The city of Salina Kansas, which is home to approximately 46,000 people, can be found almost in the heart of the state. If you are flying into Kansas with the intent of heading to Salina, the city does boast a small municipal airport. This airport, however, is not heavily served by commercial airlines, so you might land in Kansas City or Wichita first before making a connecting flight or renting a car. Wichita is only about 90 miles south of Salina, while Kansas City is 172 miles away to the east. Once you get to Salina, a small city with some big city trappings awaits you. The Salina attractions are varied, so you can enjoy quite a range of activities during your visit.

Salina Kansas, much like the other larger cities and towns in Kansas, has a healthy cultural scene, and enjoying the performing arts at one of the city's venues is up for consideration. The Stiefel Theatre and the Salina Community Theatre are the main performing arts venues in Salina Kansas, and when no shows are going on at either one, you can get your cultural fix by visiting the city's downtown galleries. On the first Thursday of every month, enjoying a gallery walk through the downtown art galleries is among the top things to do in Salina. When you're not taking in the arts while engaging in Salina travel, you might look to do a little shopping. The Central Mall offers an array of stores to choose from, but if you're looking for more unique shops, you might head to the historic Lee District, which is right downtown. It's here that you'll find some of the more original and sometimes funky Salina specialty shops.

The state is full of great history museums that contribute to the telling of its past. Among the top Salina attractions is the Smoky Hill Museum, which gives insight into the region's history and how it ties into the history of Kansas. The Yesteryear Museum is another museum in Salina Kansas that you might visit. Sort of a work in progress, this museum not only offers exhibits that feature things like an old sawmill and a restored single room schoolhouse, but it also puts on special events throughout the year. These events are usually reenactments of things like scenes from early prairie life. In addition to visiting these two museums, you can look to build up your Salina travel itinerary by seeing what the Bicentennial Center has on the schedule. This multi-event venue has been known to host big name concert acts, ballet performances, wrestling matches, rodeos, and more, so you never know what might be going on here during your visit.

Kansas Map

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the Salina attractions are quite diverse, and if you like animals and nature, a trip to the nearby Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure is bound to please. This wildlife museum is large at 64,000 square feet, and it offers some unique exhibits that focus on the balance of nature in different regions of the world. In addition to its great exhibits, the Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure Museum also offers a domed theater for movie productions, an education center with interactive exhibits, and a gallery area that hosts different events throughout the year. Kansas is full of good zoos, and there's one right next to the Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure Museum. Spread out over 60 acres, the Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure Zoo provides its animals with room to spread out, and you'll get to see aardvarks, rhinos, orangutans, and a long list of other wildlife species when you visit. The Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure is without question one of the top Salina attractions, especially for families. The Bison Farm is one of the other great Salina attractions that people of all ages can enjoy. You can see bison roam there, and you can also buy things like bison hides, skulls, steaks, and jerky at the ranch's visitor center and gift shop.

Your Salina travel plans can definitely see you getting into a number of different things, such as visiting an area winery and viewing various wildlife. Outdoor enthusiasts can always head to nearby state parks like Mushroom Rock State Park and Kanopolis State Park to do some hiking and other outdoor activities, and camping is always an option if you want to pass on the Salina hotels. Side trips to the nearby city of Abilene are recommended if you have some time to spare during your visit to Salina Kansas, and the city of Hutchinson is only about 70 miles to the south if you want to check out attractions like the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.