Grizzly Rose

5450 N Valley Hwy.

Denver, CO 80216

Wow! This venue is like a little western town. There’s a huge dance floor with shops around it, a pool hall, a place to eat and dueling bulls plus lessons can be had in a separate dance studio! Did I mention live music, events and easy access via Hwy 25?  It was a quick find for us.

A funny thing happened to us there. The week that we went, the dance lesson was Cowboy Cha Cha. There was a basic lesson and then there was the advanced lesson. Since we were from out of state, she asked us if we knew the Cowboy Cha Cha and we said, “Yes we did.” Then, she asked if our Cowboy Cha Cha moved around the dance floor and we said, Yes.” She said, “That’s not it, ours stay in a stationary spot.”  So, we took the basic lesson, and guess what?  We have a dance in California we call the Denver Cha Cha, and it is the dance that you all call the Cowboy Cha Cha!  So, we already knew it.  We love the dance and we had a great time learning it from Miss Rosalie in Denver😊

I wonder if they know our Cowboy Cha Cha because our Cowboy Cha Cha is not the California Cha Cha (that’s a whole different dance)! We had a great chuckle. No matter what, we enjoy our travels whether it’s learning a dance we know by a different name or a new dance. It’s the FUN and laughter that we have along the way that makes these adventures so memorable.

INSIDE:

Cover Charge:    See the website

Age range:          18 + on Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri. 18 if there is a concert otherwise 21+, Sat. 21 + Sun. Family Night

Dress Code:        Yes, no motorcycle club colors or representation allowed. There were lots of people wearing cowboy boots and hats. Typical wear is jeans and leather sole boots/shoes to easily dance country western dance steps.

Dance Floor:       Large, approximately 50’x 35’and floor condition was excellent

Dance Mix:         Line dancing 10%, Two-Step 70%, Swing 10%, Waltz 10%

Dance Music:     Country western 90%, Pop/Rock 10%

Live Music:          The band was good (we felt most of the DJ music was too fast or too slow for the Two-Step)

Dancing:               Dances are not necessarily called

Dance Lessons: The only days they do not have dance lessons are Mon. and Fri. (See website calendar for specifics)

Food:                     We had the garden salad, Grizzly Wrap and sweet potato fries, moderately priced food and pretty darn good

Beverages:         Iced Tea, soda, water, beer and liquor

Restrooms:         The restrooms are very large and impeccably clean.

Security:              Security personnel located throughout the venue. It was a nice crowd.

ATMOSPHERE:  Night club lighting, patrons and staff were very friendly and helpful. The initial inside impression was of a very wide and expansive area. There was an impressive use of space throughout. The separate dance studio was very surprising and appropriate for the dance lessons.

NEWBIES:            Great dance lessons in a private dance studio by a very knowledgeable teacher, Miss Rosalie. It would be helpful if the dances were called so that everyone would be dancing the same dance and going in the same direction. This is a place where you put on your dancing duds (or not) take a dance lesson and then get out on the large dance floor and dance your heart out all night. You’ll also meet lots of nice folks.

SPECIFICS:

Ranking        1 – 5  (5 being best)

Dance floor         *****   Excellent, well maintained area and nice size for dancing.

Lessons               *****    Miss Rosalie was just the nicest teacher, with succinct directions

and monitoring of her students

Food                      ****

Music                    *****

Restrooms          *****

Parking                ***        It’s about a two-block walk or so to an unlighted area if front parking is full.

Feeling safe        ****     Inside was a 5, but outside overflow parking and lighting was limited.

Come early if this is a concern.

FINAL THOUGHTS:           We loved the energy, enthusiasm of the dancers and friendliness of the people and staff i.e. at the door, chef at the Chuck Wagon, security and the roving staff that were making sure the tables and trash on the floor were picked up. We appreciated the hospitality.

There is one thing we personally would have liked. It would have been a better dance experience for us if occasionally a dance was called so that line dancers, two-steppers and couple dancers alike would not have to worry about near collisions. But all in all, this is a GREAT place to dance, have a meal and just have a ton of fun. We rate the Grizzly Rose a 5-STAR country dancing venue.

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Temecula Stampede Review

28721 Old Town Front St

Temecula, California  92590

Woohoo!  This is our very first review and we’re all excited about telling y’all about it.  It was fun to arrive mid-afternoon and check out Old Town and then head over to the Temecula Stampede in California.  The venue is situated at the end of a really cute western Old Town area that is filled with shops and eating places.

What a nice surprise it was to find such a large dance floor at the Stampede with an inside and outside track!  The dancing was divided into line dancing in the center area and two-stepping around the outside track.  When we danced we really liked this aspect of the dance floor.  It was fun and the dance area gave everyone plenty of room to dance and pass as needed.  We even had to choose a couple of times, because we knew both dances!  Once, the Cowboy Cha Cha was called on the outside area and the California Cha Cha was called for the center area.  We chose the California Cha Cha, LOL.

INSIDE:

Cover Charge:    Thurs. no cover, 18 and over. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and the Temecula Stampede hours are from 6pm to 2am.  Go early because the cover is half price before 7pm and it’s a good time to warm-up and peruse the venue.  See Temecula Stampede website for specifics

Age range:          6-9pm 50+, after 9pm, one of the regulars told us the crowd becomes much younger, more like the 18-40 range.

Dress Code:        Yes, they have dress code.   See Stampede website

Dance Floor:       It’s huge, a rough estimate is 65’x 50,’ nice smooth surface and well maintained.

Dance Mix:          Line dancing 70%, Two-Step 20%, Swing 10%

Dance Music:     Country western 90%, Pop/Rock 10%

Live Music:          Look at website for schedule

Dancing:               Dances are “called” which means the DJ will call out which dance to do.  The advantage of this means dancers are moving in the same direction and doing the same steps.  There is less bumping from others. But in all saloons/dancehalls we’ve danced in, everyone is cordial and we all just say, “sorry” with smiles and that ends it.

Dance Lessons:  Dance lessons are offered Mon, Fri and Sat. On Fri/Sat lessons are $4 for two separate                                  dances. On Mon, it’s $6 for two separate dances. See Stampede schedule for specific dances they will teach.

Food:  A very moderately priced menu, we did not eat while we were there.  See their website.

Beverages:  Iced tea, soda water, beer, wine and liquor

ATMOSPHERE:  We generally liked the atmosphere.  People were nice, and several came by our table to say “Hi” and tell us all about the Stampede. We were dressed in our boots, hats and cowboy shirt (for my husband) and a cute blouse for me (of course 😊), and jeans.  We felt very comfortable because this place has such a great old-time country saloon feeling to it! How were others dressed? There was a smattering of others in boots (leather soles are best to slide on dance floor) and cowboy hats.

NEWBIES:  It is our opinion this is a great place for beginners to learn how to dance. They offer lessons and there is a side area on the outside track for you to both see and follow experienced dancers. It doesn’t get better than this! And, if you come early, from 6-9pm, there is plenty of opportunity to learn when it is not crowded.

OUTSIDE:

Parking:  Is free in a big, lighted lot next to the building.

Safety: We felt very safe, both arriving at 6pm and leaving at 9pm. The whole Old Town area is very busy till late with tourist walking around and dining.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Don’t be afraid to start country western dancing and looking like a fool at times. The pure joy and fun you’ll find in this activity will be well worth it. Besides everyone is so busy dancing and doing their thing, nobody cares. Happy Boot Scootin’ wherever it may take you😉

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