Salina KS -- I have family there, so I've gotten to know it fairly well.
Overnights - We've had overnights in Best Western Plus (our favorite), Quality Inn, Holiday Inn Salina, and both of the Comfort Inns in town. All were fine.
Food - Our family loves to go out to eat. Hickory Hut is a favorite, but you are forewarned that the parking can be hard to find.
Also to note: St Louis to Salina is probably going to be around 7 or 8 hours. You'll have to deal with St Louis and Kansas City traffic, plus there is a lot of construction on I-70 through Missouri. If you have any kind of a toll transponder, bring it, as the Kansas Turnpike between KC and Topeka is now completely cash-less. You either need a transponder or they're going to bill through your license plate. The good thing is that they have a lot of reciprocity with other states' transponders and don't require the K-Tag.
Donna