South Bend Chocolate Co. nearing spring opening for Indiana Dinosaur Museum

Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now

This audio file is brought to you by

0:00

0:00

Loading audio file, please wait.

Speed
1.00

• 0.25
• 0.50
• 0.75
• 1.00
• 1.25
• 1.50
• 1.75
• 2.00

The latest venture from the owners of The South Bend Chocolate Co. promises to bring something sweet alongside something prehistoric.

The company’s unlikely pairing—a new chocolate factory and dinosaur museum expected to open next year—combines two passions of owner Mark Tarner, who launched The South Bend Chocolate Co. three decades ago and considers himself an amateur paleontologist.

South Bend Chocolate owners say they expect the $20 million project will bring 200,000 visitors annually to the far northwest side of South Bend. But, the joint chocolate factory-museum complex near the front of the company’s nearly 100-acre property is just the beginning.

The site will also feature a South Bend Public House restaurant—mirroring the company’s two existing public house locations in Howard Park in South Bend and at Ironworks Plaza in Mishawaka—a farmers market, a nature center, an artisan village, walking trails, a sledding hill, live animals and more.

“Our company is all about creating experiences,” said Kristina Tressler, director of operations for The South Bend Chocolate Co. “That’s kind of where our brains have gone when building a lot of this, is how can we make this an experience? How can we make this something that South Bend or Indiana or the U.S. has never seen?”

The project has been in the South Bend Chocolate Co. leaders’ sights for years. 

The company purchased the land at the northeast corner of U.S. 20 and U.S. 31 six years ago from the city of South Bend for $1. But, construction has taken time given federal aviation approvals needed due to the museum’s proximity to South Bend International Airport and pandemic-era delays. The site today, however, is bustling with activity as the company prepares for what leaders hope will be a spring opening.

“I’ve had the vision in my head for a long time, but to see it come as far as it has is incredible,” Tressler said. “And, I feel like we’re adding every day.”

The museum piece, branded as the Indiana Dinosaur Museum, will feature real and replica dinosaur fossils, digital simulations, an ancient sea turtle skeleton, a reptile area with live alligators and a gift shop. Many of the fossils displayed in the museum will come from Tarner’s expeditions in Montana.

Other notable attractions include a dinosaur prop built for the filming of the first Jurassic Park movie and a possible You-Dig area, where kids can practice digging up fossils.

In the west wing of the same building, guests can tour The South Bend Chocolate Co.’s new factory, which will feature production lines, space for coffee and nut roasting, hot and cold kitchens to make toffee and caramels, room for catering and one of the company’s signature Chocolate Cafés. The new factory, Tressler says, is not all that different in size but makes better use of space with fewer long hallways and more room to store vertically.

Tressler says the company, which already offers tours of its current factory to about 50,000 guests a year, will likely build upon this experience with more formalized presentations. She expects the museum and factory could create up to 150 new jobs.

Outside of the museum, guests will be able to engage in a range of activities across the company’s vast acreage. Owners have cut trails across the property which was once partially untouched woodland and farmed land, and Tressler has already placed signs along the trails designating the different types of plants seen across the property. The owners have created multiple displays highlighting significant local landmarks, including a Notre Dame Overlook, from which visitors can catch a view of the university’s Golden Dome from a distance. The land is also intersected by the North American Continental Divide, which the group recognizes with a marker and nearby Continental Divide Nature Center.

The Nature Center will feature a butterfly exhibit and comes among the many other planned animal experiences. The company also plans to bring goats, horses, chicken and buffalo to the property.

And, it’s no coincidence, Tressler says, that the South Bend Public House will have Bison burgers on the menu. It’s a part of the group’s effort to locally source the food it serves and will complement other food grown on site. Owners have tested out cherry trees and grape vines to see how well they take. Those items could be sold later in the onsite farmers market, Tressler said. The company also has ideas for an artisan village with glassblowing and a blacksmith near the market.

With opening still months away, the team has not yet decided on ticket pricing, but hopes to include some special promotions like $2 Tuesdays or free visits once a month. The group also sees opportunities to rent out small spaces for family gatherings or date nights and large spaces for events and weddings.

Tressler says the company has been in talks to bring a local winery to the site for a tasting room. And, the company still has room to grow. About 50 acres on the property today remain untouched, Tressler said.

“I’m just excited for people to walk, just walk, walk and explore,” Tressler said. “Exploring all of this is going to be amazing for kids, adults, anybody that wants to come out here.”

The South Bend Chocolate Co. is sharing updates about the museum’s progress on social media. The Indiana Dinosaur has its own Facebook page at facebook.com/indianadinosaurmuseum.