The World's Only Corn Palace

Hey Tribe,

There were many fun and interesting places we visited during our winter road trip, but there is one place in particular that I wanted to share with you.  The “World’s Only Corn Palace” located in Mitchell, South Dakota, is a gem of a tourist destination, as is the surrounding town, with its romantic historical houses, sturdy brick buildings, and narrow streets festooned in holiday cheer.

We found a locally operated restaurant, packed full of hunters and senior citizens and guessed, correctly, that the place served decent food.  When we stepped through the doors, the smell of freshly brewed coffee greeted us, though we had to wait a bit to be seated.   After eating a delicious breakfast of perfectly cooked eggs, buttered bread, mountainous hash browns, and thickly cut and incredibly flavored bacon, complete with piping hot coffee, I dashed out to the truck to grab my travel mug which the waitress had generously offered to fill for me.  I also grabbed our trusty map, which told of the nearby tourist attraction of the corn palace. 

They even have a website.

Asking for directions was met with cheerful smiles, a free map of the tiny town, and a friendly wave as I scurried back out to the truck to share my new knowledge with the waiting Fly and TheFather.  Following the signs for the palace was easy, though I kept being distracted by all the delightful architectural details of the homes that lined the streets.  We found a generously sized parking lot (thankfully, since we were pulling a trailer) and gleefully discovered that parking was free.

Since the street was lined with curious sights, I brought Fly along, intending to return her to the truck when I was ready to enter the palace.  We strolled along the empty sidewalk and got to watch men on a scaffold re-decorating the side wall of the palace.  I learned later, that the palace wall decorations and murals are changed regularly, so a visit one season will look different the next season.  Also, it’s essentially an enormous bird feeder, so I’m sure the walls need refreshing each season for that reason alone.

The sign on the front doors of the palace made me do a double take – dogs were welcome in the building!  There were other signs showing the management’s stance on other public discussions, such as “nursing mothers welcome” and a reminder to lock vehicle doors if guns were kept inside them.  What a palace.

"We are pet friendly!" 

Fly and I cautiously stepped through the threshold of the calm palace and were greeted with a quiet smile from an attendant who handed me an informational brochure and gently encouraged me to sign their guestbook.  TheFather was already engrossed in reading a history of the corn wonder and we joined him to gaze at the large black and white photographs displayed along the walls.  It was a time machine like experience to see the same building we were currently standing in, but with people dressed in a different era’s clothing styles.  Photograph after photograph led us through history, from horse drawn carriages to electric cars; I was a little sheepish as I pulled my eyes away from the full length, bustle and corset, lace edged gowns of the prim hat wearing ladies and tried to straighten my rumpled flannel pants and tame my errant hair.

The interior of the palace.

Some of the displays.

As close as we could get to a successful photo.

Being the only visitors in the building right then, we decided to do a bit of search practice with Fly.  So, TheFather made his way up to the second floor and hid and then I showed Fly his hat and gave her the “find” command.  She flew up the stairs so fast, I pulled a hamstring trying to keep up with her, and she easily found him tucked around a corner in a little, dimly lit photo gallery.  It was so successful, we decided to do it one more time; this time, Fly couldn’t see which way TheFather went and I didn’t know either.  We waited a decent amount of time, to allow him to find a hiding place and then Fly again sniffed the hat and I said, “Find!”  Around the corner we flew, slowing at the staircase, circling once in an open area with glass railings, before Fly proceeded down a long, photo covered hallway and then snapped her head at a junction with another hallway.  Without hesitation, she turned right, down the new hallway, instead of heading straight in the direction we had been in, and we passed several open doors before Fly turned right again and wagged her tail in happiness as she spotted TheFather sitting in a seat.  Good find, Fly, good find!

Where is he?

Found him! (sorry for the blur, I was moving to keep up with Fly)

Our training complete, I looked up to discover we were in a large auditorium or stadium, with a full size basketball court down in the center.  It was unexpected and impressive.  I gaped in amazement at the corn murals around us, until a woman mopping the already spotless floors greeted us and Fly and I walked over to be social.  I cringed a bit as Fly’s furry body and my shoes passed over the woman’s newly mopped area, but we didn’t leave any trace of our passage and she happily patted Fly’s head before returning to her task.

In all, if you find yourself near Mitchell, SD, do spend the time to visit the corn palace and the friendly folks whom you will meet.  It’s free and dog friendly!  But maybe fix your messy hair first though - it is a palace after all.