SOUTH BEND ― In just its first 12 weeks of existence, the Indiana Dinosaur Museum has already drawn 26,294 visitors and is on pace to easily break through the 100,000 mark in its first year.
That’s a fast start for an attraction that no one knew exactly how well it would do when Mark Tarner, the founder and president of the South Bend Chocolate Co., started pitching his idea for a 90-acre complex at 7102 Lincoln Way W. that could serve as a new home for his chocolate factory as well as a museum to house the thousands of dinosaur fossils he’s collected through decades as an amateur paleontologist.
On Wednesday afternoon, Tarner was on hand with South Bend Mayor James Mueller, one of the earliest believers in the project, Caleb Bauer, the city’s executive director of community investment, and tourism officials to discuss the fast start at the new attraction.
“We think our total numbers are going to be about 104,000, but maybe it could be 135,000,” Tarner said, adding that it’s hard to make an exact prediction since he’s never run a museum before.
The total includes only paid admission to the museum and excludes the thousands of additional visitors who are dropping the chocolate factory for a tour, the new South Bend Public House restaurant and entertainment venue and the marketplace called South Bend Farms.
And Tarner is just getting started as he has many other ideas for the land that also includes scenic overlooks, bison, picnic spots, a sledding hill and more.
This week, the city officially forgave a $2.7 million loan it provided for the project in addition to a discount price for the underused land overlooking the St. Joseph Valley Parkway near the South Bend International Airport, since Tarner already has far exceeded the job creation and investment requirements that were part of the agreement.
“This was a pretty standard deal just for the relocation and expansion of the chocolate factory,” Mueller said, adding that the city also invested $1.4 million in infrastructure improvements that will benefit more than just the dinosaur complex. Everything else that Tarner has developed ― a tourism draw and a place for the community to enjoy ― are bonuses, he added.
It’s been estimated that the dinosaur museum eventually could reach 150,000 visitors a year, which would put it in fourth place behind the University of Notre Dame, the South Bend Cubs and the Potawatomi Zoo as the top visitor draws in the county.
But based on its fast start and additional development in the future, officials were speculating that it could perhaps draw as many as 300,000 visitors a year since Tarner has additional ideas for the project, including a possible wine-tasting room in one of the existing buildings on the property.
Besides improving the quality of life for those living in the region and providing 188 jobs, the new development will also provide additional spending at area restaurants, stores and hotels, said David Holt, chief of staff and chief operating officer for the Indiana Destination Development Corp.
“The Indiana Dinosaur Museum is quickly cementing itself as an anchor for the community and is playing a vital role in supporting local tourism,” said Holt, adding that the new attraction adds to the state’s overall tourism fabric ― which he says continues to expand since it started promoting itself in neighboring states.
In 2022, St. Joseph County drew 5.7 million visitors, who spent $1.5 billion at area hotels, restaurants and stores, said Jeff Jarnecke. He said the attraction will draw new visitors to the community and provide another reason for tourists to extend their stay.
“We’re thrilled to see the economic driver that this brings to the west side of South Bend,” Mueller said. “This is an attraction for the state, this is an attraction for the region, and this will continue to place South Bend squarely on the map.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend’s Indiana Dinosaur Museum showing its potential for tourism
