There's a new dinosaur museum within 90 minutes of Holland

SOUTH BEND — Dinosaur lovers rejoice. There's now a dedicated museum within 90 minutes of Holland.

After more than two years of development, the Indiana Dinosaur Museum on the west side of South Bend opened to the public Friday, July 12.

The museum was developed by South Bend Chocolate Co. founder Mark Tarner, and is located on a 90-acre parcel at 7102 Lincoln Way W.

Besides the dinosaur museum, the complex includes a chocolate museum, a restaurant and a market, as well as hiking, picnic areas, a scenic overlook and a bison viewing area.

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

More: Dinosaurs, chocolate, a pub: Indiana's newest destination

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've 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,” Tarner 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's 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. To keep things fresh, the museum also plans to rotate in new displays from Tarner’s collection or from loan agreements with other museums.

Of course, there will also be a souvenir shop, which will likely include chocolate dinosaurs, along with hats, shirts, toys and other items.

According to indianadinosaurmuseum.org, a pass to the museum and adjacent park is $25 for adults, $23 for students with an ID, $22.50 for seniors and $20 for children aged 3-17. Children under 3 enter free.

An explorer pass, which adds access to the chocolate museum, is $40 for adults, $35 for seniors and $32 for children aged 3-17. Children under 3 enter free. Group tour and birthday party packages are also available.

The museum is approximately an hour and 15 minutes from Holland down I-196 to US-31.

— Cassandra Lybrink of The Holland Sentinel contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: There's a new dinosaur museum within 90 minutes of Holland