Tontitown

Tontitown is known for deep-rooted traditions in food, wine and its annual grape harvest celebration.

Father Pietro Bandini led about 40 Italian immigrant families to Northwest Arkansas in 1898. They scraped through a harsh winter that first year. When spring arrived, they began farming vegetables, strawberries, apples and grapes. Their crops soon yielded cash, allowing them to renovate an old schoolhouse and build a Catholic church, St. Joseph’s. By August of 1899, they were ready to celebrate the harvest. From that first celebration stems the Tontitown Grape Festival of today, still celebrated every year on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

The festival draws thousands from across the country and beyond with live music, carnival games and rides, an arts and crafts fair, a used book sale, a Run for the Grapes 5K and the annual crowning of Queen Concordia. It may be best known for serving homemade Italian spaghetti dinners and grape ice cream on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the five-day event.

Italian Food and Wine

Tontitown’s Italian heritage is also evident in restaurants featuring family recipes passed down for generations. The Venesian Inn has served Italian classics since 1947, with fried chicken and spaghetti as its signature. The menu features hearty pasta dishes, parmigianas, hand-cut steaks and every meal comes with homemade rolls and salad. Mama Z’s Cafe, established in 1988, is a well-known stop serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner features traditional homemade Italian plates. Everything Mama Z’s serves is made in-house, with an added bonus of homemade jellies, pasta and spaghetti sauce available for purchase.

While the original wineries are long gone, the winemaking tradition has been revived by the Ranalli family, who first began making wine in 1923. Today, Tontitown Winery is located in the 1917 Taldo House, which was also the former home of the Dixie Pride Bonded Winery #40.

Tontitown Winery makes its wines on-site from local grapes grown at Tontitown vineyards. Options abound for every palate from sweet to dry, reds to whites plus blush and port-style wine. The winery is a gathering place with live music on the patio in warmer seasons, Wednesday night bingo and a bistro menu. It also has an indoor lounge, a bocce court and an outdoor play area for children. Check out the winery’s history room to learn more about the wine-making Italians who founded the town.

History of Tontitown

Visit the Tontitown Historical Museum, which preserves the town’s history through artifacts and photos. You’ll see items belonging to the original Italian settlers, an early grape press and wine-bottling machine, a stained glass window from the church and more. The museum also features the history of the Grape Festival. It’s housed in the home of Mary and Zelinda Bastianelli, sisters and original settlers.

Today’s Tontitown

Harry Sbanotto Park is a community hub for family outings, sports, photos at the gazebo and events throughout the warmer months. This shaded 13-acre green space consists of ball fields, bocce courts, basketball, tennis, horseshoes and a playground. The Father Joe Walking Trail winds a third of a mile through the park and is lit at night.

The Tontitown Market at Harry Sbanotto Park is the place to be on Saturdays from May through October. Vendors sell everything from fresh produce and baked goods to art and handcrafted goods such as jewelry, soap and woodwork.

Flea markets and antique shops are also plentiful in Tontitown. Once Upon a Time Books is a modern, popular bookstore.

Get outdoors at the Betty Hinshaw Bird Sanctuary, which has an easy one-mile walking trail around its perimeter and through grassland along Little Wildcat Creek. In spring and summer, you’ll likely see American Kestral, Eastern Meadowlark, Dickcissel, Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.

Located along Highway 412, Tontitown is centrally positioned near the I-49 corridor and Northwest Arkansas National Airport.