The Indiana Dinosaur Museum, just outside of South Bend, Indiana, is a destination not to be missed for all dinosaur lovers. It is also a great family destination with a farmers’ market, buffalo herd, an exceptional restaurant called the South Bend Public House, hiking trails along the Continental Divide, a wintertime sledding hill and the South Bend Chocolate Company Museum.
South Bend Chocolate Company President Mark Tarner’s love of paleontology and fossils helped him develop a dream to build a dinosaur museum. As an avocational paleontologist, he has found thousands of dinosaur bones and he wanted the public to enjoy them as much as he does.
Visiting the Indiana Dinosaur Museum
I recently visited the museum and was impressed by the level of innovation, education, craftsmanship, and the sheer volume of dinosaur “stuff.”
As you enter the front door, you are greeted by an atrium. To the right of the information booth is a life-size facade of a Mayan Temple. Other amenities and activities include a Continental Divide Park where you can stroll the trails, travel to a Buffalo overlook to observe live buffalo and visit a prairie restoration.
Dinosaurs and a Variety of Ancient Creatures
This is a new and unequaled museum. It has 43 dinosaur sculptures, 30 skeletons, a research library and a working laboratory. From some of the largest to the smallest dinosaurs, you will see a wide variety of these ancient creatures.
From the moment you enter through a Jurassic Park-style roll-up door, you are introduced to the world of dinosaurs. First, there is a small movie theater where you are introduced to Mark Tarner, his dream and the world of dinosaurs narrated by none other than Sir David Attenborough.
Inside the museum, you are surrounded by educational opportunities. You are greeted by a life-size Apatosaurus sauropod with educational panels. There you will also see some modern animal models showing adaptations of, for example, long necks.
As you pass through the exhibit, you are also introduced to the evolution of plants, including a huge slice of a 3,000-year-old sequoia tree detailing the passage of time. There is an explanation of geological time that allows the visitor to comprehend its momentous passage.
The main central gallery hosts several full-size skeletons and a fleshed-out T Rex.
Jurassic Park Details
Reminiscent of Jurassic Park, there is a genetics testing lab dedicated to living modern reptilian creatures. A zoo of modern reptiles is eerily reminiscent of the Jurassic Park lab and highlights an educational component likened to the Jurassic Park DNA Lab. There are several living specimens of reptiles for patrons to observe and enjoy here.
You pass a Peloroplites, a notosaurid dinosaur skeleton cast from Utah that lived during the late Cretaceous and are greeted by a Sarcosuchus, a giant extinct crocodile with a modern crocodile in its mouth for size comparison. Dwarf Caiman crocodiles and turtles live in an enclosure next to the display of skull casts.
Fossil Lab Explores Fossil Preparation Efforts
A fossil lab shows the magic of how fossils are prepared for display. There is also a station outside the lab where visitors can try their hand at prepping fossils under the direction of paleontologists using real tools. Above the lab is a mezzanine classroom surrounded by life-sized models of vicious raptors. This classroom is available for school groups to learn and observe the exhibit from above.
One of my personal favorites is the Ceratopsian wall with a collection of horn-headed dinosaur skulls mounted on that wall. The lineage of some of the most popular horn-headed dinosaurs can be seen as well as a life-sized Triceratops skull. Not to miss is the Edmontosaurus that Mark found, complete with dinosaur skin impressions.
Indiana Dinosaur Museum: Final Thoughts
There is so much to see and experience at the Indiana Dinosaur Museum. The exhibits and displays are arranged to tell stories of prehistoric times, all the while visitors are learning about the science of dinosaurs in a fun and educational way.
This story about the Indiana Dinosaur Museum appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story and photos by Joseph J. “PaleoJoe” Kchodl.
