Mitchell Corn Palace

The first corn palace went up in 1892 to demonstrate that South Dakota soil could grow crops, at a time when the region was being marketed to settlers and doubted. The present building dates from 1921 and functions as the town's arena - basketball games and concerts happen inside. The exterior murals are the point: designed each year to a theme, they are made from around three hundred thousand ears of corn split in half and nailed to the walls, plus rye, oat heads and sour dock for other colours, using a dozen or so naturally occurring corn shades. The old murals come down in late summer and the new ones go up over several weeks, so timing matters - visit in spring and the walls are bare.

What you actually see

• Murals made from split corn cobs - around three hundred thousand ears.
• A dozen natural corn colours - plus rye, oats and sour dock.
• A working arena - basketball and concerts inside.
• A new design every year - to a theme.

When to go

Late August to December, once the new murals are complete. An hour.

Honest expectations

For much of spring and summer the walls are partly or entirely stripped. Birds and squirrels eat the murals through the year. It is a single building - the visit is short. The interior is an ordinary arena.

Nearby

The Badlands are west along I-90; Sioux Falls is east.