Accessing the past through modern technology has taken a new twist in downtown Salina. Art, history, and architecture make up an exciting new web-based self-guided historic walking tour of downtown.

To get started, visit the Smoky Hill Museum at Eighth Street and Iron Avenue, look for the Walk Salina sign on the sidewalk in front of the building, and scan the QR code with your mobile device. You will be taken to a page featuring highlights of the history of a particular building or block in the downtown area, with one or two historical pictures showing the area in the past.

Salina Downtown Inc. and partner Smoky Hill Museum developed this web-based self-guided tour based on a proposal by DH Video Productions in the fall of 2011. Funded through a grant by the Kansas Humanities Council, the tour focuses on twelve sites in the downtown commercial district. Besides the museum, sites include the United Life Building, Cozy Inn, HD Lee Warehouse, the four downtown plazas, Iron Avenue and Santa Fe, the 100 block of east Iron, the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, the 200 block of south Santa Fe and the Masonic Center.

For those without QR code reading devices, the tour is also available through walksalina.com. This site is also a portal to other walking tours in Salina.

Learn about Salina while you get fit. Or just have fun exploring Salina.

Principal funding for this program is provided by the Kansas Humanities Council, a nonprofit cultural organization promoting understanding of the history, traditions, and ideas that shape our lives and build community.