Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings

Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings is a brand new show that offers the best of Forever Plaid, tied up in a nifty package with a big Christmas bow on top! Filled with Christmas standards that have all been "Plaid-erized," our boys are back to do their Christmas Special. At first, Francis, Jinx, Smudge and Sparky aren't sure why they've returned to Earth for another posthumous performance, but a phone call from the heavenly Rosemary Clooney lets them know that they're needed to put a little harmony into a discordant world. Sprinkled among the Christmas offerings are audience favorites, like their riotous three-minute-and-eleven-second version of The Ed Sullivan Show – this time, featuring the Rockettes, the Chipmunks and The Vienna Boys Choir, as well as a Plaid Caribbean Christmas that puts the "Day-O" in Excelsis! This truly "heaven-sent" holiday treat will lift audiences' spirits and fill them with nostalgia for a bygone era of classic music sung in perfect harmony. This show is rated PG, perfect for the whole family!

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Cowtown Santa Express

Discover the magic of the holiday season on the rails! The Abilene and Smoky Valley’s Cowtown Santa Express sparkles with the glow of the Christmas season, as our antique passenger coaches sparkle with holiday lights and the warm smiles of kids of all ages as our annual Christmas tradition returns to the rails of the A&SV. Last year, over three thousand people rode the Express to usher in the holiday season, and this year, you can discover the magic of Christmas on the rails for yourself! Cookies and hot chocolate, the music of the season, and of course Santa himself, as he makes his 2024 holiday debut on the train. Trains begin Thanksgiving weekend and run through December 23. It’s Kansas’ best Christmas celebration! The Cowtown Santa Express on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad!

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Seelye in Lights

Christmas at the Seelye Mansion has always been a magical experience! The holiday traditions at this historic mansion date back to December 25, 1905, when the first Christmas dinner was served in the dining room to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of Alfred Seelye’s parents, Mason and Ellen Seelye. The following year, on December 26, 1906, the mansion hosted a grand Christmas Ball with over 300 guests from across the country marveling at an 11,000-square-foot Winter Wonderland. The highlight was the unveiling of a rare Christmas flower, the poinsettia, shipped by rail from California—its first appearance in Kansas.

Today, Christmas at the Seelye Mansion is more enchanting than ever. Over 65 beautifully decorated Christmas trees fill the home, and nearly one hundred live poinsettias adorn each of the mansion’s twenty-five rooms. Adding to the charm, an impressive collection of hundreds of nutcrackers is also on display.

This December, Mr. Terry Tietjens, the Seelye Mansion Board of Directors, and their dedicated volunteers invite you to experience the mansion’s holiday splendor firsthand. “Seelye in Lights” will be open for three special evenings on December 7, 14, and 21 from 5-7 p.m. Guests can enjoy light refreshments, live music, and a tour of the mansion dressed in holiday glory. Tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for children 16 and under.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to step back in time and experience Christmas as it was meant to be celebrated—warm, bright, and beautiful at the Seelye Mansion.

Smoky Valley Limited: Goodbye 2024

Join us on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad as we present the three great end-of-year dinner trains on the Smoky Valley Limited. Your two-hour journey across the Smoky Hill River Valley begins at 6:00 p.m., leaving Abilene’s historic 1887 Rock Island Depot and riding in our climate-controlled antique Chicago and Enterprise passenger coaches

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