I just don't even know where to start. First off, we were passing through Mitchell on a road trip and were told we "Must" see the Corn Palace. A little disenchanted with that, we decided to pop into Valtiroty on the way to the car. After all, it was free. What could it hurt? Well, nothing. It was interesting to say the least. Being totally ADD (self diagnosed), we were given a pamphlet by the owner, describing their goal. It was like a Mission Statement, only it was so wordy, I couldn't get past the 1st few sentences. It was like trying to read Hebrew, only it was written in English. The gist I got from it was that the proprietor created the museum name by combining the names of his spouse and daughters. The part I am unsure about is whether he was Jewish, Christian or possibly Judeo-Christian. His accent threw me off, because it almost sounded Russian - which made sense since they are predominantly Orthodox Christian. Not that any of that mattered in the least; considering the entire museum was bible based. When you first step inside, past the castle-like exterior, you have a children's play area to the right. My assumption is that it's a place to play while the adult's tour the museum. It's decorated with a lot of plants, toy animals and blue walls, made to look like a garden or a jungle. In the next couple of rooms they have Middle Eastern ("Bible land") artifacts on display, as well as mannequins dressed as biblical figures. You have the Samaritan woman at the well, the Ark of the covenant and the Pharaoh and Egyptian slaves. I remember wondering where Mary and the baby Jesus was. That could be why I thought maybe it was a Jewish (versus Christian) museum. But don't quote me on that, I could have just missed her. Each room has pebbled walk ways, faux grass and blue walls; made to give an outdoors feel. Most of the scenes are self explanatory, but I needed some explanation about the small gift shops (ie Jezebels salon). In the end, I can say I was totally amused and appreciated the fact that so much effort had been put into a small town museum about the Bible. They do ask for a donation, but it is not mandatory, so this is worth taking your family to. read more

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We read about this place on Trip Advisor. Across from The Corn Palace, the walk through biblical history exhibit was fun for the kids and informative. There was even an indoor playground for the kids! The store area was filled with trinkets and curiosities from ponchos to postcards - all to help support the enrichment efforts the center offered. But the best, the most valuable thing there, was speaking with the owner. Full of Bible trivia and knowledge, we stood there amazed, and discussed theology and history. Kind and resourceful, he is a fountain of knowledge. I highly suggest a stop here. You can even try for a discount on merchandise if you can answer his Bible questions! Things to check out: the artifacts of the 12 tribes, Dead Sea water, blow on the team's horn, Ark of the Covenant replica, and the kid's play area. Cost: Free read more

Valtiroty Shiloh's Tabernacle - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Mitchell, South Dakota

Wow! Thank you so much for the incredible displays and wealth of knowledge. This is clearly a passion of the Owner, and it shows! Well worth the time spent here. Thank you for your faithfulness. 10/10 read more

Tremendous displays, knowledgeable owner, and an amazing customer experience! I learned more than I planned to and am glad I did.

I expect some wacky roadside gimmicks off interstate 90 in South Dakota. I expect tourist t-shirts and some Jesus paraphernalia. It's South Dakota. The signage is homemade and it spells it out...the wages of sin is death. Or so they said. This place. We visited the corn palace, which was largely lacking due to maintenance and construction. We had promised our kid a park when we spotted this establishment (can I just say spoiler alert! NOT a not for profit) that promised a children's jungle. So we stepped inside, went straight for the signage that said jungle, this way. It was dark, it was plastic slides and fake Christmas trees, some alligators and yoga balls, fairly tame, albeit odd. Then the loud speaker. It became clear soon enough that we were being watched by numerous cameras and the voice was speaking directly to us. Then the owner appeared. He showed us another room, this one gravel floored and larger than the first. Then we see it, all the religious paraphernalia, the sections of the bible, the voice on the loud speaker, the man himself. He tries to talk to " the priest" of my family, reprimand the child to not touch, and tries to accost us in religious talk. We high tailed it out of these, not before he hands us a book and touches my child a little too long. Incredibly creepy and ridiculous. Would steer clear altogether. read more

The owner was very friendly and has a funny sense of humor with good jokes. I really enjoyed the biblical tour that they have and I would recommend this to go and visit. read more

Woohoo! As good as it gets! The owners will be so happy to see you and will treat you like family. Friendliest proprietors on Main St. You will fall in love with the owners and see why this place is such a must-see if you are in Mitchell. read more