Growing up in Ohio, my high school was bordered by rows of cornfields. I thought I knew a lot about the crop, but I had never heard of a "Corn Palace" until we reached South Dakota during our 2021 Go West trip across the USA. They were celebrating 100 years when we visited.
The Corn Palace, commonly advertised as The World's Only Corn Palace and the Mitchell Corn Palace, is a multi-purpose arena/facility located in Mitchell, South Dakota.
A one-of-a-kind destination, at first glance, it’s a stunning Moorish-revival structure. But look closer and you’ll realize the building is decorated with crop art; the colorful murals and designs covering the building are crafted entirely from corn and other grains. It’s not just a seasonal exhibit; it’s a living tradition.
Every year, the facade is stripped and redesigned with new art constructed from twelve naturally occurring shades of corn grown by local farmers. Artists' drawings are transferred to black tar paper labeled with codes corresponding to colors, providing a "corn-by-numbers" pattern showing where each colored cob should be nailed. Corn cobs are split in two lengthwise and nailed to the exterior of the building, using approximately 1.5 million nails and 325,000 ears of corn.
The Corn Palace is a popular tourist destination, visited by up to 500,000 people each year who come to marvel at this annual display.
The original Mitchell Corn Palace (known as "The Corn Belt Exposition") was built in 1892 to showcase the rich soil of South Dakota and encourage people to settle in the area. It was a wooden castle structure on Mitchell's Main Street. In 1921, the Corn Palace was rebuilt and in 1937 Russian style onion domes and Moorish minarets were added, giving the Palace the distinctive appearance that it has today.
In the late 19th century, several cities on the Great Plains constructed "crop palaces" (also known as "grain palaces") to promote themselves and their products. As the idea succeeded, it spread. From 1887 to 1930, at least thirty-four corn palaces were built across the Midwest United States; only the Mitchell Corn Palace has remained intact.
After seeing at the murals, we headed for the gift shop and couldn't resist trying on a corn ear hat. Is it silly? Absolutely. Is it the essential Mitchell souvenir? You bet. If you find yourself visiting, you might be tempted to snap a photo in a corn hat while embracing the wonderfully unique spirit of the "World’s Only Corn Palace." You could also look for the Corn Palace mascot, Cornelius, for a fun photo op.
Be sure to step inside to check out the history by watching a short orientation video and exploring exhibits that showcase murals from decades past. It’s a fascinating look at how this quirky tradition has evolved. And if you’re hungry you can try their famous, made fresh to order, popcorn balls.
The Mitchell Corn Palace isn't just a quirky roadside stop; today it’s the last standing survivor of a fascinating cultural movement.
For info on visiting the Corn Palace: https://cornpalace.com/27/About-Us
For more pictures from our 2021 visit: https://beautifuldaytraveler.wordpress.com/2026/06/09/the-worlds-only-corn-palace-a-visit-to-an-a-maize-ing-south-dakota-landmark/
Debra enjoys writing military romantic suspense and making sure her veteran heroes have a happy ever after that will last.
She also writes western historical, contemporary romance, dystopian romance, urban fantasy romance, fairytale romance, holiday romance, poetry, and nonfiction. In her Tales from the Trailer articles for Fresh Fiction, she shares the RV lifestyle and travel adventures in the U.S. from the point of view of a working author. As Debra Bishop, she writes fairytales and children’s stories.
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