Local News

UPDATED: Sassafras Springs Vineyard to open just north of Fayetteville

By Dustin Bartholomew ·

Photo: sassafrasspringsvineyard.com

A new vineyard, winery and wedding venue is set to soon open just north of Fayetteville.

Local insurance executives Cheryl and Gene Long are working to convert a horse farm that once belonged to former Razorback head football coach Houston Nutt into a “wine and wedding paradise” called Sassafras Springs Vineyard.

The venue will be located at 6461 Guy Terry Road just outside the Fayetteville city limits, and the winery portion is set to open in early April. Additional construction on the project to turn the horse stables into a 200-person reception hall is also planned for the property.

According to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, the project will have cost the Long’s around $1 million dollars when it is finished.

The winery plans to carry their own wine labels, as well as vintages from the West Coast and Missouri.

Check out their Facebook page for more info.

Update: After this Flyer story was published, a local television station interviewed Cheryl and Gene Long about the project. “East Fayetteville just needed more things available for people to do and places to go,” Cheryl told KFSM. “Our age group doesn’t necessarily want to go to Dickson Street, so this is a great place to bring friends and family and relax,” she said. The couple plans to grow a few grapes on the 15-acre site, but will need to buy grapes from others to have their own wine made.