There is nothing more fun than to grab a group of friends on a Friday night, head to your favorite honky tonk, grab a couple of cold ones, and spend the entire night dancing to some of your favorite country hits. If you have never had this experience before; 1). I’m sorry! 2). This post is for you! Think of me as your country fairy-god mother, I’m here to lay out the beginners guide for you!
First things First: Attire!
The best part about going out is the fact that you get to dress up! (Even the guys will admit to it!) Now if you’re going to a western bar you have to look the part.
-Men, put on a pair of your best pair of starched Wrangler jeans (yes your butt looks great), Nicest pair of cowboy boots, an attractive button-down shirt, and your sexiest cowboy hat (don’t take it off because, yes, you do look like a different person without it!) That’s pretty much all you need, you’re all set!
-Now ladies, slay in your hottest dress or most formfitting jeans you own, pair them up with your own amazing boots, killer jewelry, a gorgeous face, and the most teased hairstyle you can come up with (Remember: the higher the hair, the closer to God!) Now you’re ready for a night on the town!
Location, Location, Location
Now that all the prework is done, it’s time to find a place to go for the night! Since I’m located in Austin, I can only give you suggestions of a couple of places around here. I do advise that you do a Google search to find places near you!
1). Broken Spoke– located at 3201 S. LAMAR BLVD. AUSTIN, TEXAS 78704. This place is known as the “Last of the true Texas Dance halls.” You could enjoy great live music, a friendly crowd of regulars, wonderful food, and cheap drinks. Also, if you have two left feet on the dance floor every Wed.-Sat. lesson are held from 8:30-9:30. Come out and experience a “must” in the Austin area.
2). Dance Across Texas: Formerly known as Midnight Rodeo, this dance hall is located at 2201 E Ben White Blvd. Austin, TX 78741. This is another awesome place known for its tremendous atmosphere to have a good ol’ hoedown. With the “best dance floor in Austin,” you and your friends are sure to have a fun night, not to mention the low prices on drinks. With live music mixed with a DJ I’m sure there is a selection of music for every person.
3). Old Coupland Inn and Dance hall: If you don’t mind the drive this place is located at 101 Hoxie St Coupland, TX 78615 (a 35-minute drive outside of Austin). This isn’t your ordinary “pickup joint,” this place has a family atmosphere where you can enjoy dinner and a night out dancing. Known for its light and fun atmosphere, Old Coupland is really a place to have an old fashion good time.
Practice Makes Perfect:
If you don’t know many of the line dances that are seen in dance halls, fear not; remember I’m here to help! Now for the most part, people are usually nice enough to help you catch on with hands on experience, aka, get out there and fake it till you make it! Which is perfectly fine to do and actually really fun, but if you want to hone your skills I would suggest watching the YouTube videos of Miguel Guzman. He has tutorials of all the great line dances and breaks them down well enough so that anyone could learn. Maybe the week leading up to your outing you could spend a couple of minutes a day learning the steps to some of your favorites. It’ll be more exciting than your homework anyway! That way you could surprise your friends when you’re keeping up with older folks who’ve been doing it for years on the dance floor.
Don’t rock the jukebox:
If there happens to be a jukebox at the place you decide to attend, please I beg you, KEEP IT COUNTRY!!! You are at a dance hall, not a nightclub or a rock concert. There are plenty of hits by George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, and Alan Jackson! Don’t be that person who halts the dance floor and has hundreds of eyes glaring at them all night. DON’T BE THAT PERSON! Enjoy the fun, authentic, Texas experience of a dance hall. Trust me it’ll be something you’ll never forget!
Be back by Midnight… or 2 AM!
As your country fairy-god mother, I have given you pretty much everything you need to have a great night out with friends, it is my hope that you take these nuggets of wisdom and use them well! Now go out, have fun, be great!
Really interesting article. It was a quick read, and really helpful actually. I liked how you spaced it out part by part. I think that this was a really fun article to read, and the most helpful thing was your review of each different place to go and dance. I am not a two stepper at all, but I think I might give it a try now. Thought this was a really neat way to talk about all of this. The JukeBox comments were a perfect way to end it. Great post
I really enjoyed reading your post! It made me laugh and I thought a lot of personality was shining through as I read it. I personally have never had an experience like this, and it gave me a lot of insight! It also made me want to go and try it! I think one of the main things that always made me not want to go was that I didn’t know what to expect and that I am not much of a dancer, so I definitely think this helped me and I may go out and try it sometime soon!
What a fun post to read! I completely agree that it’s a ton of fun to get a group together and go to a dance hall. I had never done this before college, but after going a few times, I’ve gotten a few of the dance moves down and have had so much fun doing it! I’ve even gotten my dad to go with me to the Broken Spoke when he visits. You’re spot-on on the fashion tips, and I love that you gave multiple locations for people to try it out on their own in Austin. Even those Miguel Guzman tutorials are great! I’m glad you made a point to advise against changing the music. After all, if someone wants to hear something that isn’t country at a place like the Broken Spoke, they’re obviously in the wrong place!
This post was funny and easy to read. I also really enjoyed the topic because dancing is such a big part of country culture. I’ve always loved country dancing and it was a big part of my high school and college experiences. It’s been interesting because there are so many different styles of line dancing and two-stepping. There are subtle differences between the places that I’ve been to in the small town where I grew up and big cities like Austin or Houston. I always love watching people do different dance styles or show off elaborate movies. And, like you said, I hate it when people request hiphop or pop songs at country joints. This is a unique place for country music and dancing!
I really loved how easy this post was to follow, and how personal you made it seem at the same time. You stepped into the role of fairy-god mother, and continued as such. I never thought I’d read a post like this, but the way you worded and it and spoke to the reader made it a type of post that I wish I could make! I’ve been to a few dance halls, and they are really fun! Even if there’s about four people that know what do to, you can still have a great time either showing off your skills, or making a fool of yourself. Very informative post, great job!
Brittney, I have been around dance halls all my life, but I learned a lot from your article. The attire of the people that fill the dance halls is always fun to look at, you never see people dressed like that anywhere else. The only place I was familiar with on your list was the Broken Spoke, I need to go check out Old Coupland Inn. I have never been a big dancer, but still love to go to check out the atmosphere and music. I think this article is a great start for someone who has never been to a dance hall. Thanks for sharing.
This post is not only hilarious, but also super informative. I really enjoyed reading it! There is a Western bar in Houston that a lot of my friends have been to that I have yet to experience called Wild West. This post really made me want to go! I love how you go through step by step on exactly what to do when going to a honky tonk. I’m from Texas so I know the attire, but your suggestions seem to be quite helpful the next time my friends decide they want to go to one of those types of bars. I will definitely use your suggestions!
I really enjoyed reading this article! After reading the title I knew I was going to be hooked. I love going line dancing & two stepping. Believe it or not I have done more dancing back home in California than I have while living here, but your article did a great job educating people how to be best prepared for dance halls. In California it is mostly line dancing but I also enjoy the breaks with two stepping. I haven’t been back to “Dance Across Texas” since it changes its name so I definitely need to go soon! This was an awesome article and really kept me entertained. Good job!
Wow, I would want to experience a dance hall in California and see how it is compared to a Texas one! Next time I go to California to visit, I would love some suggestions of places to go to. I will say that I did research on “Dance Across Texas” and it isn’t as good as it was when it was Midnight Rodeo because the owner had too many complaints from residents around her, so now she has to keep the atmosphere more subdued. I haven’t been back either since the change, but I will let you know how it is if I happen to go before you! But in the end the night is really how you make it, so I’m sure it would be fun either way!
This is a very entertaining and charismatic post! good job! I enjoyed your outfit choices because they are spot on. Boys have it so easy, they all wear the exact same thing. And you’re right, wranglers do look great on them all. I will admit I do not know many of the line dances so i may have to head over to youtube and check out our friend Miguel. I’ve been to dance halls before but all I participate in is the two stepping so it would be fun to know the other dances too. I also need to go to some of the dance halls you mentioned, I have only been to Broken Spoke. Great post!
Very enjoyable post. As a country beginner myself, I have to say thank you because it was pretty helpful actually. I have never been to one of these places, but being in a country music class is making me very intrigued, so it was nice to read about the appropriate attires and behaviors one should have when going to these type of places. I am not much of a dancer so I enjoyed reading that people are usually nice about it and won’t be judgmental of my awful dancing skills. I might have to go to one of these dance halls soon. Great post!
Love this post! I am trying to get my friends to go two-stepping with me but I have never been myself. This post was actually super helpful, I can not wait to share it with my friends! We are definitely going dancing within the next week or two so I am glad I know a little more now! Can not wait to go, I will have to let you know how it went.
I’m so glad that this helped you! I hope that your friends agree to go with you soon, because it is honestly the most fun experience! Of course everything that I suggested are just my opinions, you’re more than welcome to wear whatever you want of course, but it’s also fun to dress up! 🙂 Having never been before, I do want to say that it is definitely okay if you don’t know how to do the dances or even two-step! If you find a man who knows what he’s doing you’re set! Don’t be afraid to let go and have fun! Please let me know how your first experience is!
Loved reading this post! I like how you wrote it in such a way that someone who has never gone two-stepping (or even someone who is averse to two-stepping) would want to go after reading it! I enjoyed the way you structured the article too, because quite honestly, I don’t really know what I would need to wear or where I would need to go anyways – so I appreciate you providing that advice! Also, I just want to say thank you for the link to the Michael Guzman tutorial videos. I have gone two-stepping before and am seriously so uncoordinated, so watching those videos will certainly help!
Awesome article! I love going out to a country dancehall and this was really great for people who haven’t gone before. As a Texan, I feel like you’re obligated to go every so often, even I haven’t, especially being here in Austin, so close to legendary Gruene Hall. Funny thing about the attire for guys, I wear stuff like that even if I’m going out to 6th street, it’s just a creature of habit. I haven’t been to any of those places you mentioned but I’ve heard nothing but great things about them.
i LOVE this post because line-dancing and two-stepping are two of my favorite pastimes. I have never been to a dance hall where there there was a jukebox, but I’m fine with that because that puts too much pressure on me to pick a song. i loled at the section about getting dressed–you said what we were all thinking (wranglers look good on everyone and girls try way too hard, even though it’s fun to get all dolled up). Your post was very organized and easy to read, well done! Hope to read another hilarious post from you soon.