You don’t have to be a real cowboy to enjoy dancing, darts and live music. Cowboy bars are known for having nice folks serving up cheap drinks to a diverse crowd. With poker lessons, bikini contests, campfires and mojitos, these cowboy bars offer more than just longnecks and line dancing.
The saloon offers crazy drink specials and sexy competitions, such as the “naughty school girl” contest. Free dance and poker lessons are offered Sunday nights. The crowd is a laid-back mix of 20- and 30-somethings. Ladies night is Wednesday, with 25-cent drinks until 10 pm.
A Scottsdale landmark and local favorite, Handlebar J opened in 1966 and is a timeless classic. The crowd here is older, but that’s because they’re wiser. This is a good place to bring out-of-town guests or your parents. Handlebar J also is a steakhouse famous for sirloins, ribs and biscuits. Free country-dance lessons are available three nights a week.
One of four rooms at Graham Central Station, Rockin Rodeo is the place for modern country music. A big dance floor provides ample opportunity to shake your belt buckle, and a mechanical bull lets your inner cowboy/cowgirl shine. If you get tired of the scene, you can visit another room within Graham Central Station for a little karaoke or hip-hop music.
Greasewood Flat is a desert party spot where families, bikers and horseback riders rub shoulders. Located in the Pinnacle Peak area of north Scottsdale, Greasewood Flat is the antithesis of Scottsdale posh. It’s a rustic outdoor bar with wooden picnic tables, green-chile cheeseburgers and campfires. Enjoy live music under the stars while two-steppin’ with your honey on the concrete dance floor. Open from 11 a.m.-1 a.m. every day. Cash only.
Cash Inn Country is the place for gay cowgirls to shuffle. The bar offers dart tournaments Sunday, open-mike nights Tuesday, Texas Hold’em lessons Wednesday and two-step lessons Thursday, just for starters. The DJ's play a something for everybody so it doesn't matter if you're a little bit country or a little bit rock and roll.
A small, rowdy watering hole in Old Town Scottsdale, the Rusty Spur has live country music on the stage and peanut shells on the floor. It’s a favorite among tourists, but the rough and tumble locals are here as well. The Rusty Spur is located in an old bank building, where the vault now holds liquor instead of cash. The saloon is self-described as one of the three happiest places in the U.S., along with Disneyland and Las Vegas.
The Silver Pony is located at the foot of South Mountain and packs people in with top-notch music. As a bonus, the bar opens at 6 a.m. Monday-Saturday. Pool tournaments and karaoke fill the spaces in the schedule not occupied by live music.
Though not related, San Tan Flat resembles Greasewood Flat in concept. The bar is open-air with picnic tables and campfires forming a half-moon around a small stage. San Tan Flat is newer, bigger and fancier than the historic Greasewood Flat. The barstools at San Tan Flat are leather saddles, which may be the closest you’ll ever come to the open range. San Tan Flat also is great for families; kids run can run around, dance and roast marshmallows while mom and dad enjoy a beer.
There is plenty of entertainment in the form of billiards, darts, karaoke, live music and off-track betting at Coyote Alley. The bar prides itself on customer service and a friendly staff. With a Monday special of mojitos and martinis, Coyote Alley is more than just a country bar. Live music is featured Thursday-Saturday.
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Dina Doll from Cave Creek - November 19, 2008 at 3:20 PM
What about arizonacental.com where Harold's Corral in Cave Creek was voted Best Cowboy Bar? Where's the love? Harold's Corral has the best Countr...
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