5239. Go to National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward

 When we decided we wanted to finish crossing off the rest of the Wisconsin counties I've never been to, I decided I wanted to try to get to Hayward to see the big fish. Apparently I was to the big fish when I was a toddler but of course I don't remember being there. I knew the hubby would enjoy going there as well.

The big fish is part of the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. The grounds consist of a museum, hall of fame, and of course the giant fish which you can actually go up into. The price of admission for an adult was $8.75 and children (3-17) were $6.75. The museum and grounds are open Mid-April to end of October at least 5 days a week. 

Our first stop was the giant fish which was really the only reason I wanted to go. Inside the fish are display cases as you walk up the numerous stairs to the fish's mouth to overlook the grounds. Unfortunately there is no other way up to the mouth of the fish but stairs. They were not too bad and wide enough to accommodate social distancing. 

Then we entered the museum which was a housed in a separate building then the visitor center and fish. The building itself has 3 different wings coming off the main entrance. Again plenty of room to social distance. 

One whole wing was dedicated to fishing motors. I think the earliest ones I saw were over 100 years old. I loved the various models, shapes, and sizes of them all. It was like a treasure chest.

Another wing was the hall of fame which included pictures of everyone and their fish broken down by types of fish. Many of the pictures were at least 30 years old. There were not too many recent photos. 

The last wing had more motors and the largest musky ever caught. 

Outside was a few displays of different boats and of course more fish statues. 

It was all very fascinating. The hubby was impressed. He said it was worth the money. I liked when we got there, lunch time, it wasn't very busy but the longer we stayed the more people arrived. If you want to avoid the crowds, go first thing in the morning, around lunch time, or towards the end of the day. 

Even if you are not really a fisherman, pay the $8.75 to climb the stairs to have your picture taken from inside a giant fish.