John Candy came to set with a big beard, figuring it would fit his character who was a big outdoorsman. The studio made Candy shave it fearing audiences would not recognize him or enjoy the look.
The lakeside restaurant used in this movie was Ducey's Bar and Grill in Bass Lake, California, which burned to the ground shortly after filming, due to a gas fire. The rebuilt restaurant today has posters and memorabilia from the film hanging on its walls, as a reminder of the old restaurant.
While heavily panned by critics, once it hit the home video market it garnered a huge following, and has since become one of the most popular summer vacation movies.
Several times throughout the movie, characters are seen drinking Point Beer. Point is an actual beer made in Stevens Point, in central Wisconsin, and is very popular throughout central and northern Wisconsin, where the movie takes place. A Point Beer sign is also seen in one of the restaurants in the film.
According to the Madera County film commission the county of California in which Bass Lake, where the movie was filmed, Annette Benning was very demanding and hard to work with. Dan Aykroyd was polite to most of the Bass Lake staff during filming but was reportedly very aloof and difficult to the local townspeople who were either fans or participated as extras in the movie. John Candy who had a reputation for being very approachable and friendly in real life was reported to have gotten along with everyone. The townspeople said he was a joy to work with.