Corny, perhaps, but a lot of fun -- our brief visit to Mitchell, SD

Alexandria, MN to Mitchell, SD

We only had one night in Mitchell, South Dakota, en route from Alexandria, MN to Spearfish, in the western part of South Dakota.  Still, we managed to make the most of our short visit and packed a lot in in just a few hours.  This was our second visit to South Dakota in less than a year as we'd taken a trip to the Black Hills last fall.  

We're back so soon!

One of the main reasons we'd stopped in Mitchell was so that Barry could show me the famous Corn Palace. He'd been here as a boy with his family.  So once we got settled in at our motel, we decided to walk into town as it was no more than two miles each way.  Since we wouldn't be cycling that day, it was a good way to get our daily exercise.


Unfortunately, when we arrived, the Corn Palace was undergoing serious renovation, with barricades and fences everywhere.  Although the exterior corn decor is stripped and replaced yearly, this was larger in scale than that annual renovation; from the signs, it seems they are planning to add electronic billboards to the sides.  We were sorry to see that as part of the funky charm of the palace is its retro au naturel siding.  Oh well, I guess this is progress, right?  

"Next Generation Corn Palace" pictures showing Jumbotrons where corn used to be

No trip to the Corn Palace would be complete without the obligatory photo beside the smiling ear of corn!

And check it out, just for the occasion I am wearing the "South Dakota" t-shirt I bought at Wall Drug last fall.  Corny, eh?  

Here are some of the old-timey images on the exterior of the Palace made with 18 different colors of corn.  I particularly like the outhouse!

In addition to being a tourist venue, the Corn Palace is an entertainment complex and hosts concerts and sports events inside.  When these are not occurring, there are shopping opportunities indoors where visitors can buy t-shirts, caps, and other memorabilia, and of course, popcorn!  We didn't buy anything, just had a look around.  There are more corn "paintings" inside as well.

The rest of downtown Mitchell was very quiet on this weekday afternoon, so after seeing the Palace, we just turned around and walked back to the Days Inn where we were staying the night.  

There, we discovered the indoor water slide, and these two old farts had a blast!  We had it all to ourselves as well (probably the only way we would have done it).  The pictures aren't the greatest, but at least prove that we were not too chicken to give it a whirl!

Barry taking the plunge

My turn!

Making a SPLASH!

After our walk to town and all the playing in the pool, we were starving, and Tripadvisor reviews led us to a great Mexican place a quick walk from our hotel, Corona Village.  We've been really lucky in our travels to find so many good Mexican restaurants since it's our favorite!

They even brought out this little sweet bite of dessert after our meal for free.  We were stuffed!

We hit the road west the next morning, but we think we made the most of our short stay in Mitchell, wouldn't you agree?