the one and only Corn Palace Mitchell, South Dakota

Quick Stop in Mitchell, South Dakota

We had to make a quick stop in Mitchell.

While we were in Mitchell we made an impromptu visit to a place I had never even heard of before: the Corn Palace.

🌽 The World’s Only Corn Palace

Yes, the world’s one and only Corn Palace. And it’s actually been around since the 1800s—built just 13 years after Mitchell was founded. The original idea was to create a place where both rural and city folks could gather every fall to celebrate the harvest and community spirit.

What blew me away is how they change the entire exterior theme every year. This year’s theme was “The Wonder”. The building is covered in massive, intricate murals made entirely out of corn—yes, real corn. They use 12 different colors and varieties, and each mural is made using whole corn. There was even a cute “paint-by-number”-style display showing how they design and build each mural.

They don’t preserve the corn murals; instead, they replace them every single year, which is part of what makes it so special and alive. And here’s the coolest part: students at the local university pick the themes and actually create the murals themselves. So it’s not just a tourist attraction—it’s a living, breathing community project.

🏛️ More Than Just Corn

Inside the Corn Palace, they sell corny gifts, of course—like popcorn on the cob (which is always fun to microwave). We picked up some for Caysen.

It’s amazing to think this idea started over a century ago, and the building we visited is actually the third Corn Palace—they kept outgrowing the last ones! Today, it’s used year-round for sporting events, proms, graduations, concerts, and festivals. It’s truly a multi-purpose space that’s as fun as it is functional.

🌽 Final Thoughts

We didn’t plan on stopping in Mitchell, but it ended up being one of the fun stop. The Corn Palace is quirky, creative, and full of local pride.