Discover The History Of Bella Vista, 1915-2025
Tours & Day Trips | Registration opens Tuesday, August 19, 2025 10:00 AM
Join Xyta Lucas, co-president of the Bella Vista Historical Museum, for a captivating presentation on Bella Vista’s history. Discover the story beginning with the creation of Lake Bella Vista in 1915, explore its transformation into a popular summer resort through 1964, and learn about the start of the Cooper Communities retiree village in 1965. The presentation concludes with Bella Vista’s incorporation in 2006 and its current role as a thriving bedroom community in Northwest Arkansas.
After the presentation, enjoy a self-guided tour of the museum, including a fully furnished historic log cabin and the gift shop. Knowledgeable museum docents will be available throughout the tour to answer your questions and provide insights, making this a rich and interactive experience for all attendees.
Activity Level: 1
This program will meet in person at Bella Vista Historic Museum located at 1885 Bella Vista Way, Bella Vista, AR 72714. Please read your class reminder email for the exact room location.
Class changes occasionally happen, please watch for (and read) announcements or emails from OLLI regarding your class.
Click on the link below for a Google map shot of our location:
Bella Vista Museum
Xyta Lucas
Xyta Lucas is a graduate of Wichita State University with a Bachelor’s degree in listing Psychology, and retired from a career of 30+ years in Human Resources in several states around the U.S. She has been a Bella Vista property owner for 42 years and a resident for 30 years. She has volunteered with the Bella Vista Historical Museum for the past 13 years. She currently serve as Co-President of the Bella Vista Historical Society which operates the museum and is the co-author of the pictorial history book, Bella Vista published in 2021 and is available in our museum gift shop, several stores in NWA and Amazon. Museum duties include presenting programs on the history of Bella Vista, plus she creates museum exhibits, and serves as docent, giftshop manager, and editor of museum’s quarterly newsletter.