Americans are familiar with our well-known tourist attractions but there are many less known attractions that are small, educational, and filled with history, education and fun.

We were driving home from a family visit in New England on I-90 when we saw frequent billboards suggesting that we visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. We thought it might be a tourist trap but had nothing better to do, so we turned off the interstate to find out what a palace made of corn was all about. What we found was fascinating and well worth the day we spent visiting the palace and walking around this delightful small town in the middle of nowhere.

When Louis and Clark passed through the area, they allegedly wrote in their journal that the area would not sustain any meaningful agriculture. They would be surprised to find that today corn has become a prominent crop in the area and comes in more colors than I knew existed.

The town was only 15 years old when the community built the first palace as a community center and place to celebrate corn by nailing colored ears of corn to form mosaics on the exterior of the structure. The current building is the third structure built to replace older versions while also serving as a community center and auditorium, basketball court, theater and dance venue.

Each spring after migrating birds have used the display as a feeding site on their journey south in the fall and return north in the spring.

Each year the old display is removed and a new series of mosaics begins with the new corn crop in summer. The palace displays are at their best in August and September when we visited. The interior walls now also have mosaics.

There was no entry fee when we visited a few decades ago. The open floorspace had booths and tables that displayed and sold corn products and souvenirs, We were told that profits from the sales were used to finance the following year's display. The town has since added several interesting museums and summertime food venues, We found a delightful old fashion ice cream parlor whose home made treat was refreshing on a hot summer day.

Meeting the local people, learning their history, and viewing their clever displays made for an unexpected wonderful time before we moved on the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse memorials in the region.

Once Covid is under control and we can explore America again, Mitchell, the Corn Palace, and local museums make for a special fun side trip now visited yearly by half a million people from around the world. They are uniquely American.

~ Raymond Leo Blain