Nelly Belly's new venue at 1010 Center Road, in the building Railroad Brewing Company used to occupy, now has a target opening of Black Friday, November 27, "if not sooner," according to Westside Buzz's October 19 update. November 27 is also the first day of the venue's posted Ice Keg Curling season. If the target holds, the place everyone expected to open as a summer volleyball yard will open as a winter one. The paperwork the city approved last year was written with that possibility built in.
The Permit Had Curling in It a Year Before the Delays
In Ordinance 48-25, Avon granted The Big Show, Ltd., which does business as Nelly Belly, a special use permit for an outdoor recreation and entertainment facility on the 1010 and 1012 Center Road parcels. The permit lists two sand volleyball courts "converted to winter activities areas" and two bocce courts "converted to ice curling – weather permitting."
The Planning Commission held its public hearing on May 21, 2025, and recommended approval 5 to 0. Council adopted the ordinance unanimously on June 9, 2025. The same permit covers a pavilion and picnic-table dining area, live or streamed acoustic music, horseshoes and cornhole. So the winter version of this property was settled at the permit stage, more than a year before the construction delays.
How a Labor Day Opening Slid Into Curling Season
The original plan was summer. In July, Westside Buzz reported that Nelly Belly had bought the three-acre site and hoped to open Labor Day weekend. Then construction ran into trouble. A September update in the same column described a damaged oven shipment and the job of getting a 6,000-pound replacement oven into the building, and it gave no firm date.
The October 19 update said the problems were contractor and equipment issues that "have nothing to do with the city," and that they were still going on. Nelly Belly's own page, updated in early October, says it expects to open "around Thanksgiving 2026." Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so both projections point to the same weekend. Both are still targets. They are not announced opening dates.
What the Winter Schedule Actually Shows
Nelly Belly's league page already shows a cold-weather calendar. The posted schedule looks like this:
| Offering | When | What's listed |
|---|---|---|
| Ice Keg Curling | November 27 to March 31 | Courts can be reserved any day of the week, with a tournament on Saturdays |
| Beer pong tournaments | Fall and winter | Tournaments Thursday through Saturday, with courts reservable daily |
| St. Patrick's curling tournament | March 17, 2027 | Eight teams of four, single elimination, $10 fees listed |
| Tether ball and dodgeball leagues | Spring 2027 | Updates go out through the mailing list |
For the St. Patrick's tournament, players can sign up as a full team or on their own. The city attached "weather permitting" to the ice curling courts, so whether there is curling on a given weekend will depend on the weather.
The 2026 volleyball, bocce and cornhole leagues were billed as "Ten Dollar Teaser Leagues," and the page lists beginner clinics and open play for volleyball. The company's page also lists fire pits, a dog-friendly area, and indoor and outdoor bars. For a winter opening, the indoor bar and the fire pits will probably get used before the volleyball courts do.
The Ground Rules Residents Along Route 83 Will Notice
The special use permit comes with conditions, and some of them matter to anyone living or driving near the site:
- Hours. The facility and outdoor patio may operate from 11 a.m. to midnight. A draft discussed at Council's June 2, 2025 work session would have allowed 1 a.m. closings on Fridays and Saturdays. The final ordinance sets midnight every day.
- Music. Only live acoustic or streamed music is allowed on the outdoor patio.
- Liquor. Council's January 26, 2026 minutes record a new D5 and D6 liquor license request for the Center Road location, with no comments and no request for a hearing.
- Future changes. Any expansion, enlargement, or change in use, ownership or tenancy needs another permit amendment, which means a Planning Commission recommendation and a Council vote.
That last condition means the layout approved in 2025 is the one that will open. If someone later wants to add courts or change how the property is used, the request goes back through public meetings first.
The Family Behind It Has Fed Avon for Years
Nelly Belly isn't new to Avon. The company says the Nelson family has lived in Avon for more than 25 years. Avon Council minutes identify Melissa Nelson as owner and operator of Nelly Belly Pizza Trucks. The company names Melissa and Mark Nelson as its founders. The wood-fired trucks have worked events across Northeast Ohio since 2013. The company's site also lists concession service at the Avon and Westlake pools.
The business itself goes back further than the trucks. In a 2024 Voyage Ohio interview, Missy Nelson described a catering company that started more than 30 years ago grilling at golf outings. It grew into golf-course concessions and formal-event catering before the pizza trucks launched. One of the trucks won first place in the judges' choice category at the 2023 Ohio Mac and Cheese Fest. The company says people kept asking where they could get its pizza all year. Center Road is its answer, and the planned menu adds house-made soups, salads, sandwiches, soft serve and hand-cut fries.
Where It Lands on Avon's December Calendar
If the venue opens on the curling start date, its first full week ends with the city's biggest outdoor winter event. The Avon Tree Lighting Festival is Saturday, December 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Avon Aquatic Facility, 36265 Detroit Road. The tree is lit at 6 p.m. Earlier that day, special-needs Santa time runs from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Avon Police Department Community Room at 36145 Detroit Road. Shuttle buses run every 10 minutes from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. between the Aquatic Facility and UH Avon Health Center.
A second wood-fired opening is also on its way. Boom's Pizza, chef Ben Bebenroth's group that began in Lakewood in 2023, has a shop planned at 35894 Avon Commons Drive with about 25 seats. In July, cleveland.com reported an "early fall" target. By October 20, Cleveland Scene said only that the Avon Commons pizzeria was expected "in the coming months." Neither restaurant has announced a firm date. Nelly Belly is taking opening news, league registration and event details through its mailing list.
If you're wondering how new places like this fit into what homes near Route 83 or Avon Commons are worth this winter, Iconic Partners Group can walk you through it. Start with an Instant Home Valuation, and we'll follow up with what's actually happening on your side of town.
