Mitchell Corn Palace
There are plenty of kitsch places in the US that make for fun little stops on a cross-country road trip. If you are out west, or are heading out west, one of those places is Mitchell Corn Palace. I don't know exactly how we found out about it (maybe signs on the interstate?) but after hours of driving through the plains of South Dakota, we needed to stretch our legs....and the Corn Palace fit the bill.
Located in Mitchell, South Dakota, you won't have any trouble finding the place. Not only are there tons of signs, but the area around it is very touristy - so you'll see lots of souvenir shops. Apparently 500,000 people each year visit the Corn Palace so I'm sure you'll also see lots of campers and cars with out-of-state plates like we did.
The Corn Palace is basically a large building covered and decorated with grain and corn. It's actually pretty impressive close up. Besides that, there's not a lot to the place. In the building you'll find a mini museum explaining the Corn Palace's history and the usual concession stand that, of course, sells popcorn. You'll also find a large indoor arena with tons of vendors selling little trinkets/souvenirs... which at first seemed just really weird - but you are in the Corn Palace...so take some time, look around, and enjoy your time out of the car.
Also, while writing this post, I looked up the Corn Palace's website to see if there was more to it than what we experienced - and there is! Apparently, the Corn Palace's arena (where the vendors were selling the souvenirs) also doubles as a music venue where pretty large country acts play, and is the home court for 2 local basketball teams (a university and a high school)! Oh, Corn Palace....
Enjoy some more of our pictures from the Corn Palace!:
Mitchell Corn Palace
603 North Main Street,
Mitchell, SD 57301
(605) 996-1191
Your post makes me feel culturally deprived. How did I miss this place. Fun post!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on making the "100 Reasons To Travel" list by Trip Logic - http://goo.gl/7yH6Q. As a fairly new blogger, I was pleased to make the list as well (# 16).
If you have a moment, check out my admittedly quirky travel blog at http://www.travelbyterry.com. It’s a fun read, or meant to be at least. ;0)
Thanks! AND thanks for letting me know about the Trip-Logic article! I've been so out-of-the-loop lately because we're in the middle of moving! I'll definitely be checking out your website tonight! :) - Lin
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