As promised, we finally would get to see our first attraction in Mitchell, SD this morning – the world’s only Corn Palace.
Both Monica and I remember seeing it in our childhood, but my memory was clearly way off. To me, it was a stand-along building in the middle of nowhere with no real town around it. Probably surrounded by corn fields – makes sense, right? In actuality, it’s in the middle of town and butts right up next to City Hall. I don’t remember ever being on the inside, but Monica had been there several times and her memory was much more true to life. Neither of us had been there for 30+ years, so it was probably time for a refresher.
The theme of the current corn cob murals is “American Pride” and they’re impressive. From a distance they look like the images they represent, but up close you see how the different colored cobs come together to form the murals. The short film and tour on the inside give you just enough history to understand why and how it was built. The historical photos also let you see how the designs have changed throughout the years. Did you know there is a basketball court inside?
We also learned that harvest season is coming and new designs are already in the works for the big festival in August. Just a few weeks ago they began taking down some of the exterior trimmings and that lengthy process is still underway. The Corn Palace is a real easy 1-2 hour diversion while cruising along the South Dakota highway, and we say stop in.
(Link to all unedited photos from the Corn Palace.)
Bonus: While much of South Dakota is flat and filled with grasslands and fields, the Missouri River offers some spectacular views. Hills spring up and the scenery changes dramatically. Check your map and stop at the rest stop just east of the river. You don’t see the river until after you pass the rest stop, so plan accordingly.
Nearer to the west end of South Dakota is Badlands National Park. Any national park = no-brainer to see. There’s a highway loop that runs through the park that allows you to drive among and between the beautiful sights. While it’s hard to describe, the views are stunning.
One of the first observation points we came to allowed us to get out and climb on the rocks. Everyone took their turn.
Some of the views:
(Link to all unedited photos from the Badlands.)
Finally we reached our destination near the end of the day – Wall, South Dakota. Our intent was to stay in Wall for the night before heading to Rapid City the following day. We should have known there wouldn’t be much available in terms of accommodations when we saw the city limits sign proclaiming their whopping population of 818. There were a few budget chain places and we picked one out that had a pool. Like all tourists, we headed for Wall Drug and poked around the shops for a while. Of course we had some of their famous ice water (what originally brought in customers back in the day) and finished the day with a buffalo burger. If I remember correctly, there’s still some fudge left in the cooler – perfect for breakfast.
(Link to all unedited photos from Wall, SD.)
It’s here that I’m beginning to see the folly in using a soft-sided car top carrier for a trip such as this. Every night I reach up and pull down the bags, unhook the carrier, and bring it in our room. Every morning, I’m back out there reattaching it, restuffing it with the same bags (which are just different enough to have to adjust the tie-down straps), and making sure it won’t come undone while we’re motoring down the highway at 75 mph.