Long Beach Country Bar With Free Lessons: Cowboy Country

Cowboy Country Saloon, at 3321 E South St in North Long Beach, is the LA County country bar for people who want to dance more than they want to be seen. The doors open three nights a week, every one of those nights starts with free two-step and line dance lessons, and local bands play to a crowd that has been coming for years. For a country bar near me search anywhere from Lakewood to Compton, this is the real dance hall.

Cowboy Country first opened its doors in 1999, according to a CBS Los Angeles guide to the area's country bars, which describes it as one of the best places in the region to hear live country music. The same guide counts three dance floors, including a 15,000-square-foot dancehall, and two levels with a full kitchen, two bars, a pool room and a large stage for local country bands.

The décor is old-school honky-tonk rather than a themed set: rodeo photos, autographed guitars and music memorabilia on the walls, wooden floors worn smooth by line dancers. The saloon's website even keeps downloadable lists of past lessons going back to 2016, a sign of how seriously the teaching side is taken.

The saloon's homepage keeps the promise simple: free dance lessons on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 7pm and 8pm. The calendar posts which dances are taught each night, with Joe teaching on Wednesdays, Cindi on Fridays and Joe again on most Saturdays. A typical night pairs a partner dance with a line dance: in early October 2026, for example, Joe taught a two-step at 7pm followed by the line dance Texas Girls at 8pm, while Cindi's Friday lesson paired Moonlight Pretty at 7pm with Strumming Bird at 8pm. Later that month the Wednesday list included the Denver Cha Cha and All I Need Is Tennessee, and on Saturday, October 10, Joe followed a two-step with Choosin' Texas, one of the newest line dances on the floor this year.

That structure makes it easy to plan. Come at 7pm for the partner lesson if you want to learn to lead or follow, then stay for the 8pm line dance, which needs no partner at all. Later in the night, the band or DJ plays songs that match the steps just taught, so beginners get to practice the same dance several times before the floor gets crowded.

Most nights include live country music. The October 2026 calendar lists Travis Daggett on Wednesday, September 30 and Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3; Just Dave Band on October 7; Jay Hollister and the Dirty West Band on October 9 and 10; and Louiss Thomas and the Surfin Cowboys on October 14. The saloon also ran a Route 91 event on Thursday, October 1, with special hours from 7pm to midnight, a rare Thursday opening.

Bands play from the big stage beside the main floor, and the room is set up for dancers rather than a seated audience. If you want a table, take one at the edge early, because the floor in front of the stage fills quickly once the first set starts. The pool room gives non-dancers somewhere to wait out a fast song, and with two bars in the building the line for drinks moves quickly even when the main floor is packed.

The cover is one of the cheapest in LA County, and it is printed on the homepage. On Wednesday there is no cover from 6pm to 7pm and a $5 cover after 7pm. On Friday and Saturday there is no cover from 6pm to 7pm, a $5 cover from 7pm to 9pm, and a $10 cover from 9pm to 1am. Arrive before seven and you get in free and catch the first lesson.

The kitchen is upstairs, and the saloon invites guests to go up for appetizers and dinner options before dancing. Eating there saves leaving the building between the lesson and the band, which matters on a busy Saturday when the cover goes up at nine. The full dinner menu is posted on the saloon's website.

Cowboy Country is 21 and over, so leave younger friends at home. The doors open at 6pm on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and the venue is closed on the other four nights unless the calendar lists a special event. Boots and jeans fit in best, though plenty of dancers wear sneakers with smooth soles, which turn more easily on a wooden floor than rubber grips.

The saloon runs a live feed on its homepage, which gives a sense of how busy the floor is before you leave home. Questions go to 562-630-3007 or through the contact form on the website, and groups planning a birthday should call ahead rather than expect a reserved table.

The saloon is on South Street in North Long Beach, a mostly residential stretch where driving is the practical choice. Long Beach Airport is a short drive south, which makes the saloon an unexpected but easy first stop for visitors landing on a Wednesday or Friday evening. Lakewood Center, the large regional mall, is a short drive east if you need to pick up boots or a western shirt before the lesson.

Because the cover rises through the evening and the dance floor stays busy until the last band set, the best plan is to eat upstairs, take both lessons, and line up a ride home.

Address: Cowboy Country Saloon, 3321 E. South St, Long Beach, CA 90805. Phone: 562-630-3007. Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, doors at 6pm, 21 and over. Free dance lessons at 7pm and 8pm each open night. Cover: Wednesday free until 7pm, then $5; Friday and Saturday free until 7pm, $5 from 7pm to 9pm, $10 from 9pm to 1am. Kitchen upstairs. Website: cowboycountrysaloon.com.