another cage as keeper Michaela Hyles "target" trains him April 29, 2024, to stand up in case of medical procedures or blood draws at the Abilene Zoo

Little Free Library hunting

Abilene is known as the Storybook Capital of America and has many opportunities to enjoy literature in downtown Abilene.

If you are looking to drive around and see different areas of Abilene, many homes offer book-sharing boxes called Little Free Libraries.

There are 16 registered Little Free Libraries in the Abilene area.

The purpose of the program is to "take a book and share a book." So, if you are looking to cleanse your home library and find a new read, hunt down one of the many libraries around Abilene, leave a book for someone else to read and take a book that you might enjoy.

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Check out the Little Free Library website or download the app to find locations in Abilene.

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This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Fun outdoor activities in Abilene