Would You Eat Fish While Inside A Fish? Welcome to Bena, Minnesota.
This restaurant, "The Big Fish Supper Club" is located just a couple miles outside Bena, Minnesota and 15 miles East of Cass Lake. It's hard not to see it when you drive by on Highway 2. Because who could miss a 65 foot long wooden structure built in the form of a muskie fish with a mouth big enough to walk through?
The Big Fish Supper Club was originally built as a drive-thru restaurant in 1958. But you could also eat Burgers and fries in the belly of the fish, while the cooking was happening in the tail of the fish. If I drove past this structure, I would definitely stop. Especially these days when everyone is looking for the perfect Instagram post. This would definitely fit the bill.
Today the "Fish" is no longer open as a restaurant. But in 2010 Al and Amy Hemme bought The Big Fish Supper Club and Resort. The Supper Club sits right next to the massive Muskie. So basically, the gift with purchase was the 65 foot Muskie next door. It had been on the "endangered species" list of sorts, until an anonymous donor restored it.
Even after closing after only a few years, The Big Fish managed to take on a life of it's own as it made an appearance in the movie "National Lampoon's Vacation". Amy Hemme has said that people she knows still see that movie today and send her a picture wondering if she knew it was in the movie. Her answer, of course, is yes she knew.
Time to hit the road and head to Cass County phone/ camera to get your 'gram on!