The first weekend of June, most of us were still running the same summer map we've used for years. Loch Lomond for the boat, Blowing Springs for a shaded lap, Tanyard Creek when the out-of-town relatives came through. Then on June 12 a chairlift started running at Highway 71 and Mercy Way, and the center of gravity for a Bella Vista summer moved about four miles.
That's the real story of this season. Not that there is more to do here, but that the default is different. A chairlift, a rooftop restaurant, a brunch spot where BV65 used to be, and a returning beer garden have quietly rearranged what a Saturday looks like for people who already live inside the POA.
The chairlift is the headline, but the rooftop is the tell
Hundreds of mountain bikers lined the entrance of the OZ Trails Bike Park on Friday, as a ceremonial ribbon-cutting led to the public grand opening of the state's first chairlift-served mountain bike park. That was June 12. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders rode up with Tom Walton and general manager Gary Vernon for the first chair. The park sits at Highway 71 and Mercy Way, technically on the Bentonville–Bella Vista border, and if you live off Trafalgar or Lancashire you can be at the base plaza in ten minutes.
The specs matter less than the shape of the place. The park has a high-speed quad lift feeding bikers to more than 20 miles of gravity trails, which offer plenty of options for every level of rider. There are green cruisers and blue flow and black jumps and double black boulder drops on 200 acres. About 75% of the trails are geared toward beginners, which is the number worth holding onto. This is not a specialist facility. It is designed the way Blowing Springs was designed, for kids and beginners first, and that changes who shows up.
Two details tell you the developers know exactly who's coming:
- The restaurant and bar, Ozzy's Ride and Dine, has a rooftop deck overlooking the bike lift and will be operated by Luke Wetzel and Mollie Mullis, the team behind dining destinations, including Oven and Tap, Superfine and Townie. That is the Oven and Tap team on top of a bike park in Bella Vista. Read that sentence twice.
- The OZ Trails HQ will serve as the social hub of the park and will be free and open to the public. No pass required to sit on the deck, watch the lift, and eat.
The practical read for a resident: you don't have to ride to use this place. Ozzy's is now the closest full-service rooftop dinner on the north end of town. Bring your parents up for a Saturday drink and let them watch the lift for an hour. That is a genuinely new option in Bella Vista.
Lift hours run Thursday through Monday, 10am to 7pm. The park opens to the public June 12, 2026. Grounds open at 9 and close at 8, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. If you want the trails without crowds, Thursday morning is the answer everyone else hasn't figured out yet.
Blowing Springs is doing more work this year
The other thing that happened this spring is that Gear Garden came back for a fifth season and got busier than it has ever been. After a successful soft opening on March 20, the Bella Vista Gear Garden at Blowing Springs Park is now set for an even bigger splash at the grand opening on April 25. Opened in 2021, this is the fourth year for the cozy hangout, and the garden is currently open Friday through Sunday, from noon until 8 p.m. "That first night of the soft opening was jam-packed, without any advertising at all," said food and beverage director Brandon Rascoe.
Two things worth knowing if you haven't been down since last October:
The house beer is now a legitimate local institution. Trailhead Lager is now the second leading draft seller throughout the Bella Vista POA, brewed by Bentonville Brewing exclusively for the POA. You'll find it at Gear Garden, BV Bar & Grill, Highlands Pub & Patio, Lakepoint, and the Bentonville Brewing taproom, and nowhere else.
The food trucks rotate, and the lineup is better than it was two years ago. Regulars in the rotation include Chicken Lai Lai for Korean-style wings and crispy sandwiches, Crazy Willy's Ice Cream for the kids, Grindstone Coffee NWA for the morning trail crowd, and a mini-doughnut truck that shows up at events. Check the Gear Garden socials the day of, because as the venue puts it, they run "weather permitting, from early spring through November."
There is one strategic point worth making. Gear Garden and the OZ Trails HQ plaza are seven road minutes apart. A summer Saturday routine that used to end at Blowing Springs now has an obvious second stop, and you can do them in either order.
Brunch moved to Kingsdale
If you haven't been to BV65 in a while, that is because it isn't BV65 anymore. The Bella Vista Property Owners Association (POA) is excited to announce the launch of a brand-new dining experience, the Little Sugar Bistro, opening Oct. 14, at 4 Kingsdale Lane in Bella Vista. After carefully listening to feedback from members and the local community, the POA recognized a strong desire for a welcoming, brunch-focused restaurant. In response, the former BV65 location will be transformed into a vibrant new concept.
The reset is deliberate. The focus is on brunch culture, a favorite mealtime for many in the community, paired with a bright, upbeat atmosphere that encourages both casual meetups and special outings. Hours split the week: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. lunch-focused; Friday–Sunday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. brunch-forward, all-day menu. The restaurant will also honor its roots by keeping the best-selling BV65 favorites on the new menu.
Practical translation: Bella Vista finally has a Sunday brunch that isn't a drive to Bentonville. Bring people who complained about the old room. It's a different room now.
The seven lakes haven't gone anywhere. Their role has.
Here is the useful reframe. When the biggest new thing in town is a bike park, the lakes get to specialize again. You do not need to make one lake do everything. Match the lake to the afternoon.
| Lake | What it's built for this summer |
|---|---|
| Loch Lomond | Skiing in the main channel, secluded coves for largemouth bass, and the only lake with a full-service marina. Lakepoint Restaurant sits on the shoreline. |
| Windsor | 220 acres, popular for skiing. All-sport lake, ramps off London Drive and Cannock Lane. |
| Avalon | The largest no-wake lake, with a sandy beach, swim area, beach volleyball courts, paddleboard and kayak rentals, and a small concession stand. This is the bring-the-kids lake. |
| Norwood | Most accessible and popular for picnics overlooking the water. Ramp behind Harps Food Store. |
| Brittany | Quiet ramp at the dam off Ashwell Lane. Read: fishing, no crowd. |
| Rayburn | Ramp on the dam at Lakeside Drive. Same story as Brittany. |
| Ann | The Back 40 trailhead lake. Ride first, PBJ on the shore after. |
One reminder for anyone who's new here and hasn't seen the sign yet: all POA bars and restaurants are open to the public. All 7 POA golf courses are open to the public, as well. Lakepoint does not require a POA card. Neither does BV Bar & Grill. Bring visitors without the caveat.
A weeknight sketch
Wednesday, late July, five o'clock. The heat has just broken. You drop down to Blowing Springs for a Trailhead Lager on the Gear Garden lawn, catch a set from whoever's playing that week, then take the 71 north five minutes for pizza on the Ozzy's rooftop while the last lift of the day empties the mountain. Home by nine.
Two years ago that evening didn't exist. That is the shift.
What to actually do this weekend
For the person who lives here and wants a plan without thinking about it:
- Saturday morning. Ride or hike the beginner-green lines at OZ Trails before 11. Lift opens at 10, park grounds at 9.
- Saturday lunch. Ozzy's Ride and Dine on the rooftop, or drop back down to Gear Garden if you want a food truck and a lawn chair.
- Saturday late afternoon. Avalon beach if the kids are along, or the Loch Lomond marina if they're not.
- Sunday morning. Brunch at Little Sugar Bistro on Kingsdale. Get there before 10:30 for the first month or two, because the room fills.
- Sunday walk. Tanyard Creek down to Windsor Dam. Same trail you already know, still the right choice.
The thesis in one sentence
The summer of 2026 is the first summer in Bella Vista where the front door of a resident's weekend is no longer a lake or a golf course. It is a chairlift. The food and drink map is rearranging itself to match, and it is worth walking your own routine through the new geography before Labor Day.
If you're weighing what all of this means for a home you already own here, or for a move you've been circling for a year, Dave Armstrong has been ranked the #1 Bella Vista residential agent for six years running and knows every one of these corners of town by street name. Schedule a Consultation when you're ready to talk about how this summer's shifts are playing into local values, timing, and what buyers are asking for right now.
