ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. — Gov. Eric Holcomb and officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources broke ground for a new park lodge to be built at Potato Creek State Park in north-central Indiana, which will be the first state park lodge built in the Hoosier state in 84 years.
The Lodge at Potato Creek will be the eighth addition to the Hoosier state’s growing list of Indiana State Parks Inns system, DNR said in a news release Thursday. The lodge, when fully constructed, will reside on the south shore of Worster Lake at Potato Creek State Park about 12 miles southwest of South Bend.
The completed lodge will feature 120 guest rooms, a conference center with a maximum capacity of 350 guests, an aquatic center inside, a nature room for exhibits, a cafe, a gift shop and much more.
“There’s a reason why Indiana’s state park inns have the highest occupancy rate in the nation and continue to earn such high national rankings,” said Gov. Holcomb. “People come here from across the country and around the world because of the unparalleled experience and hospitality extended at our state park inns. Whether you’re out hiking a trail or sitting by the fire, our state parks offer an opportunity to immerse yourself in nature’s finest surroundings.”
Guests can expect to access a variety of outdoor activities from the lodge, including bike riding, boating, ice fishing and hiking.
A sum of $100 million was appropriated to the state budget earlier this year to fund the project.
“By building our second overnight lodging facility for Hoosiers in the northern part of the state, we’re both making history and making way for new opportunities to get out and explore our great outdoor Indiana,” said DNR Director Dan Bortner. “Our park guests love making year-round memories at Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park, and we know this new lodge at Potato Creek is going to be a great place for more memories to be made.”
The lodge will be operated by the Indiana Inns Authority, which is an extension of the DNR Division of State Parks.
More information about the development currently underway for the Lodge at Potato Creek can be found online here.
