Road Trip with Your Pet? Don’t Miss the Dog Friendly Corn Palace!
What’s a road trip without stopping at some quirky roadside attractions? If you’re driving across South Dakota, the World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell is one stop that you don’t want to miss. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a palace-style building covered in corn?
This dog-friendly Corn Palace is the perfect opportunity for you and your pet to eat some snacks, use the restroom, and stretch your legs, all while getting some fun photos to remember your trip. And best of all, it’s free!
Get ready to be all EARS because this guide to visiting the Corn Palace has all sorts of KERNELS of wisdom that you and your pup need to know! From their pet policy and hours to what you can expect during your visit, we cover it all.
Is the Corn Palace Dog Friendly?
A- MAIZE-ingly, the Corn Palace is pet-friendly! They have a nice grassy area where your pup (or other pets) can empty their bladders before you enter. Once inside, your canine companion will need to stay leashed (or in a carrier) and be okay around other people and dogs.
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What to Expect When You Visit the World’s Only Corn Palace
The World’s Only Corn Palace is a free and unique place where you and your pet can both get out and walk around. It’s the perfect stop for your South Dakota road trip. The outside of the building is covered in murals made of corn. And inside, there are exhibits about the history of the palace, multiple photo opportunities, an art gallery, a concession stand, and more.
Across the street is another great photo op, as well as their gift shop and a bunch of other small local stores. This stop took us about 1 ½ hours for both the Corn Palace and the gift shop. If you aren’t a big fan of reading every sign, you could get through it much quicker.
Corn Palace Price and Hours
Visiting the Corn Palace is completely free, and for most of the year, it’s open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. They are closed on Sundays from October to April and for multiple holidays. During peak tourist season (Memorial Day to Labor Day), they are open from 8 am to 9 pm.
The gift shop across the street has varying hours depending on the time of year you go. I recommend checking the website or calling them to confirm their hours ahead of time if you’re traveling during the off-season.
Parking at the Corn Palace
There are 3 free parking lots around the Corn Palace, as well as street parking.
Are there Bathrooms at the Corn Palace?
They do have bathrooms on the main floor in the Corn Palace for public use.
Where to Stay When Visiting the Corn Palace
Mitchell, South Dakota, has several large hotel chains to choose from. If you are traveling with several pets, I would check Airbnb or VRBO since most dog-friendly hotels have a 2-pet limit.
Visiting the Dog-Friendly Corn Palace
The World’s Only Corn Palace was the perfect stop for our pack while driving across South Dakota. It had bathrooms, food, and kept us entertained long enough to give our legs a nice stretch. I love ‘corny’ roadside attractions, so this place was a no-brainer for us. It’s not too far from I-90, and they change the photos and theme every year, so it’s worth taking a quick drive by whenever you’re in the area.
Corn Palace
The Corn Palace was first built in 1892 and used as the gathering place for the town’s fall festival. It’s moved several times, but the one you see today was built to be its permanent home back in 1921.
Each year, they have a fall corn festival at the end of August in remembrance of how the Corn Palace started. After the festival ends, they begin taking down the corn murals on the outside of the building, and the new ones are installed by October. These designs follow different themes every year, and it’s amazing to see such a huge art installation made completely of corn!
When you visit, take time to walk around and admire the murals on the outside of the building. While you do this, there are grassy areas around, so your furry traveling companion will have plenty of opportunity to go to the bathroom.
If you’re looking for the best photo op for a group photo, head across the street. There is a large corn character perfectly placed, so when you pose with it, you’ll have the palace in the background.
Just inside the main door is a small welcome desk where you can get a quick rundown of what’s inside. They also occasionally have discounted tickets for some of the other local attractions if you have time to visit them.
After you pass this desk, you’ll be in the main lobby. This is where the bathrooms are located, as well as several more fun photo ops.
To the left will be the concession area. And just past that is the start of the exhibit signs that cover the history of the town, the Corn Palace, and the northern plains.
The hallway wraps around most of the building since the middle of the building is a large auditorium where they hold concerts and things. There are more corn-made murals in the auditorium, so make sure to check those out, too.
The 2nd floor has a small art gallery with works from Oscar Howe. This artist had designed several of the previous corn murals.
You can also find a section with photos of the Corn Palace for most every year it was decorated, which was very cool to see. We had fun trying to pick our favorite years. Mine was the Myths and Legends theme in 1994.
There is also a small exhibit of Native American artifacts, corn-themed pottery, and corn husk dolls.
Corn Palace Concession Area
The concession area has a good variety of food and snacks to choose from. You can order things like hot dogs and hamburgers, or get something small to snack on, like chips or jerky. And obviously, they have plenty of corn-based foods like popcorn, corn nuggets, and corn on the cob.
Corn Palace Gift Shop
There is a small gift shop that’s open seasonally inside the Corn Palace, but I suggest going to the much larger one across the street. They have a nice selection of corn-themed souvenirs like snacks, shirts, popcorn, and corn jelly. They even have a Corn Palace dog bandana, so your pup can take home a souvenir too!
Tips for Bringing Your Dog to the Corn Palace
The Corn Palace is a fun place to stop and let your dog out of the car for a walk and new sights and smells. Here are some tips for bringing your pup so you both can enjoy your time here:
- Know Your Pup. Your dog should be okay around other animals and people. If they don’t, you may want to skip the inside and admire the amazing outside of the building.
- Give your dog a bathroom break before you go in. Make sure your dog goes to the bathroom first to avoid embarrassing accidents inside.
- Practice Situational Awareness. It’s important to pay attention to what’s happening around you. Be aware of the people, pets, and products around your pup so you can keep everyone safe and happy.
Nearby Attractions to the World’s Only Corn Palace
For ideas of more places to visit in Mitchell, South Dakota, check out these stops:
Attractions near the World’s Only Corn Palace
Dog-Friendly Attractions near the World’s Only Corn Palace
Driving across the entire state? We also have a list of things to do throughout South (and North) Dakota.
Cool or Corny? Stop in and Decide For Yourself!
If you ever find yourself driving through South Dakota on I-90, make sure you stop in Mitchell to see the World’s Only Corn Palace. Whether you decide it’s cool, corny, or a bit of both, this dog-friendly attraction is the perfect way to break up your drive and give you some a-MAZE-ing memories to look back on. After all, how many dogs (or people) can say that they’ve visited a palace made of corn?
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I’m with you. A big part of the fun of a road trip is having the time to pull off when something interesting or out of the ordinary (like the corn palace!) catches your attention. The fact that you can all go in together without having one person stay outside with the dog(s) is always a bonus.
Yes, I always feel like I have to rush if we are at a place where my husband and I have to switch off going inside with our dogs. So places like this where we can all go in are gold!
This is the most astonishing place. It looks like an Indian palace from a hundred years ago, so exotic and fantastical. I am sure I would spend ours there if I visited!
It was fun to see. Since they change the corn murals each year, I can see us swinging by anytime we drive out that way. Super impressive!
What a cool, funky place! You always go to such interesting off the beaten path places, I love sharing them on Pinterest. The corn artwork is amazing, it must take so long to create those intricate panels. I’ll keep this on my list if we get to SD.
It was super fun to see…I hope you get out there one day! And thanks for the shares!!
I so want to be in your suitcase! Or back seat…I’ll sit with the pups! This is so much fun…I’d love to see this…well, I’d love to see anything out West, but this is pretty cool. That museum looks so interesting. The gift shop is where I’d definitely would visit. I’m such a sucker for souvenirs and place-related tchotchkes! I love that it is dog-friendly, too. Just really seals the deal for a great place to visit! I so enjoy being an armchair traveler with your posts! Great article! Sharing with my FiveSibes readers!
Thanks for the shares! South Dakota is one of my favorite states (WVA is another) I can’t wait to explore further west one day.
I remember visiting the Corn Palace as a kid. It is an amazing spot. It’s wonderful to know it’s dog-friendly. Great guide on the Corn Palace, Tiffany!
What an amazing place and I love that it is made of corn and pet friendly. I love the odd places as they sometimes are the best when on a road trip. Thanks for sharing