HotelTonight – Salina, KS Hotels Near Me
I drive all over the Great Plains for work. On any given day I could be in Kansas City, Omaha, Wichita, Des Moines or anywhere in-between. As such, I've gotten to know the interstates I use quite well, and can pretty much tell exactly where I am and how long it will be before I arrive at my destination at almost any point in my drive. This is a part of the country I find comfortable to drive in, as I rarely encounter terrible traffic, the roads are flat and the countryside is serene. The only problem, if you could even call it that, is that I never have time to really take my time. That means that other than getting gas or having a quick bite along the road, I've never experienced what life is like in any of the communities I zoom past on the highway. On my last drive there, that all changed. I found out that I had an entire day to myself, so I decided to stop in Salina, Kansas, which was nearby at the time. I'd spend 24 hours exploring and have HotelTonight find me a Salina, KS hotel room that night when it was time.
Downtown
I knew I was doing something neat, as soon as I pulled into Salina, a city with fewer than 50,000 residents, which is actually bigger than the communities nearby by quite a bit. Downtown Salina is like a scene from a movie from the 1960's, in that the buildings are all from around that era or earlier, the trees are perfectly placed and the town itself is incredibly clean. Not to mention, the people there all seem to know each other and they could not be friendlier. This is a happy place.
The Park
Not far from downtown, I came across a park near the river that seemed to be home to hiking trails. Being an avid hiker myself, I decided to put on my shoes and get out there. It was another good decision. I expected everything to be flat and dry in that part of the world, but I was walking through rolling hills and alongside a beautiful body of water, sheltered by huge green trees. I took a bunch of photos, as I'm sure quite a few people who see them will be surprised that I took them in Kansas.
The Dining
If you're in this part of the world, where they take their barbecue seriously, you have to give it a try when faced with the opportunity. A couple on the hiking trail told me about a local place that was great, so I gave it a whirl. They were right – it was great. I had brisket that had to have been cooked for at least 12 hours given how tender it was. I had beans that were cooked and flavored perfectly. I had cornbread that was sweet and moist.
HotelTonight – Salina, KS Hotels at the Ready
I was quite full and very happy with how I'd spent my day. I needed a place to stay, so I opened my HotelTonight app and booked a Salina, KS hotel room in seconds. A little while later, I was in my bed, looking at the photos I had taken before falling into a deep sleep.