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What started as a dream inspired by a coffee shop in North Carolina has become one of the Twin Lakes area’s favorite family destinations.
The Mountain Home Observer has named Little T’s Mini Golf & More the 2025 Entertainment Venue of the Year for its commitment to affordable family fun, community fundraising and inclusive employment.
Scott and Brandi Tavegia purchased the former All About Fun mini-golf course on Highway 5 in February 2022 after discovering it during an anniversary vacation the previous year. They named it Little T’s in honor of their son Andrew, who was born with Down Syndrome.
The inspiration came from an unlikely source. Years earlier, the Tavegias had attended the grand opening of Bitty & Beau’s Coffee in North Carolina, a coffee shop that pairs workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities alongside non-disabled employees. The model stuck with them.
“After visiting their grand opening and being really involved in the Down Syndrome community, we recognized that individuals with a disability want to be included,” Scott Tavegia said. “They want to be a part of everyday life and make an impact just like everybody else. But they’re not always given that opportunity.”
The couple loved hiking, zoos and mini-golf. They planned vacations around all three. When they discovered the closed course in Mountain Home, the pieces fell into place.
Getting there took work. The Tavegias were living in Maryland when they first visited Mountain Home in May 2021. They hit roadblocks with financing until Kyle Davidson at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home helped them tailor their business plan to fit the community. By August 2021, they had moved in with Brandi’s mother while waiting for the sale to finalize.
The property they inherited needed attention. The three-acre site features an 18-hole zoo-themed course designed by Harris Miniature Golf Courses Inc., complete with working streams, banked greens, rough turf, a footbridge and a waterfall. Animal statues including tigers, elephants and hippopotamuses are scattered throughout the grounds. The entire facility is ADA-compliant.
“We’ve been doing yard work ever since,” Brandi Tavegia said after they took over.
The course has grown since then. In 2024, Little T’s added Little Dipper’s Ice Cream, offering 16 flavors with 22 different toppings. Local favorites include “Woo Pig Chewy,” a Razorback-themed treat. They followed that with Say Cheese, a restaurant featuring 21 grilled cheese variations, quesadillas and flatbreads.
“Families want to have a good place to go eat that’s affordable, that’s unique, that’s fun,” Tavegia said. “And it kind of fit within our brand of who we are.”
The expansion addressed a gap in their schedule. Mini-golf traffic typically slowed during dinner hours.
“From 4 p.m. until 7:30 or 7 o’clock, we would be soft because people would go to dinner,” Tavegia said. “Kids get antsy at dinner. We have yard games, they can go out and play yard games, they can go into our party room and shoot baskets and play foosball, or play the little table games while we’re cooking up the food.”
The Tavegias have kept prices lower than comparable venues in Branson despite inflation.
“Our dipping dots are five dollars and twenty-five cents with tax. Their dipping dots are seven dollars before tax,” Tavegia said. “It’s the same product. You shouldn’t have to drive an hour and a half to go have fun.”
Beyond entertainment, Little T’s has become a consistent supporter of local causes. The venue hosts an annual pumpkin painting contest and “Lighting the Way to Foster Care” mini-golf tournament benefiting The Call in Baxter and Fulton Counties, which supports foster children and families. The 2022 event raised nearly $4,000.
“The Call is tremendous in what they do, and every person can play a part in what we bring to children who need homes,” Tavegia said. “Whether it be a temporary home or a contemporary home.”
Little T’s Mini Golf & More is located on Highway 5 in Mountain Home. For more information, call (870) 701-3066.
