Introduction to Mitchell, SD

MITCHELL makes a mildly diverting stop on the seemingly endless drive along I-90. The Corn Palace at 604 N Main St (summer daily 8am–9pm; winter Mon–Fri 8am–5pm; free) has been pegged as "the world's largest birdfeeder"; the first Corn Palace was built in 1892 to encourage settlement and to display local agricultural products. Topped with brightly painted onion-shaped domes and minarets, this kitsch Moorish transplant to the Corn Belt is decorated annually (at a cost of about $125,000) with large murals depicting farming and other outdoor scenes. The artists' materials consist exclusively of native corn, grains and grasses of varying natural colors; further examples of such rural folk art are found inside. Mitchell's visitor center, 601 N Main St (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm; tel 605/996-5567 or 1-800/257-CORN,www.cornpalace.com), is across the street, and the Hard Drive Central internet café (318 N Main St; 20¢ per minute) is two blocks south.

Other places where you can while away time in Mitchell include a gallery devoted to a Yanktonai Sioux painter; a surprisingly engaging museum of dolls, including a salt-carved Shirley Temple; a pioneer museum; and a prehistoric Native American village. Both the Best Western, 1001 S Burr St (tel 605/996-5536; $50–75) and Super 8 (tel 605/996-9678; $50–75) motels lie just off I-90 at exit 332. The Lake Mitchell Campground, one mile north of town on Hwy-37 (tel 605/995-8457), has grassy tent sites ($11) that overlook the water. The railroad-themed Depot, 210 S Main St (tel 605/996-9417), is a fun place to grab a meal.

Information by Rough Guides

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