Soon, Indiana will have a place where 300 million-year-old tortoises and chocolate turtles collide.
South Bend Chocolate Co. owner and paleontology enthusiast Mark Tarner is building an 18,000-sqft dinosaur museum that will include a 60,000-sqft chocolate factory in northwest South Bend. Mark already has plans to display dinosaur bones he found himself on a fossil dig.
The 90-acre complex will also feature a restaurant, farmers market, public house, and hiking trails. Tubing in the winter, a buffalo enclosure, and a lookout point are also planned for outside.
Construction is now underway on the $20 milion agritourism destination and it’s expected to create 144 full-time jobs. Follow along on Facebook for updates on the project, which set to be completed by early 2024.