Learning how to two-step is a rite of passage in Austin, where locals can practice boot scootin’ at a different honky-tonk every night of the week. The basic moves are simple—two quick steps followed by two slow steps—but the best dancers put their own spin on it.
Read on for the best dance halls in Austin (and close nearby), and don’t worry if you don’t catch on right away—most spots on our list offer lessons at least once a week.
Broken Spoke
Couples have been twirling around the dance floor at the ‘Spoke, as locals call it, since the 1960s. Today, modern apartment buildings rub shoulders with this comfortably creaky old honky-tonk, but the music’s the same as always. All the greats have performed here, from Garth Brooks to Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Travis Tritt, and more. Crowds come for a taste of old Austin and live music, and to take advantage of free two-step and swing dance lessons every Thursday through Saturday night.
Coupland Dance Hall
You’ll know you've arrived at Coupland, 25 miles northeast of Austin, when you see the sign that says “Eat, Drink, Dance, Stay a Little Longer.” Take that advice and mosey inside the dance hall, where music lovers sashay across the floor of a structure built nearly a century ago. You can sit on a stool made with a saddle and order a cold one from a bar that once served customers on an old Mississippi river boat. Then venture onto the dance floor, in front of the stage where a huge Texas flag serves as the backdrop. Don’t want to drive home after a night out? Book a room in The Brothel bed and breakfast upstairs.
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Mercer Dancehall
The Mercer Dancehall operated for years in downtown Dripping Springs, but in 2018 it moved to an expansive new location in Driftwood, 20 miles south of Austin. When you’re not taking a spin around the wooden floor, in front of a stage that looks vaguely like the one in the cafeteria of your elementary school, you can kick back on the big wraparound porch outside. Bands play every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Devil’s Backbone Tavern
It’s hard to separate fact from lore at this Hill Country juke joint 30 miles southwest of Austin, which opened in 1932. You can still see bullet holes lodged in the neck of a mounted deer head at Devil's Backbone Tavern, and some claim that the ashes of long-time patrons have been scattered between the floor planks. Things aren’t quite so rowdy these days, but you can still crank up the jukebox, talk to the regulars who show up every afternoon, or practice your country western dance steps in the attached dance hall.
Donn’s Depot
This combination dance hall, piano bar, and honky-tonk has been keeping toes tapping since 1972. The inside of Donn's Depot hasn’t changed much since then, either, other than an occasional fresh coat of paint or (maybe) some new carpet. Regulars play dominoes, sing along to the music, or two-step on the cozy dance floor. Founder Donn Adelman still shows up to play regularly—just check the calendar.
Gruene Hall
Make the 40-mile jaunt down Interstate 35 from Austin to the oldest continually-operating dance hall in Texas, Gruene Hall. The walls went up in 1878, and you can still catch live music every day. On cool nights, the staff flips open the building’s side flaps for open-air two-stepping, and you can sip a Shiner Bock in the beer garden under the stars.
Little Longhorn Saloon
From the outside, the Little Longhorn Saloon looks a bit like a repurposed house of worship. That’s because former owner and musician Dale Watson added a steeple when he officiated a wedding there years ago. Inside, you’ll find a long bar, sticky tabletops, neon lights, and a tiny stage crammed into the corner. Besides live music six nights a week, you can stop by for two-step lessons on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Sundays are reserved for “chicken shit” bingo, when a bird determines the game winner by doing its business on a numbered square.
Luckenbach
They call it a town, but Luckenbach is more of a state of mind. An hour’s drive west of Austin, the music venue began as a trading post in 1849. It had faded into oblivion by 1971, when Hondo Crouch, an all-American swimmer and humor writer, answered a newspaper ad and bought it for $30,000. Crouch is gone, but as the Dale Watson song goes, “Everybody’s Somebody in Luckenbach, Texas." During the week, musicians show up for pickin’ sessions outdoors under the shade trees. Bigger shows take place in the dance hall on weekends.
Sam’s Town Point
For a true dive bar experience, head to Sam’s Town Point, which opened on the edge of a South Austin residential neighborhood in 1981 and looks like it hasn’t been remodeled since. There’s nothing fancy about it, from the bland beige walls and old pool table in the back, to the chipped bar stools and cheap buns on which the house burgers are served. What it does have is character—plus live music and two-step lessons on Monday and Thursday nights.
The White Horse
This modern-day honky-tonk opened just a decade ago, but it quickly became one of the best dance halls in Austin—many locals consider it a go-to spot for beer-sippin’, two-steppin’, and pool-playin’ on the east side. Cheap chandeliers light the joint, ceiling fans whirl overhead, and a red-fringed curtain surrounds the stage, where bands perform nightly. You can break for late night tacos or Frito pie between sets from the food trailer outside. Check the calendar for two-step lessons.
