Sorry about the formatting of this dance hall chart. It was the best I could do from Excel 🙂 .
| Texas Country-Western Dancehalls and Honky-Tonks | Updated: 9/6/17 | |||||
| ***Not Meant To Be A Definitive List*** | ||||||
| Town/ | Nights | Floor | ||||
| Name | Region | City | Open | Size | Notes | |
| Big Texas – North | Gulf Coast | Houston (Spring) | Wed > Sat | Large/Racetrack-style | Have not yet been, but looks like a cool venue. Modern. | |
| Big Texas – South | Gulf Coast | Houston (Webster/ Clear Lake) | Wed > Sat | Large | Have not yet been, but looks like a cool venue. Modern. | |
| Buckshot Saloon | Gulf Coast | Galveston | Thurs > Sat | TBD, but guessing Med-Large | Country dance hall in a beach community. Looks like it would be fun. All ages mix. | |
| Chandelier (SPJST Lodge 88) | Gulf Coast | Houston | Fri & Sat | Huge | Wonderful, historic old venue, built by Czech community. Live bands. Not always Country-Western, so check schedule. | |
| Midnight Rodeo (Franchise) | Gulf Coast | Houston/Katy | Thurs > Sat (Thurs = Ladies Night) | Large/Racetrack-style | Great floor/venue, but light crowd the night I went. Probably busier at other times. DJ. | |
| Roper’s Dance Hall | Gulf Coast | Corpus Christi | 7 Days/Wk | TBD | Good reviews. Sounds like fun. | |
| Stampede | Gulf Coast | Houston | Fri & Sat (Sat = Ladies Night) | Med-Large | Modern, clean, nice floor, friendly, great vibe. Mostly DJ, but sometimes live bands. 2nd Saturdays, especially, are popular. | |
| Stetson’s Nightlife | Gulf Coast | Houston (Humble) | Tues > Sat | Large | Just of I-69, near G. W. Bush airport. States “Smoking & Non-Smoking areas”. Not sure what this meansbut emailed them to ask on 7/3/17. Waiting to hear back. But, looks like a modern dance hall with a good vibe. | |
| Tin Hall (Event Rentals-only) – (713) 664-7450 | Gulf Coast | Houston (Cypress) | Event Rentals-only | Huge | Northwest-Houston, a little inside the Outer-Loop. Huge dance floor on 2nd fl. Looks like a big, white farmhouse/barn, when you drive up gravel road. Hard to find, but looks like a cool venue. | |
| West Wind | Gulf Coast | Houston | 7 Days/Wk | Med-Small | Cozy, a little divey, neighborhood hangout. DJ. | |
| Whiskey River | Gulf Coast | Corpus Christi | Tues/Wed & Fri/Sat | Medium | Country/Tejano/Club dance mix. Looks/sounds clean, safe and fun. | |
| Wild West | Gulf Coast | Houston | Wed > Sun (Wed = Ladies Night) | Med-Large | Modern, clean, nice floor, great vibe. DJ. | |
| 11th St. Cowboy Bar | Hill Country | Bandera | Tues > Sat (opens @ 10am) Sun/Mon (opens @ noon) | Med-Large/Large | Looks like a very cool venue. The kind of place that’s hoppin’ during the day and night. Lots of events. Great mix of folks from all walks. Live music. Indoor and outdoor live bands and dancing. Looks like the social hub of Bandera. | |
| Albert Ice House & Dance Hall (& the Pig Pen BBQ) | Hill Country | Albert (west of Johnson City, off Hwy 290) | Wed/Thurs 3-midnight; Fri noon-1am; Sat 11am – 2am; Sun noon-10pm | Med-Large | Built in 1922, looks like a classic Texas dance hall, and looks like a lot of fun. | |
| Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar Saloon | Hill Country | Bandera | TBD | TBD, but guessing on the small side. | Founded in the 1930’s, still using sawdust on the dance floor, reveiws suggest this is about as “honky-tonk” as you can get…a step back in time. Smoking is permitted, so be aware. Enter at street level and head downstairs to the basement (from description on Yelp). Like stepping back in time. Sit at a table where Hank Williams, Sr. carved his name, and enjoy a beer (only beer is sold). Note: Cash-Only. | |
| Broken Spoke | Hill Country | Austin | Tues > Sat | Small | Opened in 1964 and billed as the “last of the original Texas honky-tonks”, the Spoke is still owned and operated by the founders, James & Annetta White, who are really great, friendly folks to meet. To walk into The Spoke is to step back in time. The Spoke’s decor has remained virtually unchanged since it opened. Salt is still sprinkled on the concrete dance floor. The Spoke is a “must do” rite of passage in Austin. Live bands. | |
| Go Dance – North | Hill Country | Austin | Sunday Fun Day Dance on Sundays | Medium | Great venue with great dance floor and very friendly people. So, easy to meet nice people in Texas. DJ-mix music for many dance styles featured, from Two-Step, to Latin and Ballroom. | |
| Gruene Hall | Hill Country | New Braunfels | 7 nights + Sat/Sun afternoons | Medium | Gruene Hall (pronounced “Green”) boasts being the oldest, continuously-operating dance hall in Texas. Very rustic (including the bathrooms!). Very friendly. Great vibe. Another “must do” Texas experience. A bar, but no food other than snacks. I suggest Mozie’s, across the street, for lunch or dinner, but there are certainly other restaurant options. | |
| Kendalia Halle (est. 1903) (210) 863-1100 | Hill Country | Kendalia | Sats-only, once a month | Med-Small | Small, rustic, traditional Texas dancehall. Seems nice and friendly. No food. Cash bar. BYO snacks. | |
| London Dance Hall | Hill Country | London | Thurs > Sat | Small | Located northwest of Fredericksburg. Opened in 1900. Looks like a cozy, small town, honky-tonk. The London Grocery & Grill, across the street, serves up a great BBQ plate for $5, that you can bring to the dance hall. Both are owned by Ivy London. | |
| Luckenbach | Hill Country | Fredericksburg | 7 Days/Wk. | Med-Small | Luckenbach is another Texas “must-do” activity. Live music 7 days a week. Dancing indoors. Concerts outdoors. Friendliest people you’d ever want to meet. Check the event calendar and just go. | |
| Mavericks Dance Hall | Hill Country | Pflugerville/Round Rock (metro-Austin) | Tues > Sat | Very Large | Have not yet been here, but boasts 5,000 Sq. Ft. dance floor w/ 3K Sq. Ft. patio. Modern venue, and looks like a great vibe. | |
| Mercer Street Dance Hall | Hill Country | Dripping Springs | Thurs > Sat + 2nd Sundays (3p – 6p) | Med-Small | Have not yet been, but looks like a cool venue. Built by a couple, from a converted barn. Designed to look & feel like a no-frills, old-school, Texas honky-tonk. | |
| Old Coupland Inn & Dancehall | Hill Country | Coupland | Fri/Sat @ 5pm | Large/Huge(?) | About 30 mins northeast of Austin, but a world away. According to Yelp, at least 100 years old, very traditional, very “cowboy” venue. Lots of cowboy hats, shirts, boots jeans on the dance floor. Very friendly and welcoming. Great food/BBQ and breakfast in the restaurant. Consider staying in one of the 1800’s wild west brothel rooms, each uniquely decorated, at the Inn (although read one review where A/C in room was not work in summer, despite rm being reserved in advance). Dancehall is Non-Smoking. | |
| Quihi Gun Club & Dance Hall | Hill Country | Hondo | 2nd and 4th Saturdays | Large | Founded in 1890. Website states a 10,000 sq. ft. venue. Very rustic and elevated about 6′ off the ground on wooden posts. Live country bands. Looks like a very family-friendly venue. | |
| Twin Sisters Dance Hall | Hill Country | Blanco | First Saturdays of the month + Special Events (check event calendar) | Med-Large/Large | Opened in 1870, looks like a very nicely maintained, traditional Texas dance hall. Beer/wine/soday, etc., available at bar. BBQ food truck on-site. Looks like a great place to dance, if you’re in the area on a 1st-Saturday, or special event day. | |
| Wild West Cedar Park | Hill Country | Cedar Park (just north of Austin, near Round Rock) | Wed > Sat | Med-Large | Wild West may be a francise, since there is one in Houston and one in San Antonio, that I know of. I have not been to this location, but looks like fun. Sounds like music changes to country/pop/hip-hop mix later in evening, so for country-western dancing, 7-to-10 rule suggested. There are sometimes live bands performing. For dancing, you might want to avoid those nights, since reviews suggest dance floor fills with audience. Check website calendar. | |
| Midnight Rodeo (Franchise) | Prairies & Lakes | Dallas | Thurs/Fri/Sat (Thurs = Ladies Night) | Large/Racetrack-Style | Very cool, very friendly, modern dance hall. | |
| Pearl’s Dancehall & Saloon (Stockyards area) | Prairies & Lakes | Fort Worth | Fri/Sat | Small | Live traditional country bands. Old school/traditional dancing. Very nice and friendly, but no modern country music. Cool venue. | |
| Rodeo Exchange (Stockyards area) | Prairies & Lakes | Fort Worth | Tues/Fri/Sat (Fri = Ladies Night) | Med-Small | Very cool, very friendly, rustic dance hall. Live bands Fri & Sat. | |
| Anhalt Hall | South Texas Plains | Spring Branch | Every 3rd Sat – 8p to midnight. | Large | Looks like a very cool, rustic, traditional Texas dance hall, with a lot of history. Located between Austin and San Antonio. | |
| Cowboys Dancehall | South Texas Plains | San Antonio | Wed/Fri/Sat (Fri = Ladies Night) | Very Large | Have not yet been, but looks like a cool venue (despite reviews re level of dancers). Swapped text/emails w/ Cassie, who works there. She was extremely welcoming and helpful w/ info. Review of location sounds like “questionable” neighborhood. | |
| John T. Floore’s Country Store | South Texas Plains | Helotes | Fri/Sat @ 7p – Sun = Fam-nite + Free Dance | Large space, but not sure of dance floor space. Guessing Med-Large-to-Large. | Opened in 1942, this is a quintessential Texas Honky Tonk, where many legendary country artists have performed. Looks very cool. Located on the northwest outskirts of San Antonio. | |
| Midnight Rodeo (Franchise) | South Texas Plains | San Antonio | Wed > Sun (Wed = Ladies Night) | Large/Racetrack-style | Looks like the other “Midnight Rodeo” franchises…lots of fun. | |
| Schroeder Hall | South Texas Plains | Goliad | None listed. | Large | Located near the Gulf Coast region of the South Plains, Schroeder boasts being the 2nd oldest dance hall in TX. Looks like a very cool, rustic venue. But, might only be available as an event rental. Site lists no hours of operation. But, site also lists live country music concerts, but no calendar. Special Rate for a local Homewood Suites hotel is listed on site. | |
| Sengelmann Hall | South Texas Plains | Schulenburg | Wed. | Large | Beautifully-restored 1890’s Texas dance hall & restaurant, located halfway between Houston and San Antonio. Appears to be mostly available for event rentals and some live band nights. Wednesdays appear to be the only night they’re open to the public for dancing. | |
| Wild West – San Antonio | South Texas Plains | San Antonio | Wed > Sat (Thurs = Ladies Night | Large/Racetrack-style | Modern. Located in good/safe part of town. Good reviews, esp re level of experience of dancers. Preferred over Cowboys for experienced dancers. | |
Texas Road-Trip 2017 