Sioux Falls Adventures

The Corn Palace

Doing touristy and cheesy things can be great fun. Of course, it is more fun when temperatures are at least in the high 50s. Yesterday we didn't have that luck. A cold front moved in and the high was in the mid-40s. Brrr! Of course, we did not pack for that type of weather. Our girls were in good shape since I packed warmer stuff for them; however, I did not pack warmer stuff for me. In fact, the only shoes I brought were sandals. I love my sandals and live in them from March to November most years.

Anyhow, we left the farm after breakfast and headed toward Sioux Falls, SD. We went a bit out of the way so that I could see the Corn Palace. Talk about cheesy and touristy. There isn't much to it beyond what you see on the outside. The Palace is used as a concert venue. Inside of it, they do have pictures of the palace over the years. The earliest photo I saw was from 1902. It only took us about 10-15 minutes to wonder about then we got back on the road. 

We then drove east to Sioux Falls. We stopped at IHOP for lunch. Anytime I eat at IHOP or Perkins or even Village Inn, I have to order breakfast. From there we went to my DH's Aunt Elaine & Uncle Duane's house. We will be staying here for the next few days. It was nice getting here so soon after lunch because it meant that our toddler, Ginny, got a much needed nap. Ginny does not nap in the car and never has, not even when she was a baby. I guess there is too much to see that she doesn't want to miss.

This morning, after getting the girls up and ready (who knew what a project that could be!!), we headed into downtown Sioux Falls to go to the Washington Pavilion. The Pavilion has a CineDome, performing arts center, visual arts area, and a science center. We hoped the science center would be entertaining for Ginny. We didn't think the baby, Grace, would care either way. Right now, there is an exhibit at the Pavilion called Seuss Falls: Discovering the Art and Science of Dr. Seuss. We went through the art exhibit for that first then made our way over to the science center.

My DH & Ginny in the tube experiencing high winds.

While many of the interactive exhibits were made for children at least 4 and older, Ginny had a good time. In the science center she seemed to really enjoy an exhibit that blew balls up in the air. Ginny loves balls! She also enjoyed getting into a contraption with DH where they got to experience the winds of a tornado. We also found a play area for kids 7 and younger. She enjoyed playing with the toys in that room. At the end of our morning at the Pavilion, Ginny even had an opportunity to pet a turtle! She was bold as usual and didn't need to be encouraged more than once. The poor turtle got a bit frightened though as Ginny tried to pet it's head first. She eventually learned that she needed to pet the shell.

Mommy & Ginny playing with a game where you can "make" a Truffula tree.

Petting the turtle

Ginny's legs turned into spaghetti and the tears started flowing once she realized we were leaving. She was having fun and didn't want to leave. My husband ended up carrying her to the car as she started to wail her displeasure. Luckily, she calmed down once she was outside and then in the car.

Now, we hope that Ginny takes another nap because we will be going to visit with another family member this evening. I'm not sure the nap will happen. I hear her in the other room talking to herself. One can only hope and dream!

Tomorrow we plan to go up to Brookings, SD to the Brookings Childrens' Museum. They even have a special exhibit for toddlers. I can only imagine how tough it will be to get Ginny to leave then. :)