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SOUTH BEND &#; In just its first weekend of operation, the Indiana Dinosaur Museum complex at Lincoln Way West drew more than 2,000 visitors, and attendance could continue growing as the attraction is fully developed in the future.
The 23,000-square-foot dinosaur museum is the main attraction on the 90-acre site just west of the South Bend International Airport along the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, but the project also includes other attractions.
Eventually, tourism officials believe, the combined attraction could bring in about 150,000 people a year &#; making it the fourth largest draw in St. Joseph County behind the University of Notre Dame, the South Bend Cubs and the Potawatomi Zoo.
The sky is the limit for Mark Tarner, founder and president of the South Bend Chocolate Co., who has been developing the idea for the attraction for nearly a decade as a way of combining his professional life as a chocolatier with his side passion for paleontology.
Here&#;s are some of the things that visitors already can enjoy at the site and what they can look forward to in the coming months.
The museum, which is meant to be entertaining and educational, includes life-size dinosaur models as well as bones from Tarner&#;s private collection &#; possibly one of the largest in the United States.
Visitors go on a guided tour of the exhibition learning about geological time and how dinosaurs ruled the planet for some 165 million years before going extinct 65 million years ago.
Colors are bright, signage is large and there are opportunities for youngsters to get some hands-on experiences looking for fossils and other activities. It&#;s all about being instructive without being staid.
Cost is $25 to $20; free for ages 2 and younger and $23 for South Bend residents. Learn more at IndianaDinosaurMuseum.org. Hours are currently 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
For more information, please visit dinosaur fossil factory.
Visitors can also drop by the new attraction to visit the new South Bend Chocolate Co. factory, which offers a history of chocolate, memorabilia, a guided tour of the factory and a chance to make a box of chocolates.
The 50,000-square-foot factory shares a 6,000-square-foot atrium with the dinosaur museum where visitors can pick up snacks, souvenirs and other items.
The company is still operating its location at W. Sample St. in South Bend as the new location is still ramping up production. Chocolate Factory tours are: $20-$15; free for ages 2 and younger and $18 for South Bend residents. A combined unlimited pass for both the museum and factory is $40-$32; free for ages 2 and younger.
Visit www.sbchocolate.com/factory-tour to learn more. Hours are currently 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
A new Public House restaurant is expected to open Aug. 8 adjacent to the dinosaur museum and chocolate factory. It will have a menu similar to the Mishawaka Public House and Howard Park Public House restaurants, but it has a stage for live music and one of the nicest patio areas in the region.
Another building houses Tarner&#;s spin on a farmers market with fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and artisinal products from local farmers and producers as well as fresh doughnuts, bagels and other products made on site. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
While visits to the museum and chocolate factory have an admission, it&#;s free to picnic or hike on the property. Some of the highlights include an overlook with a long-distance view of the University of Notre Dame and the South Bend International Airport, a spot marking the continental divide where water flows north to the Great Lakes or south to the Mississippi River.
The free walkable area also includes an enclosed area where bison roam. They are not to be approached or touched.
In the winter, there will be free sled riding on a hill behind the museum and factory with a large patio and outdoor fireplace. An Amish-built barn will house animals and equipment needed to operate the attraction.
And expect more in the coming months and years as Tarner has considered a wine-tasting area at one of the buildings that's already on site and a nature center at another.
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