(St. Joseph County, IN) - It was a somewhat historic day just a relatively short drive from La Porte County.
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb joined the Indiana Department of Natural Resources today to break ground on the Lodge at Potato Creek, which is the first state park lodge in Indiana built since 1939.
“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 Holcomb.
“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,” he said.
The lodge, which will be the eighth to join the Indiana State Parks Inns system, will sit on the scenic south shore of Worster Lake at Potato Creek State Park, which is near North Liberty in St. Joseph County.
The preliminary plan for the lodge includes 120 guest rooms, a full-service dining room that seats 150, a conference center with three break-out rooms and capacity for 350 guests, an indoor aquatic center, a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces for small gatherings, a mini-nature room for programs and exhibits, a café, a gift shop, and access to the lake and other park features.
The lodge will provide a base for four seasons of outdoor recreation for guests, with activities ranging from bike riding and boating in summer to ice fishing and hiking in winter, along with the viewing of spring wildflowers, migratory birds, and fall colors in the woods and prairies.
To support the lodge’s construction, $100 million was appropriated earlier this year in the state budget. The lodge will be operated through the Indiana Inns Authority, a legislatively established, quasi-governmental entity that is a functional part of the DNR Division of State Parks.
“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.”
