Historic Fort Phantom Hill

Review №1

Rating: 5

It is a cool historic spot. You are able to roam freely around the property and explore the grounds.

Date: 3 weeks ago

Review №2

Rating: 5

Great place to see a little frontier history, close to Abilene.

Date: 2 months ago

Review №3

Rating: 5

Great place to experience a real frontier fort and the ruins where it actually happened.

Date: 2 months ago

Review №4

Rating: 4

Cool little niche find. Fun place to take the kids, just be aware of your surroundings for spiders, snakes etc.

Date: 2 months ago

Review №5

Rating: 5

Great fort to visit.

Date: 2 months ago

Review №6

Rating: 4

Date: 2 months ago

Review №7

Rating: 4

Awesome. But beware. Building with restroom is covered in spiders. Not a few 100s.

Date: 3 months ago

Review №8

Rating: 5

Quick and easy hike around a little bit of Texas history. The facilities are clean and well maintained. Enjoyable, even on a hot June day!

Date: 3 months ago

Review №9

Rating: 5

Stepping into Fort Phantom Hill is like walking through a portal to the past. The haunting remains, set against the Texas sky, offer a silent testimony to the fort s storied history. A visit here is a must for anyone interested in the echoes of 1850s frontier life.

Date: 3 months ago

Review №10

Rating: 5

Date: 4 months ago

Review №11

Rating: 5

Overgrown grass on paths that doesnt exist properly. Unkept signs and the pavilion was covered in an extreme amount of spiders and egg sacks. But over all its a must stop. Kids will love the experience.

Date: 4 months ago

Review №12

Rating: 5

What a great stop on a road trip! We grabbed sandwiches in town and ate them as we walked this site. Its a free park. In mid-May, the flowers were so beautiful! So many butterflies! Cacti were in full bloom! So many huge mosquitoes! Bring insect spray or just do what we did...move quickly and watch each others backs! The site was great for getting a short walk in on a long drive and seeing some historical ruins.

Date: 4 months ago

Review №13

Rating: 5

This was the perfect spot for a quick stop off of the interstate to look around and stretch our legs. The scenery was spectacular and we learned a little history! There are bathrooms onsite that were cleaner than expected for a location that isn t staffed.

Date: 4 months ago

Review №14

Rating: 4

Date: 5 months ago

Review №15

Rating: 5

Date: 5 months ago

Review №16

Rating: 5

I think these remains are worth a stop.

Date: 5 months ago

Review №17

Rating: 5

Free and self-guided. No tours are available, so its up to you to be your own guide. Pamphlets are available at the entrance to aid in your visit. WARNING: Be aware of the possibility of snakes during warmer weather.

Date: 6 months ago

Review №18

Rating: 5

Date: 6 months ago

Review №19

Rating: 4

Great to be able to see a little history!! Go at your own pace and get to view up close the remains of the fort.

Date: 6 months ago

Review №20

Rating: 4

Great part of history. Glad we took the time and had a look.

Date: 7 months ago

Review №21

Rating: 1

In the 80 s I lived in a shack there. Slept on a cot in the kitchen. Woke up screaming because of the roaches every night that I can recall. I do Remember that cot. And that shack. And those roaches

Date: 8 months ago

Review №22

Rating: 5

Just awesome history

Date: 8 months ago

Review №23

Rating: 5

Really cool spot to visit

Date: 8 months ago

Review №24

Rating: 5

Has some good historic buildings Alot are are barely there anymore but some are in good shape Visited on

Date: 9 months ago

Review №25

Rating: 5

We enjoyed strolling around this site. The paper map provided at the visitors station was helpful in visualizing how the fort was laid out.

Date: 9 months ago

Review №26

Rating: 5

Excellent place to learn about history

Date: 9 months ago

Review №27

Rating: 4

Its pretty much a self guided tour of a fort from the mid 1800s ruins. Theres the obvious next to the entrance building, but if you walk around and look youll see it was quite the complex in its day!

Date: 10 months ago

Review №28

Rating: 5

Amazing trail history really enjoyed

Date: 10 months ago

Review №29

Rating: 5

Date: 10 months ago

Review №30

Rating: 4

Date: 11 months ago

Review №31

Rating: 4

As historical sites go, you cant complain. But it needs some revamping , better paths, better groundskeeping. Some more or better signs describing or listing what your seeing . It could b super amazing. Has potential

Date: 11 months ago

Review №32

Rating: 4

Not maintained signs are worn some not even there anymore. Grass and weeds way too overgrown kinda scared we wont see a snake. We have gone in the past when it looked well maintained and bathrooms were clean. Dont know what happened this time.

Date: 11 months ago

Review №33

Rating: 5

This place was interesting. I didn t get a chance to go all over the property but there is a lot to see. Not a very big parking lot but I also doubt it gets much traffic. I went on a Saturday and stayed for about 45 minutes. In that time only 3 cars drove by none of them stopping. Could easily look at everything in under 2 hours.

Date: 11 months ago

Review №34

Rating: 5

This place is amazing. Definitely takes you back in time. It is very humbling walking into a place like this and just picturing the past. I loved it!

Date: 11 months ago

Review №35

Rating: 5

This is the remains of an old fort built to help protect the settlers from the indigenous Americans who already occupied the area.

Date: a year ago

Review №36

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №37

Rating: 5

Great fun to visit, with some of the ruins in strikingly good shape.

Date: a year ago

Review №38

Rating: 5

Very very hot in the summer. Really really cool though.

Date: a year ago

Review №39

Rating: 4

There are other forts in Texas that are better preserved, such as Fort Davis and Fort Richardson. Glad someone is preserving the little there is left here (mainly chimneys). Beware of the grasshoppers.

Date: a year ago

Review №40

Rating: 5

Was very interesting and a great place to see historic items

Date: a year ago

Review №41

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №42

Rating: 5

So much history in one place!

Date: a year ago

Review №43

Rating: 3

When we got there, the gates were already locked. The pavilion had hundreds of spiders all over it, and the Beware of rattle snakes sign is missing letters. But it is a nice lil area. I just wish we couldve got a better look at the buildings.

Date: a year ago

Review №44

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №45

Rating: 5

Its a really interesting place!

Date: a year ago

Review №46

Rating: 5

Always best to come during the cooler months to avoid the snakes. Great place to explore on a quick day trip.

Date: a year ago

Review №47

Rating: 4

This was in the middle of nowhere, but I decided to check it out. I was very pleased to see that it was quite interesting. Very educational!! Watch for rattle snakes. The very first sign I saw warned me. But I stuck to the trails and saw everything without incident. Visited on

Date: a year ago

Review №48

Rating: 5

Beautiful and well-preserved piece of history! It was such a joy to visit and learn more about how the people who spent part of their lives at Fort Phantom Hill shaped westward expansion. Thank you to all who have helped preserve this treasure and maintained the grounds!

Date: a year ago

Review №49

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №50

Rating: 4

Great place to visit for history buffs. Clean bathrooms and grounds are mowed and maintained.

Date: a year ago

Review №51

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №52

Rating: 5

Beautiful place for a short hike. Lots of history! Clean bathroom. Watch out for rattlesnakes!! Take water with you.

Date: a year ago

Review №53

Rating: 5

Short and super easy hike around some ruins. The area is clean and well take care of. The ruins are really pretty and well preserved! The trail isnt super well marked, but easy enough to follow!

Date: a year ago

Review №54

Rating: 5

Very interesting area. The lake was much larger than I expected. I saw quite a few people fishing. I was there on a windy day in March, but assume it would be q good swimming lake. The historic fort was neat to visit - well maintained area.

Date: a year ago

Review №55

Rating: 5

This is a 1840s fort made to defend the locals from the native population. It was only open for 3 years before it burned to the ground. It had a library, bakery, blacksmith shop and hospital. The surgeons quarters were only a 18×13 building! In fact none of the buildings had a good size footprint, they were narrow, but were two stories tall. No indoor plumbing and a good sized food storage building. This actually became a town in the late 1800s and faded into obscurity by the turn of the last century. They were also a town that catered to the short lived Buffalo extinction effort.

Date: a year ago

Review №56

Rating: 5

Worth the stop. More extensive than we anticipated.

Date: a year ago

Review №57

Rating: 4

With the stop. I like history so I enjoyed it.

Date: a year ago

Review №58

Rating: 5

Nice quiet historical place that is a must see.

Date: a year ago

Review №59

Rating: 5

Awesome place to visit feom Abilene. Lots of history and things to explore

Date: a year ago

Review №60

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №61

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №62

Rating: 5

I highly recommend coming here to anyone passing through or living around Abilene. Its massive. I was here for an hour and a half and Im positive I didnt see everything. I would have loved to see this town when it was thriving. Fun fact, this place was apparently home to 10,000 prairie dogs.

Date: a year ago

Review №63

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №64

Rating: 5

Absolutely gorgeous and very interesting I recommend if youre in Abilene Texas to go see this historical place

Date: a year ago

Review №65

Rating: 3

Date: a year ago

Review №66

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №67

Rating: 4

Looks super minimal. Kinda awesome historical site. Area is very explorable and they have a concise pamphlet explaining the area.

Date: a year ago

Review №68

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №69

Rating: 5

If you like Texas history this is a pretty cool place. It s a lot bigger and more spread out than I was expecting. You have to really appreciate the ruins and the story behind them. Yes there are tons of spiders, grasshoppers, etc but it s out in the country so you should expect that. Just walk around and enjoy the peace and quiet for about 30 minutes and just imagine it as a it were in 1850, a bustling military fort.

Date: a year ago

Review №70

Rating: 5

My only advice. Dont lock the bathroom door if you are out there alone. Its a deadbolt and something on it is stripped. It scared me because I thought I was locked in until finally after twisting and jiggling it. It opened.

Date: a year ago

Review №71

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №72

Rating: 5

Absolutely beautiful an amazing place to visit

Date: 2 years ago

Review №73

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №74

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №75

Rating: 5

Great place to walk around and learning about the early settlers around West Texas. Go early morning or later in the evening during summer.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №76

Rating: 5

Its nice to look at and it makes you realize how difficult things used to be

Date: 2 years ago

Review №77

Rating: 5

Remnants of the historic military fort and buildings. Cicidas and black widows galore but I still loved it. My bug phobic 16 year old couldn t handle it and went back to the car. Parking was easy and walking trails guide your way.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №78

Rating: 5

Amazing history and self guided tour. Great stop for road tripping through Texas!

Date: 2 years ago

Review №79

Rating: 4

Great History, well documented, clean toilets, lots of great places to take pictures, clean because people use the trash cans

Date: 2 years ago

Review №80

Rating: 5

i love getting the heebee jeebees here lol

Date: 2 years ago

Review №81

Rating: 5

A hidden treasure.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №82

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №83

Rating: 4

Historical site now open to the public with site explanations.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №84

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №85

Rating: 4

Great walking around experience

Date: 2 years ago

Review №86

Rating: 5

Wonderful piece of history! Everyone should take time to visit.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №87

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №88

Rating: 5

Love the history here! Cool place to learn something new.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №89

Rating: 5

interesting history Glad I did not have to live thru that era.7

Date: 2 years ago

Review №90

Rating: 5

It was quite interesting to learn the history of this fort and how much hardship went into it since it was only occupied as a fort for a few years. But used for other reasons later. Amazing that anything is still standing. We went during a weekday and where almost the only people there.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №91

Rating: 5

Wish there was a way to remake that place as accurate as possible when rebuilt. The kids are fascinated, as so am I about what it must have been like for the people then.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №92

Rating: 5

I want to go back and walk the grounds now that I have the brochure explaining the layout. The sandals I was wearing werent conducive to hiking even a small trail.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №93

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №94

Rating: 5

very Historical site in texas. UN restored interesting

Date: 2 years ago

Review №95

Rating: 3

Cool walk through remnants of history. The trail could be easily improved into a path that is much safer and easier to walk, or even developed for wheel chairs.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №96

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №97

Rating: 5

Service a little slow for fast food. However, they were busy. Chicken sandwich was really good.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №98

Rating: 5

Very cool. Short walking trail that winds through the fort. Old hospital and blacksmith labeled by signs. Very neat.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №99

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №100

Rating: 5

This stop was a relaxing walk around the remaining parts of the buildings. Very important to read the history and get a sense of what life was like for the soldiers stationed here.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №101

Rating: 4

Date: 2 years ago

Review №102

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №103

Rating: 5

The park was well maintained and very enjoyable. I was born in Abilene but moved away in grade school. Although I had visited Fort Phantom lake as a child, I had never seen the fort ruins. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone interested in historical sites and Texas history.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №104

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №105

Rating: 5

Great historical location with easy walking trails. Restroom available as well. It takes about 20 minutes to see all the structures.

Date: 2 years ago

Review №106

Rating: 4

Date: 2 years ago

Review №107

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №108

Rating: 5

Date: 2 years ago

Review №109

Rating: 5

No frills, just a great glimpse of Texas history.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №110

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №111

Rating: 3

Needs some landscaping done, but very beautiful historical place to visit.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №112

Rating: 4

Interesting historic site

Date: 3 years ago

Review №113

Rating: 2

Nice historical site but not very well maintained.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №114

Rating: 5

Very interesting place . Pretty well kept.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №115

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №116

Rating: 5

Educational and great photo ops

Date: 3 years ago

Review №117

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №118

Rating: 4

Date: 3 years ago

Review №119

Rating: 4

My husband and I enjoyed this stop bit our kids were less impressed. They wanted to go inside everything, which, of course, we did not let them do due to a host of safety concerns (snakes, building age, cacti, etc.). They did enjoy seeing the canon and the remains of the covered wagons.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №120

Rating: 5

Will come back in cooler weather so I can see it all.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №121

Rating: 5

Needs the grass mowed and weedeated horribly couldnt really get back to see the other stuff cause the vegitation was so thick and tall

Date: 3 years ago

Review №122

Rating: 4

Large remains of a fort from 1851. Too bad all the wooden structures burned. Still nice.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №123

Rating: 5

Visited June 2021. At the parking area there are public bathrooms. And there is a brochure for a self-guided tour. Unfortunately we didnt notice the brochure until we were leaving. Dont be like us NOTE: There is a big sign telling patrons to be aware of snakes. The historic site consists of a couple of buildings and a bunch of ruins. The paths between buildings is mown down but is still grass. There are signs at the buildings and ruins indicating the purpose of the building. Some of the buildings had cellars, so be careful. We enjoyed our time at the site. On a side note, the area has a lot of wild melon vines.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №124

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №125

Rating: 5

An amazing place to visit to learn about the history of the Gettysburg. I thoroughly enjoyed going to this place and learning more about the history.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №126

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №127

Rating: 5

This was a beautiful old site for a fort that once stood here. It had many trails to walk and some of the structure is still there. It was so pretty in the spring time with all the wildflowers blooming. They also had very clean bathrooms. Highly recommended.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №128

Rating: 5

Really cool place. We had 4 little kids so couldnt explore the whole complex as you have to walk through cut grass paths to get around.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №129

Rating: 5

This is a truly stunning historical landmark. The Fort Phantom Hill ruins are dispersed through a vast field of vibrant wildflowers and lush trees that accentuate the beauty of the remaining stone structures. The ruins themselves are surprisingly widespread, allowing plenty of space for visitors to enjoy the quiet of the encroaching nature while they examine the history or wildlife of this place. Definitely worth a visit!

Date: 3 years ago

Review №130

Rating: 5

Fun times

Date: 3 years ago

Review №131

Rating: 4

Cool place

Date: 3 years ago

Review №132

Rating: 3

Realy nice historic place, Paths clear n clean

Date: 3 years ago

Review №133

Rating: 5

Great Stop. Suggest to all Americans its our History

Date: 3 years ago

Review №134

Rating: 5

Awesome

Date: 3 years ago

Review №135

Rating: 5

Beautiful

Date: 3 years ago

Review №136

Rating: 3

Date: 3 years ago

Review №137

Rating: 5

Interesting

Date: 3 years ago

Review №138

Rating: 5

Love peaceful

Date: 3 years ago

Review №139

Rating: 5

Free and educational good Pathways to walk on might bring a bottle of water

Date: 3 years ago

Review №140

Rating: 5

Awesome, off the beaten path. A nice and secluded place to enjoy OUR history.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №141

Rating: 4

Small fort ruins between Fort Griffin and Fort Chadbourne in west central Texas near Abilene. Mostly chimneys with a couple of reconstructed buildings. Picturesque.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №142

Rating: 5

This is always a great place to spend a couple of hours! I wish there were more places like this around Abilene.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №143

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №144

Rating: 5

Excellent place if you like history or the outdoors. Gotra check it out.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №145

Rating: 5

Self guided tour through Fort Phantom Hill. Bathrooms available.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №146

Rating: 5

Love this place its own heritage.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №147

Rating: 5

Cool place to visit

Date: 3 years ago

Review №148

Rating: 5

It a very fun play park and lake

Date: 3 years ago

Review №149

Rating: 5

Peaceful and tranquil place. Looks very authentic. Even old wooden ramshackle signs are perfectly matching to the old fort ruins. The brochure with map and descriptions provided in the tourist kiosk was pretty helpful on self-guided tour around the territory. I spent about two hours just walking and enjoying the weather, views around and leaning some history of course.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №150

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №151

Rating: 4

Date: 3 years ago

Review №152

Rating: 4

It is great to walk around and be right in the middle of Texas history. Several foundations are still largely intact and the ammo magazine is complete. I am definitely going to volunteer to work on repairing and replacing broken and missing signage. This is a unique place and it is important to maintain it so future generations can experience it.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №153

Rating: 5

Cool place to take the family for a history lesso.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №154

Rating: 5

I expected only a few stone chimneys and nothing more. There are also a few complete buildings and some old signs that named the remaining structures. By walking the pathways you see how large this Fort once was. There are restrooms at the parking area. I do hope the old signs are renewed or replaced as they are showing their age and the effects of the sun and weather. Maybe an Eagle Scout will take it on as a project.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №155

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №156

Rating: 5

Wow, this was a massive fort. The ruins are beautiful

Date: 3 years ago

Review №157

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №158

Rating: 5

So much history. Such a cool name. I wonder why they called it that?

Date: 3 years ago

Review №159

Rating: 4

Very nice place. Quick side trip.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №160

Rating: 5

Restrooms map of the area, plenty of parking- great for flying

Date: 3 years ago

Review №161

Rating: 4

Date: 3 years ago

Review №162

Rating: 5

Awesome history, you can here them calling!!

Date: 3 years ago

Review №163

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №164

Rating: 5

Love history stops like this one

Date: 3 years ago

Review №165

Rating: 5

Interesting check it out

Date: 3 years ago

Review №166

Rating: 5

A must to visit

Date: 3 years ago

Review №167

Rating: 5

I love going here. It feels so peaceful.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №168

Rating: 5

It was great to view a part of history. You just have to keep your eyes open for rattle snakes.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №169

Rating: 5

Very interesting, a nice little spot for a history lesson, watch out for rattlers!

Date: 3 years ago

Review №170

Rating: 4

Pretty neat, theres a good amount of interesting information here.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №171

Rating: 5

If you love history, then you will love this small rest area. While only consisting of an building and the remnants of few others, it is still an fantastic stop. Walk around in breath in the past. Just watch out for rattlesnakes lol. Also has clean restrooms and an nice pamphlet/map showcasing how the fort look like back in the the 1800s

Date: 3 years ago

Review №172

Rating: 5

Date: 3 years ago

Review №173

Rating: 5

History still standing. 170 year old Army fort from the frontier days. Pre-dates the railroad in this area. Great way to explore at your own pace and take in the past.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №174

Rating: 5

Nice stop to step back in time.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №175

Rating: 5

Its really nice that you can walk around and get up close to each building. Its interesting to see how much work they put into making this Fort.

Date: 3 years ago

Review №176

Rating: 5

Wow! This place is definitely somewhere you wanna check out if youre a history buff! Loved it!

Date: 3 years ago

Review №177

Rating: 5

Great historical area to take the family to. Just watch out for snakes and other wildlife!

Date: 3 years ago

Review №178

Rating: 4

Worth a short stop to walk around if the weather is nice.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №179

Rating: 5

OMG I had the most amazing time with my husband learning all about the place. It was a lot of walking but I enjoyed every minute of it. AWESOME AWESOME

Date: 4 years ago

Review №180

Rating: 5

Ft. Phantom always looks good and is well kept. Mr. Sanchez takes great care of Ft. Phantom.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №181

Rating: 5

I just love learning history.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №182

Rating: 5

Nice place for history buffs to walk around. Really enjoyed my time there. Great picture opps as well!

Date: 4 years ago

Review №183

Rating: 5

Lots of history.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №184

Rating: 5

The historical site was very cool. The map gave a good description of the fort

Date: 4 years ago

Review №185

Rating: 5

Great place to visit and learn the history.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №186

Rating: 5

Neat old site to look at. Restrooms were clean.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №187

Rating: 5

Date: 4 years ago

Review №188

Rating: 5

Great place to walk around, highly suggest close toed shoes. Beautiful overall, rich in history.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №189

Rating: 5

Great place to go if you love looking and learning about our history. It could use some updating to the signs and labeling more information about the actual buildings other than what they are. Kids loved walking around and looking.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №190

Rating: 5

Date: 4 years ago

Review №191

Rating: 4

Date: 4 years ago

Review №192

Rating: 2

Pretty dull to be honest. A whole lot of brush, spiders and nothing else. Area isnt maintained at all from the looks of it. Mens room was overflowing and leaking.

Date: 4 years ago

Review №193

Rating: 5

Amazing

Date: 4 years ago

Review №194

Rating: 5

Was a cool place to visit on my Texas excursion

Date: 4 years ago

Review №195

Rating: 5

Date: 4 years ago

Review №196

Rating: 5

Great outdoor historical experience

Date: 4 years ago

Review №197

Rating: 5

Date: 4 years ago

Review №198

Rating: 4

Date: 4 years ago

Review №199

Rating: 4

Date: 4 years ago

Review №200

Rating: 5

It is so nice that they are preserving this fort

Date: 4 years ago