Busy Weekend in Abilene: Mother's Day, Western Heritage Classic, and Graduation
'Travel and tourism is peak season right now. As things warm up here in Abilene, travel picks up. Events start happening. This weekend, with it being Mother's Day and graduations at the universities, and then you add Western Heritage Classic to that mix. It's really hard to find a hotel room in Abilene this weekend,' said Lopez.
With about 40 hotels and about 3,800 hotel rooms fully booked. Others are using alternative booking options like Airbnb or hotels outside city limits. Lopez adds that many significant events take place in the summer and encourages those who need hotel accommodations to book early.
'Just to put it into perspective, in 2024, tourism generated $567.7 million for the local economy and employed 3,790 hardworking Abilenians. So, just the economic impact and the number of jobs that the hospitality industry produces for Abilene is one thing. But tourism also contributes $16.4 million in tax revenues for the city. So, if you kind of equate that without tourism, well, I'll say it this way, tourism saves each household in Abilene $640 in taxes,' explained Lopez.
The Western Heritage Classic attracts approximately 30,000 attendees and generates around $1.7 million for the local economy. Chairman Jeff Gore explains that this event brings in people from across Texas and beyond. He is pleased to see that multiple events are taking place on the same weekend, allowing attendees to visit the Western Heritage Classic and learn about Western history.
'Texas was built on the back of the cattle business in this in this part of the country especially. And we want people to know that. We need people to understand that, so we don't ever get away from that, because as long as people want hamburgers and steaks, there needs to be ranches and there needs to be cowboys,' shared Gore.
'Texas was built on the back of the cattle business in this in this part of the country, especially. And we want people to know that. We need people to understand that, so we don't ever get away from that, because as long as people want hamburgers and steaks, there needs to be ranches and there needs to be cowboys,' shared Gore.
'Texas was built on the back of the cattle business in this part of the country, especially. And we want people to know that. We need people to understand that, so we don't ever get away from that because, as long as people want hamburgers and steaks, there needs to be ranches and there needs to be cowboys,' shared Gore.
From the rodeo to chuckwagon competitions to vendors, Gore explains, even if you don't like anything Western, the event is able to bring people together.
'But the thing about Western Heritage Classic, to me, is that there's something for everybody. There is no event like this anywhere in the world. There's a bunch of ranch rodeos, there's a bunch of horse shows, and there's a bunch of trade shows with Western gear and Western apparel,' added Gore.
You can find the Western Heritage Classic Event Schedule here: WHC Event Schedule
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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