Our Great Northern Minnesota Venue Tour continues with Bluefin Bay – Tofte, Minnesota
Bluefin Bay may be one of the youngest resorts in its present-day form but, by all accounts, their 35 years of warm and friendly hospitality is the hallmark of excellence when celebrating romance, family, and tradition. The Bluefin Bay Resort in Tofte, Minnesota was built in 1984, but the land it stands on is firmly rooted 100 years ago when the first settlers arrived in Tofte.
The current owner Dennis Rysdahl built and has managed the Bluefin Bay Family of Resort properties for 35 years. The Temperance Landing log homes were added in 2006, and Surfside on Lake Superior joined the resort family in 2008. A family-owned business, this was the very first condo style resort built along the North Shore. Known for its quiet and romantic setting on Lake Superior, the residents of Tofte proudly proclaim Bluefin Bay as the “Trophy of the North Shore.”
Bluefin Bay is nestled in right off of Highway 61. It was interesting how the traffic on Highway 61 fades away as you drive down towards the lodge. You quickly seem as if you are in a different world surrounded by the fragrant fresh pine trees and the beautiful blue Lake Superior water. Hearing the waves crashing and brushing up along the rocky shore, it will give you chills. As large as the resort appears, I was pleasantly surprised by how intimate and cozy it all felt. Lake Superior obviously is an enormous freshwater lake but it appears like the ocean when you peer out past the larger than life boulders along the shoreline.
There are a number of different places to have your ceremony but one of the very most popular locations is right on the beach along Lake Superior. The Cove Bay area is so calming and relaxing it creates a very zen environment. Looking out over the lake your guests will be mesmerized with the intimate setting with the sounds of not only of the water but also from the sounds of the birds as well. Who needs music for the ceremony when nature provides its’ own music just for you?
The extremely large boulder rocks along part of the lakeshore allow for great “before” pictures. With the waves splashing up onto the rocks the imagery can offer a lot of fun for those involved. Keep in mind weddings at Bluefin Bay are intimate for 100 people or less which makes everything very personal and cozy. And in case you were wondering what magical discovery I found while exploring at Bluefin Bay you only need to look about one hundred feet from the shoreline of the bay in a boat.
You can actually see down forty feet into the water!
