It’s more than a kitsch roadside attraction. The people of Mitchell have been decorating city hall with dried corncob murals annually for over a century—think of it: somber 1899 farmers designing such an extravagant shrine to produce.

The gift shop inside is a disappointment, though. Mostly it’s the same tourist crap you could buy anywhere with a “Corn Palace Mitchell S.D.” stamp applied to it. But that’s not the point.

The point is, this is America. This is our culture. This is a place where you can touch history. So it’s important that you visit (and sign a guestbook—there’s one for each state). I’ve been here many times over the years and am always rewarded by an inexplicable feeling of awe and queasy patriotism.