Country Bars | tommera

While country music is not huge in Ottawa, there are still some bars out there for country music fans to visit and enjoy country music. Here are some of the places that might be worth checking out if you are into the country lifestyle.

Crazy Horse Saloon

Address: 115 Roland Michener Dr, Kanata, ON K2T 1G7
Business website: https://www.thecrazyhorse.ca/

If you are really into country music and dancing then Crazy Horse Saloon would be your best bet! Out of all the places I have gone to so far, Crazy Horse Saloon offers the best experience in the city for country music folks. The place regularly has live music events and it can get quite busy so if you want to get a table, make sure that you arrive early! They also have a mechanical bull on certain days.

Best Country Music bar
Best days to go: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
Western themed Bar and Restaurant
Regular live music performances
Plays country music and hip hop.
Attracts a younger demographic
Free to enter but cover might apply on busy days
Can get very busy
Relatively small dance floor
Offers food and drinks
Bit of a drive from Ottawa downtown

Nash Boîte Country

Address: 325 Bd Gréber, Gatineau, QC J8T 8J3
Business website: https://www.nashvillequebec.com/

Nash Boîte Country (also called Nash Bar Gatineau) is a new country bar that has opened up in Gatineau. Previously this place used to be called as X Lounge. This bar has a large dance floor than the other bars however it can still get quite packed with people during weekdays. If you are looking for line dancing then this would be the place to go.

Best Country and Western Bar
Best days to go: Friday and Saturday
Line Dancing Lessons on Wednesday
Large dance floor (relative to other bars)
Plays mostly country music
Live Musical performances
Only bar for proper line dancing in Ottawa
Lots of slot machines
Attracts relatively older demographic

Pop-O-Bar

Address: 75 Bd Gréber, Gatineau, QC J8T 3P9
Business website: https://restaurantpopobar.com/

Based out in Gatineau, Pop-O-Bar is a popular bar among locals for live music. Just make sure to check their schedule as sometimes they have other things like Karaoke going as well!

Best days to go: Friday and Saturday
Nice atmosphere
Live country music in both English and French!
Attracts a slightly older demographic
Lots of slot machines
Small dance floor
Small cover charge on weekends
Free coat check

Lunergans Pub and Eatery

Address: 1661 Montréal Rd, Gloucester, ON K1J 9B7

Lunergans Pub and Eatery has local country music nights every then and now! If there is a band performing then there wouldn’t be much of a dance floor at this place. I would recommend this place if you want to have chicken wings and beer while listening to country music.

Best days to go: Wednesday
Dive bar feel
Attracts older demographic
No dance floor

La P’tite Grenouille Gatineau

Address: 9 Rue Aubry, Gatineau, QC J8X 2H1
Business website: https://laptitegrenouille.ca/

I haven’t tried their food yet but this place gets packed on Weekends! La P’tite Grenouille usually has live music early in the night and then this place converts into a dance bar late into the night. The place tends to attract younger crowd on the weekends. Live music is usually country however once this place is a dance club then the place has a variety of hip hop, or dance music.

Best days to go: Friday and Saturday night
Bilingual live country music (French and English)
Drinks are cheaper (compared to bars in Ottawa)
There might be an entry fee over the weekend if you arrive late
Large dance floor on the second floor

Chateau Lafayette

Address: 42 York St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5S6
Business website: https://www.thelaff.ca/

The Chateau Lafayette is the most convenient spot to go to if you are in the Ottawa Downtown area. Located in the Byward Market, the venue has live country music every weekend! The Laff is quite well known for the its local performers who have been performing at the location for more than a decade now and previously the place has been visited by many popular celebrities including Justin Bieber!

Best days to go: Friday and Saturday
Dive Bar
Jukebox machine to play whatever music you want
Seating capacity for large group
Small dance floor

If you are looking for other options for country music in Ottawa, your best bet would be when the weather is warmer, as there are internationally known country music artists performing at different festivals in the city.

Feel free to share your experience if you have been to these places or know any other bar in the region.

Tom Mehra

Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.

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While the country music scene is huge in the Midwest, there are still only a limited number of options for country dancing in Kansas City when compared to nightclubs for other genres. Here are some places to hit if you are looking for country dancing in the Kansas City metro!

MO Country

Address: 401 S Outer Rd E, Grain Valley, MO 64029, United States
Business website: https://mo-country.com/

I think MO Country has done a really great job offering itself as the one-stop party destination for country folks in the Midwest! They have one of the largest line dancing floors that I have ever seen, multiple bars located within the club, a mechanical bull to test your cowboy skills, pool tables to play with friends, and even have a large patio with a fireplace.

Getting to this place is a bit of a drive but is absolutely worth it. There are lot of things to do within the same venue – they have beer pong, arcade games, pool tables, and corn hole besides the mechanical bill, and the dance floor! The location also provides dancing lessons if you show up early.

Best country dancing nightclub in the Kansas City Metro
Large dance floor with ample of space
Line dancing lessons are available on certain days
Primarily plays country music
Attracts a mix of mature and young crowd

Guitars and Cadillacs

Address: 7312 W 119th St, Overland Park, KS 66213, United States
Business website: https://www.guitarsandcadillacs.com/

This venue previously was called Kanza Hall and has had some renovations. Guitars and Cadillacs markets itself well as a live music venue and dance hall. While this place doesn’t have a mechanical bull, they do have a dedicated dance floor and ample space.

Short drive for folks in the Overland Park region
Decent sized dance-floor
Attracts a mix of mature and young crowd depending on the day
Open on Sundays

PBR Big Sky

Address: 151 E 13th St, Kansas City, MO 64106, United States
Business website: https://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/eat-and-drink/pbr-big-sky

PBR Big Sky plays a mix of country music and other genres. Not the perfect spot for country dancing as the place gets really packed on the weekends and whenever they have a concert/event around Power and Light district. But it’s a nice place to have drinks, do country dancing and also mechanical bull riding.

Attracts a majority young crowd.
Very busy during concerts at Power and Light.
Mix of country and other genres of music.
Located in downtown Kansas City region

Other places that might be worth trying –

Howl at the Moon (Address: 1334 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106, United States) – They do have occasional country nights with live music and might be worth trying. The bar has a very small dance floor though.

Some tips if headed for the first time –

Bring cash with you as there might be a cover charge (entry fee)
You might be able avoid cover charge by showing up early.
Country clothing is not a requirement.