Rolling Hills of Salina

I never thought of Salina as a great place for a weekend away. I was wrong, the small city was full of fun things to keep us busy for the 2 days we were there. The town is a typical Midwestern town with a booming downtown and spreading outward with new businesses. It is located less than 2 hours from Kansas City or Wichita, so it is an easy drive for a quiet mini-vacation.

We visited the Rolling Hills Zoo, which is 6 miles west of town, and found a wonderful wildlife museum that invites guests to travel to around the world seeing more than 350 species of animals. The animatronic characters bring the exhibits to life by explaining the relationships of animals and humans throughout the ages.

There is also the Smokey Hills Winery north of the city. This attraction was closed during the holiday weekend, but is said to be a great place to visit.

Quick Tips:

Salina is not the mecca of high society or high prices. You will not break the bank spending a day or two in this lovely town. Our meals were all under and the town is small so you will not use an entire tank of gas finding your way. Pick up pamphlets of area attractions at your hotel or the local chamber of commerce. Also visit www.travelks.com for great travel ideas.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around in Salina is by car. The town is small so there is not public transportation system but not small enough to walk everywhere you want to go. There are taxis available for those who want to stay out late and have a few drinks or just want someone else to do the driving.

We chose this hotel for two reasons: the pool area and the fact they accepted pets. The hotel was easy to locate, it was only 1/2 mile off Highway 135. The room was priced $94 a night with a $25 non-refundable cost for the pets per stay. You could tell the hotel was older, probably built in the 1970s, by the decor and building architecture. Parts appeared that it had not been updated since the early 1990s, such as the outside doors, locks, and air-conditioning, and the noise level.

We had a king room which included a bed, TV, desk, and sofa. Just the usual, nothing extra. The decor was typical hotel and appeared clean. The room was not large but we did have enough room to move. The bed was very firm and the pillows were flat and crumpled.

The hotel has a wonderful pool area that includes a large water slide, hot tub, sauna, and exercise room. The holidome was spacious with a game area and numerous "conversation areas". They have an Irish pub open in the evening/night and a restaurant which is only open during the breakfast times.

When we arrived, our room was very warm, even after we turned the air up on high for 2 hours. We called the front desk and were informed the air-conditioning was not working well. We were told the hotel was full so they brought us a fan. It was a warm and miserable night. The next morning we were offered another room and were moved.

I did speak to the manager informing him of our dissatisfaction and was given a reduced price. Our sales manager was very helpful with suggestions for dinner and activities.

I don't think we will be returning to this hotel again any time soon. Our quiet, relaxing weekend turned out not exactly as we planned.

This dining experience was a suggestion from the sales manager of our hotel. She said that Los Potrillos was the "best Mexican food in town". I gave it a try and was not altogether disappointed. The atmosphere was casual with a Western theme and family oriented. Los Potrillos means the pony, so there was a fair amount of paintings and photographs containing horses.

They had the typical Mexican fare with a collection of enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, rice, and beans. The rice was some of the best I had eaten. Queso dip is one of our favorites but this dip was bland. The cheese was a white variety but needed a hit of pepper. The cheese enchiladas were not the best, probably because it was made with the queso, but the beef was very tasty. I am picky about my salsa and this was garlicky and a bit sweet. They brought chips and salsa to each table for a free taste. I would like to visit again to try the other dishes. The dishes I witnessed at other table looked great and something I would like to delve into.

The service was decent. Our waitress had a large group so we had to wave her over a time or two.

This again was a recommendation from our hotel's sales manager. We asked for a great place to have a succulent steak dinner and were informed Gutierrez Restaurant had the "best steak in town." The restaurant is a beauty. The decor is opulent Spanish. A sunset brick color adorns the walls, and has a painted mural depicting a Spanish town's square. The fountain in the center of the dining room gives you the feel of dining on a patio. Surrounding the tables are booths that are almost hidden by heavy velvet curtains. The candlelight completes the look and feel of opulence.

Since this is a Mexican restaurant, we were served chips and salsa. This was wonderful salsa. There was a limited menu of tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, steaks, chicken and fish. My husband and I both ordered the KC strip and baked potato dinner. Our salads were fresh and delicious. This is where we ceased to be impressed. Our steaks were served and we found the presentation to be lacking. The potato was still in the foil with the butter and sour cream in paper cups. The potato was small and bland. The steak was tough and not at all tasty. I ended up taking mine back to the hotel to the dogs.

The service was excellent. We were waited on by several waiters. I felt the meal was overpriced for the quality of food we received. If I did eat there again, I would try the Mexican menu. Most of the patrons were eating this and seemed satisfied.

As zoos go, this one is unique. It is unique because of it's expansive size, it is over 60 acres and involves 3 large ponds. The day we were there, it was green and lush. Numerous ducks and birds flocked the water of the three ponds. We were even blessed to view a family of swans majesticly floating the largest pond, which is located in the center of the zoo.

A trolley is provided for an easy and quiet drive through te zoo. The trolley is actually a tractor that pulls the enclosed seating. It stops at every area for 5 minutes, but you can stay for a while if you want to feed the animals or just look around. The next trolley will be by in 15 minutes

You will be able to see the common as well as the rare animals. The giraffe exhibit is wonderful. There were 4 adults and one baby, mingled with deer. It was quite the sight watching them eat. There are many different species of cats, along with a lion that seemed to just want to sleep. Take a look at the Mandrill, these monkeys are friendly and are not shy. One of the ponds has Monkey Island, a jungle gym sort of activity for the small families of monkeys.

For a nice day outside enjoying the animals, Rolling Hills Zoo is a great place to visit and being less than 10 miles west of Salina it is worth the drive.

Next to the zoo is a special museum that can not be missed. It includes taxidermy of animals from around the world. The animals are in their natural habitat and are amazing. They look so real. There is a lion exhibit that makes you think of a king of the jungle and the tigers seem to want to pounce at whoever walks by. The exhibits range from American Rockies and grasslands to the Asian deer and the Great Wall of China.

There is also a number of talking animatronic figures that will tell the story of the animals. The monk will tell you about the deer and the tigers. The American Indian tells about the buffalo and their killing. One of the best, was the snake handler and the king cobra. It was great fun for the kids to give pennies for the snake to dance.

Visit the collection of photos from the collection of a Kansas couple who visited the jungles during the 1930s. It was worth the 15 minutes.

There is a play room for the children with whales hanging from the ceiling and monkeys in the trees. Play with the puppets for extra fun.

Taking our two jack russell terriers along on trips can present difficulties, such as "where do you potty them". Driving around Salina, Kansas we found a lovely park and visited it numerous times during our two day stay. The park is located on the corner of Ohio and Magnolia and is only 2 to 3 miles east of the shopping mall. The park is free and really worth the time.

The park seemed to be a large 5 to 10 acres of numerous activities. There was a small pond with a gazebo. You may see fish, ducks, and even beautiful swans. We enjoyed the numerous walking paths that winded in and out of the trees and followed the creeks that flowed throughout the park. If you have children or if you are a kid at heart there is a wonderful playground. Jami, our female, loved to jump and bark at the ducks and they seemed to be playing back.

Just north of Salina, outside the small town of Minneapolis, Kansas, is a nature oddity that you won't soon forget. In a field of about 5 acres, you find 200 rocks. Yes, rocks, but these are the size of houses or cars and they are alone in the wheat field. They are said to be over a million years old and made of Dakota sandstone. They were created from a grain of sand and pushed up through the earth to create this large formation. The cost of entrance is just $3 per person and a map may be purchased for a small fee. There is a covered picnic area for families to enjoy the day, and the walk is an easy one. Take a look at a website I found, www.washburn.edu/cas/art/cyoho/archive/KStravel/rockcity.