Things to do in Tontitown

The 2026 guide · checked October 9, 2026

Things to do in Tontitown

Tontitown is the Washington County town founded in 1898 by Italian Catholic families who followed Father Pietro Bandini north from a south Arkansas plantation. They named it for Henri de Tonti, the Italian explorer who founded Arkansas Post. Grapes became the town's signature crop, and the Tontitown Grape Festival at St. Joseph's Church goes back more than a century; the 2026 festival was the 127th. The rest of the year, you can tour the historical museum, buy produce and pasta from a farm family that has grown grapes here since 1923, and taste wine made from Tontitown grapes.

City Hall, the museum and Harry Sbanotto Park (East Henri de Tonti Blvd.)

City Hall at 235 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd. has The Italian Immigrant statue out front. The Tontitown Historical Museum is just east at 251, and the 13-acre Harry Sbanotto Park is right behind City Hall. The Saturday market and the city's Halloween and Christmas park events happen here.

St. Joseph's Church (Barrington Road and Highway 412)

The parish sits at the corner of Barrington Road and Highway 412/Henri de Tonti Blvd. Its grounds at 154 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd. host the Grape Festival every August.

North Barrington Road

Tontitown Winery is at 335 N. Barrington Rd., in the Taldo House, built in 1917.

West Henri de Tonti Blvd.

Ranalli Farms' produce and bakery market is at 1960 W. Henri de Tonti Blvd. The family farms in Tontitown, though its posted address uses a Springdale mailing address (ZIP 72762).

1. 1

   Tontitown Grape Festival

   Family · Families; early August (Aug. 4-8 in 2026)

   St. Joseph's Church sponsors this festival, and 2026's was the 127th. The 2026 festival ran five days in early August with a grape stomp, a carnival, an arts and crafts fair, bingo, free live music every night, the crowning of Queen Concordia and the Run for the Grapes 5K. The centerpiece is the Italian spaghetti dinners, which the town has served to the public since 1932. The historical museum also opens extra hours during the festival. Pets are not allowed on the grounds (service animals only).

   Free admission and parking; 2026 spaghetti dinners $20 adults, $10 kids 10 and under; carnival armbands $32-$37

   154 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762 (St. Joseph's Church)

   Official site

2. 2

   Tontitown Historical Museum

   Museum

   The museum opened in August 1986 in the 1910 home of the Bastianelli sisters, who were among the town's original settlers. It has photographs and belongings of the first Italian families, an early grape press and wine-bottling machine, and Father Bandini's vestments. There's also a stained-glass window from the first church that survived a tornado, and a whole room of artifacts from St. Joseph's Church. Educational tours are available.

   Wed-Thu 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Fri-Sat 1-4 p.m.; Sunday by appointment (email two weeks ahead)

   251 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762

   Official site

3. 3

   St. Joseph's Catholic Church

   Landmark

   The parish has been at the center of Tontitown since the settlers' first schoolhouse church. Local tradition says a picture of St. Joseph survived a fire there, and the parish was named for him. A 1934 tornado destroyed the church, the parishioners built a new one that was dedicated in 1944, and the current church was dedicated in 1994. Father Bandini, the town's founder and first mayor, is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. The adoration chapel is open Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

   Corner of Barrington Road and Highway 412/Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR

   Official site

4. 4

   The Italian Immigrant statue

   Landmark

   This bronze statue in front of City Hall honors Tontitown's Italian settlers and Father Bandini. It was dedicated in 1998. The museum is next door and Harry Sbanotto Park is behind City Hall, so it's easy to see all three in one stop.

   235 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762 (in front of City Hall)

5. 5

   Harry Sbanotto Park

   Family · Kids, picnics, bocce

   The 13-acre city park behind City Hall is shaded by old oaks. It has a covered bocce court, a playground for ages 2-12, a baseball diamond, basketball and tennis courts, horseshoe pits, volleyball nets, and the lit Father Joe Walking Trail, which loops a third of a mile. Pavilions and the gazebo rent for $10 an hour (2-hour minimum). Alcohol and tents are not allowed, and pets must be leashed and kept off the playground.

   Free · Sunrise-sundown daily

   235 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762

   Official site

6. 6

   The Tontitown Market

   Shopping · Saturday mornings

   The city's Saturday market started in 2017, and 2026 is its tenth season. Vendors must sell things they grew, made or produced themselves: fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, jams and jellies, local honey, and handmade crafts, jewelry, woodwork and sewn goods. The 2026 season runs May 2-Oct. 10.

   Saturdays 8 a.m.-1 p.m., May-early October

   Harry Sbanotto Park, East Henri de Tonti Blvd. (behind City Hall), Tontitown, AR 72762

   Official site

7. 7

   Tontitown Winery

   Food & drink · Wine tasting, Friday and Saturday live music, Wednesday bingo

   The Ranalli family has made wine since 1923. The winery now makes its wine on site from Tontitown-grown grapes in the Taldo House, built in 1917 and once home to the Dixie Pride Bonded Winery. A history room covers the town's grape-growing and winemaking Italians. There's also a lounge and bistro, a bocce court, a patio with live music, and a playset for kids. Arkansas Tourism says tastings are free every day.

   Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun noon-7 p.m.

   335 N. Barrington Rd., Tontitown, AR 72762

   Official site

8. 8

   Ranalli Farms Produce and Bakery

   Shopping · Grape picking in season, October pumpkins

   Nazzereno Ranalli came to Tontitown from Italy in 1907 and bought the family farm in 1923, and his grandsons still run it. The market sells produce mostly grown on the farm, bread baked daily, homemade pasta and sauce, and Italian salami and cheeses. Grapes are in from August to mid-September, when the farm holds Saturday-morning U-Pick days for its Concord grapes. The pumpkin patch opens in October. The market runs April through December.

   Mon-Sat 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun noon-5 p.m. (April-December)

   1960 W. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Springdale, AR 72762 (mailing address; the farm is in Tontitown)

   Official site

9. 9

   Polenta Smear

   Food & drink · History buffs, early November

   Every November the historical museum hosts the Polenta Smear, where the crowd is served polenta, a northern Italian cornmeal dish that is baked and cut into squares, with umido, a red sauce with chicken. Bring old Tontitown photos: the museum copies them and asks for help putting names to faces. The 2026 Polenta Smear is Sunday, Nov. 1.

   Official site

Hours and prices as each place posts them, checked October 9, 2026; they change, so confirm before you go. Curation is never sold.