South Bend, Indiana

By dallen46614

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South Bend started out as a fur trading post in 1820 and was incorporated as a city in 1865. It's located on the most southern bend in the St. Joseph River, hence it's name. It is famous for The University of Notre Dame, which lies on the north side of the city.

Geography
South Bend is the center of an area known as Michigana which encompasses northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan. Other major towns in the area include Mishawaka, Elkhart, Granger, and Plymouth, Indiana; as well as Niles and Cassopolis, Michigan.

Musuems
South Bend boasts many museums. The South Bend Regional Museum of Art showcases works from regional artists. The Snite Museum at the University of Notre Dame exhibits over 18,000 pieces. The Studebaker National Museum displays upwards of seventy-five vehicles from their extinct line.

Those interested in history can take a spin through the Northern Indiana Center for History. The center is a museum complex that houses a children’s museum, and exhibits on the history of Notre Dame and the St. Joseph River Valley. The crown jewel in this complex is the Victorian mansion filled with original furnishings. South Bend is also home to the College Football Hall of Fame that spans over a hundred years of American football.

Zoos and Parks
The Powatomi Zoo is small, but makes a great and relaxing outing for family. Nature lovers will enjoy the river walk, a pleasant meandering walkway following the St. Joseph River. There is also the Rum Village Nature Center which boasts 160 acres of nature’s beauty, picnic areas, and an observatory. Hiking and biking trails are abundant.

Potato Creek State Park, twelve miles southwest of the city, offers a 327 acre Worster Lake. There is a swimming beach along with miles of hiking and biking trails, camping sites and cabins, and a playground. You can fish both winter and summer and there are areas for cross country skiing and tubing in the wintertime. There are two boat launches as well.

Golf enthusiast can enjoy golfing on several local courses in the area as well.


South Bend is a short drive from the Sound Bend Regional Airport.




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