Why You Should Visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota

The Corn Palace is certainly one of the weirdest places I've ever been. As a little girl, I often studied my grandmother's 1940s photographs of a building that appeared to be made entirely of corn, and I always wanted to see it; I finally got to visit the legendary palace this year. Nestled in the South Dakotan town of Mitchell, South Dakota, the world's only Corn Palace resembles the Kremlin with its onion domes and minaret-style towers, and its exterior is completely covered in grain. The theme changes each year, and an artist designs new murals to be created out of corn and other grains. The theme for 2006 is "Salute to Rodeo," and there are corn pictures of horses, rodeo riders, bucking bulls, cowboy boots, and more. The murals are quite unique and the domes are painted in bright colors, making the Corn Palace a real traffic-stopper.

The first wooden Corn Palace got its start in 1892 right on Main Street in Mitchell. The first palace was covered with various grains, including corn, wheat, rye straw, oats, barley and other grasses. John Phillip Sousa played there, and well-known politicians visited and spoke at the new, larger Corn Palace that was built in 1905. In 1921, the third and present Corn Palace was built from concrete, and it currently hosts basketball games for Dakota Wesleyan University and local high schools as well as stage shows and other entertainment in its spacious indoor arena.