My First Honky Tonk

People dancing country music.

I’ve lived in Texas my whole life, but recently I went to my first honky tonk. I put on my True Religion bootcut jeans, pulled on cowboy boots, and borrowed my friend’s cowboy hat, (she insisted it completed the look). I was nervous because I’d never danced country before and because Texas is often tied to more conservative ideals. Still, I found some comfort in knowing we were heading to a honky tonk in San Antonio, not some small, random town.

Neon sign of a guitar.

When I walked in, the place was dark, lit up by neon signs. People were line dancing. We headed straight to the restroom and then made our way to the bar for a drink. I’m used to drinks being ridiculously overpriced, but here the most expensive drink was $8, and they were strong.  Two cranberry vodkas gave me enough courage for my first dance. 

And it was so much fun! The first guy who asked me to dance looked like he was in his late 20s or maybe early 30s. He had on a white cowboy hat and a checkered shirt tucked into his jeans. I told him it was my first time so I’m probably not that good. He smiled and said, “That’s fine!” He led me through it like a pro, and by the time the third guy asked me to dance, I was starting to get the hang of it. It helped that I could dance cumbias. If you can do that, you will be fine. It seems like country dancing consists of one-step, two-step, or even triple-steps. The two-step was the easiest and most common, at least I think most guys led with that. The rest of it was all spins, pretty much just like cumbias.

I loved it because it felt so genuine. After each dance, the guy would thank me, we’d share a quick smile, and then move on. Sometimes they’d ask for a second dance or even for my number, but you could always politely say no, and it was no big deal.

During the middle of a song, there was one guy who asked where I was from, when I said Austin, he gave me this odd look and said “Oh, you must be very liberal.” It wasn't a hateful or happy look. It was more like he was trying to figure me out. I replied with, “Well, I’m definitely not conservative.” It was such an odd interaction and yet it was so much fun dancing with him. He even dipped me at the end. I wasn’t going to start arguing about my political views in a honky tonk... I guess even when it comes to dancing, Texans still keep their political parties in the back of their head so it was normal for me to be a bit nervous about this. After the song, we thanked each other and moved on, just like everyone else. Despite this interaction, I would still recommend going if you enjoy dancing!