Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dance Halls & Honky-Tonks
Czech and German immigrants brought more than barbecue to the central part of the state
when they arrived in the late 1800s. They also brought their dance hall tradition. At one
time there may have been thousands of cavernous wooden dance halls in the country, but
few remain today. Though they originally hosted polka bands, today they're all country.
Most are old, but some, like Cheatham Street Warehouse ( Click here ) are newer, or made
from metal. We've listed the top venues in the destination chapters, including places like
Gruene Hall ( Click here ) , one of the oldest dance halls in Texas. But many halls are in tiny
towns too small to mention or they only hold dances once a month, for example Twin
Sisters Dance Hall ( www.twinsistersdancehall.com ) in Blanco. If you're interested, it's
worth searching out venue info and schedules on dance hall web sites. Hint: Schroeder
Hall, Kendalia and Anhalt are classics, but not always open.
Honky-tonks may be a bit more like bars than dance halls, but many have that same
great old-timey Texas feel to them: Broken Spoke ( Click here ) in Austin being the perfect
example. You'll find these in towns and cities rather than way out in the country; they may
be anything from a tiny basement bar to a huge Urban Cowboy -esque night club like Billy
Bob's ( Click here ) in Fort Worth. Bandera has several ( Click here ). We love the ones that
are in old grocery stores or other businesses, such as John T Floore's Country Store
( www.liveatfloores.com ; 14492 Bandera Rd; tickets $10-30;
11am-1am Fri & Sat, to 10pm Sun) and Coupland
Inn ( www.couplanddancehall.com ) .
When you're ready to head out two-stepping, what music will you be hearing? The clubs
and halls in and around Austin and Hill Country especially have an incredible array of tal-
ent to choose from. Some of the old-timers occasionally still play in the area, so you may
catch Willie Nelson or Ray Price if you're lucky. Cornell Hurd, the Derailers and Dale Wat-
son are all great country crooners with tunes you can boot-scoot to. Mickey & the Motor
Cars have a primarily Americana, rockabilly sound. And we love the bluesy-rock sensibil-
ity that Kelly Willis brings to her shows, usually performed with her husband Bruce
Robison. For a list of the top Texas dance halls and honky-tonks, Click here .
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