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SOUTH BEND ― Mark Tarner isn’t above getting dirty in order to help push the Indiana Dinosaur Museum complex closer to the finish line.

With its opening scheduled for July 12, workers have been busy throughout the property on the west side of the city putting the finishing touches on the dinosaur museum exhibits while also installing candy-making equipment in the adjacent South Bend Chocolate Co. building.

During a visit to the site, it’s likely you’ll find Tarner painting, moving debris, helping build or giving visitors a tour of the property which also includes a cafe and a market as well as hiking trails, a bison pasture, picnic spots and an overlook with a far-off view of Notre Dame landmarks.

What’s most noteworthy about the 90-acre complex at 7102 Lincoln Way W. at the U.S. 20 bypass is that there are so many things to attract visitors to the property, which has been under development for two years.

The dinosaur museum will draw people with its wide variety of life-size models of dinosaurs and real bones that reflect a passion that Tarner has developed over the past 20-plus years while also expanding the chocolate business that he started in 1991.

Photos at the start of the museum document how Tarner and his family and friends have spent large chunks of each summer digging for bones in Montana and the discoveries they have uncovered.

“He probably has one of the largest private collections of dinosaur bones in the country, maybe even the world,” said Kendra Bolen, a paleontologist who joined the staff at the museum early this year.

Tarner has aimed to make the museum entertaining with a hologram of a scientist who introduces visitors to 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 young visitors to get some hands-on experiences looking for fossils and other activities.

“We don’t want it to be boring,” he said during a recent tour before which he had to change out of his paint-covered shirt. “We want people to learn and spark interest without being too staid and instructional.”

Throughout the complex, there is constant reinforcement on how man has only been on the planet for a short time, especially compared to dinosaurs, and how there are still connections with the animals that lived long ago.

“We hope people leave with a deeper understanding of time and our place in it,” Tarner said while explaining various features of the museum. To keep things fresh, the museum also plans to rotate in new displays from Tarner’s collection or in loan agreements with other museums.

Chocolate dinosaurs and other attractions

Though details aren’t finalized, Tarner expects admission to the museum will likely cost $20 and include the opportunity for kids to dig up their own fossil for $10. Of course, there will also be a souvenir shop, which will likely include chocolate dinosaurs along with hats, shirts, toys and other items.

The up-close chocolate factory tour will also come with an admission charge, but it will be redeemable for chocolates and other treats produced by the company.

Other highlights of the property include a Public House restaurant that will feature live entertainment and a market with fresh products, such as cider, jams, jellies and more.

Tarner intends to keep the remainder of the property free for those who might want to hike, picnic, sled or cross-country ski, depending on the season.

He wants people to enjoy the property as much as he does and learn about the rocks that were moved here via glaciers and are the same type that were used to build the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at Notre Dame.

Or the high spot on the property that marks a continental divide, separating the drainage system for the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River, or even a brief tidbit of history on the Lincoln Highway along which the complex is located.

And look for every other building and structure that previously was located on the property to be repurposed into other year-round attractions in future years. Some possibilities include a wine shop and tasting room, a nature center, and a center for craft making.

A top tourism draw

Officials expect the complex to become one of the top three non-Notre Dame attractions in the region when it opens ― just behind the South Bend Cubs and Potawatomi Zoo ― with perhaps 150,000 visitors a year.

Besides the improvement in quality of life for those living in the region, the attraction is expected to draw new visitors, providing an additional economic boost and ultimately create about 150 new jobs.

The bold-vision and possibilities of the project are why Gov. Eric Holcomb, Mayor James Mueller and other public officials are expected to be on hand for the dedication. Holcomb already has visited South Bend at least once, in February 2023, in support of the complex. Some believe that a hotel, an RV park and other amenities could eventually spring up near the project.

“It’s been ignored for a long time," Tarner said, "but I think the future of the west side of city is looking very bright.”

Email Tribune staff writer Ed Semmler at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend's dinosaur museum and chocolate factory gets ready to open