The Corn Palace – Exploring and Overnighting Tips

In the beautiful little town of Mitchell, South Dakota, you’ll find a unique experience, and a nod to the area’s deep culture and agriculture–The Corn Palace.

This building, located in downtown on the corner of 6th and Main Street, has a history dating back to 1892! It is used as the gymnasium and hosts concerts, festivals, and local events, but also is decorated with murals made entirely out of corn to a different theme each time. In 2024, it was themed around famous South Dakotans, and it was neat to connect people we didn’t know were from there.

I got to visit this neat attraction when I was 7 on a family road trip to Alaska, so was thrilled to find the annual photo from the year I visited (yes, you can do the math and see how old I am now!)

It is free parking and free to enter, and they do have a snack bar and gift shop to make a purchase and support the Corn Palace, as well as many cafes, shops and restaurants around the downtown area. It’s not a long stop, but great for stretching your legs on your road trip, and with lots of downtown parking, you should have no trouble parking your rig. Bonus, it is pet friendly, so Luna was welcome to explore with us!

The Corn Palace parking lots have clear signs stating NO OVERNIGHT PARKING, but there is another one, a couple blocks away, situated above 7th Ave between Lawler Street and Kimball Street, that is easier for large rigs to get in and out of and park in, and doesn’t have a sign about overnighting. We asked around while there and were told we wouldn’t have any issue staying in the lot overnight.

At the end of a long travel day and with plans to find a Cracker Barrel or something on iOverlander, we were happy to be stopped. That also meant fresh coffee and pastries for breakfast at the cafe downtown, too. We knew it was the risk of that middle of the night knock telling us to move on, but it didn’t happen. There were a few of us in the lot, too. We were also good about only putting out the slides we needed, sticking to the back row along the trees, and not putting anything out, and only ran our genny for an hour to cool off and heat up dinner.

Whether it’s to stop and stretch for a snack, or trying to visit and overnight, this stop is worth being on your list. It’s a great little town and piece of American culture worth learning and preserving for future generations.

Be sure to check out the Travel Map on our home page for other campground and attraction reviews! You can also find FREE resources on the Printables page, or order your copy of Our Travel Planner to have all the resources conveniently at your fingertips!