Venues/directions

Here's a list of venues that host dances or have dancing or reasonably good dance music on a regular basis, along with information on how to get there. Visit here after you've visited the Dancer's Night Out page. Always call first, but remember that the waitstaff doesn't always know what's going on either!!

7TH STREET ENTRY located in First Avenue Nightclub, 701 - 1st Avenue North, Mpls 612-338-8388 Various downtown parking lots

42ND AVENUE BALLROOM : 705 - 42nd Avenue North. in Camden area of Mpls. (612) 504-1403 (Located at Southwest corner of 42nd Ave. N and Lyndale,, upstairs above the church) Go through the double doors. Big free parking lot, or park on the street or across the street. Safe area-no incidences have been reported.

Alleygators: Bar & Nightclub, 494 and Bass Lake Road (BassLake Center), Maple Grove, 612-553-9111 or e-mail: MartyGator@aol.com

AMERICAN LEGION American Legion Post 435, 6501 Portland Ave So, Richfield 612-866-3647 (18 to 25 piece big band, WWII era music, 2nd & 4th Thursday, call first) open to public

B-DALE CLUB Dale and Cty Rd B (2100 N. Dale St) in Roseville (upper level) On the east side of Dale, just S of Cty Rd B. (651) 731-9768 Free parking, although can get full.

Babalu's, 800 Washington Ave N in Mpls (612) 746-3158 Fancy restaurant. Tango and Salsa bands play in the bar on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Great wood floor, fun clientele. Parking available on the street or valet. http://www.babalu.us/

Baja's Bar & Grill, 1501 S. 6th Street, Mpls, 612-359-9999. Right off of Cedar, around the corner from the Mixed Blood theater. Big wood dance floor, Pretty big free parking lot, cover varies.

Betsy's Back Porch, Southeast corner of Diamond Lake Road and Nicollet Ave., Mpls.

Bloomington Knights of Columbus south on Lyndale from 494 about a block, to the first right. Go right and go about a block and it will be on the right side. Floor is tile.

BLUE FOX BAR & GRILL, 3833 Lexington (Lex at 694), St Paul 651-483-6000 About 1 block south of 694 on Lexington Avenue in Arden Hills (west side of the street). It has a smaller dance floor with a bit of an irregular shape.

Black Dog Cafe, 308 Prince Street, St. Paul Across from the Farmers Market (you can park there, $3.00) 651-228-9274 Tango every 3rd Saturday. 7:30 lesson, 8:00 dance

Cafe Lurcat by Loring Park, where the Loring Bar was. Pretentious and expensive, but occasionally good music. Park on the street if you're lucky, or under the bridge. Valet parking also available for $6

Camel Club, in St. Paul, Camel Club building was sold in 2005 and is now a church. The group that managed the Camel Club has reopened in Oakdale and has an 800 sq ft wood floor looking for some dancers and instructors that are looking for a place in east St. Paul. kjdoug6144@msn.com 612 723 7097. Oakdale Plaza, 1417 Helmo Ave N. Ken Douglas

Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S. Mpls 612-338-2674 or www.thecedar.org

Cinema Ballroom, Snelling and St. Paul. St. Clair Ave, St. (address is 1560 St. Clair Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105).

Dakota Bar and Grill: 10th and Nicollet, Mpls Usually no dance floor. 612-332-1010

DANCERS STUDIO : 99 N. Snelling Ave., S. of 94, St. Paul Ballroom dance studio. 651-641-0777 Small parking lot

DANCE SHOPPE : 2800 Fernbrook Ln N Plymouth, MN Just west of 494 and S of 55. (763) 553-1870 USABDA dances are often held here.

Eagles Club Decent sized dancefloor within the city! (612) 724-9714 Cheap drinks, No Cover, 50' X 25' Dancefloor 2507 E 25th St Nondescript boxy building, good sized free parking lot. Afternoon dances every Saturday, great bands many evenings. No Smoking.

El Nuevo Rodeo salsa and dance club, norteÃ‚Â±o, conjunto, Tejano, banda, mariachi, tropical, Mexican pop and house/dance, as well as salsa. www.elnuevorodeo.com/ Beautiful dance floor 2701 E. Lake St., Mpls. 612-728-0101. Parking on the street available, or try the library.

ERV STUDIO, 816 1/2 Main Street in Hopkins, right above the Main Street Tavern. There is parking behind the building and there is a public parking lot behind the stores located right across the street.

Famous Dave's BBQ: Calhoun Square, Hennepin Ave and Lake St, Mpls. Cement floor, blues bands, Salsa night 612.822.9900 Parking lot available, and some street with meters.

Forty Second Ave. Ballroom, 42nd and Lyndale North, Mpls - southwest corner. Upstairs from the church. Look for the double doors. Free Parking lot, or on the street or across the street. Nice, safe area.

Four Seasons Dancing Behind the former Loring Cafe, by Loring Park in Mpls (Rebecca Trost) http://www.4seasonsdance.com/schedule.htm Parking difficult on the street, or try the $6 valet at Lurcat .

HalfTime Rec Cajun and zydeco, blues, etc. 1017 Front St., St. Paul 612.488.8245 Wood floor, not air conditioned Park free on the street www.grin.net/~thanos/SundayDance.htm

Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls 612.370.1234 Downtown parking ramps close by.

JITTERS COFFEE CAFE & WINE BAR: Basement of the Times Bar 201 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls 612-617-1111 Meter parking

Kitty Cat Club, 14th Ave SE between University and 4th Street in Dinkytown, below Annies Parlor. On the street if you're lucky, or the Loring Pasta Bar valet $5

Knights of Columbus 1114 West 79th Street Bloomington, MN Ph: 952-888-1492 Usually a Big Band dance every other Friday.

Liola/La Bodega, Lyn-Lake area at 3005 Lyndale Avenue South at Lake St. Restaurant serves Spanish-Mediterranean food. Small floor, dancing outside in summer. Parking on the street, but hard to find

Lafayette Club: Big fancy ballroom in Excelsior Take Highway 394 West. Exit on County 15 WEST. Follow this winding road to Lafayette Bay. Turn right after you see the Lafayette Club sign. St. Martin's Church is on the corner. Follow the service road to the club.

Lee's Liquor Lounge: 11th and Glenwood, Mpls. Great Honkytonk atmosphere. Turn to the west at 11th and Hennepin, go across bridge, look for neon sign. Good free parking 612.338.9491

Loring Pasta Bar In the Grey's Drug bldg. 14th Ave SE and 4th Street N of University in Dinkytown www.loringcafe.com Valet parking $5, or on the street if you're lucky. Also a parking lot one block away is free on Sunday evenings, and there is a walkway through the buildings to go across the street to the Loring.

Manhattan Loft is ($) range Italian restaurant with nice AC and NEW hardwood floor located next to Oak Street Cinema at the corner of Oak St. and Washington Ave SE. at UofM East bank campus. 802 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis

Mario's Gasthof, nice dancefloor. 2300 University Ave NE, Mpls (under Gasthof zur Gemutlicheit) 612.781.3860 Several polka nights. Free parking lot

Medina Entertainment Center - beautiful, huge ballroom, regular dance events. Hwy 55 and 101 North (5 mi. west of 494) 763-478-6661 free plentiful parking Dance Calendar: www.medinaentertainment.com

MPLS. CAFE: 1110 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 672-9100 cement floor. Salsa Thurs, Fri, Sat Free Valet parking.

Minnesota Music Cafe, 499 Payne Ave. in St Paul Take the 7th St. exit from 94, go East over bridge. Nice dance floor, crowded when good bands play Free parking Thursday is Ladies Night (651) 776-4699

MN West Coast Swing Dance Club (651) 731-9768 or (651) 730-4468 Dances 2nd and 4th Fridays, usually held at the B-Dale Club, Cty Rd B and Dale Street, Roseville Free parking

Narrows Bar 3380 Shoreline Dr Navarre, MN West on 394 to 12 West (952) 471-3352 Also in Maple Grove: Narrows North 9375 Deerwood Lane N., Maple Grove, MN 55438 Phone: 763-425-8175 Directions: Take 94W to 81 (exit 31) Turn R on 93rd Ave, then L onto Deerwood Lane N.

Neumanns Bar, 2531 East 7th Ave, North St. Paul, 651-770-6020; www.neumannsbar.com

Northwest Athletic Club, Cedar Lake Rd & Park Place (take Park Place exit off of 394 and go south), St. Louis Park.

On your Toes School of Dance 5810 W. 36th St. St. Louis Park (2 blk. west off HWY. 100 on 36th St. )

POLISH AMERICAN HALL: 1003 Arcade Street, St Paul, Directions: East of 35E, North of 94, South of Maryland Take 35E to Maryland, East on Maryland, South at Arcade

Povlitzki's on Hiway 65 (Central) and 85th in Spring Lake Park. 8407 NE Plaza Blvd...frontage road. 763-784-7110

PROM CENTER: New Prom Center in Oakdale, I-94 to Radio Drive/Inwood Exit,3 mi. east of St. Paul. Not a ballroom - floors are carpeted. Used as an event center

Quest Nightclub, 110 N 5th St. Mpls (1st and 5th) 612.338.3383 Big dance floor, in poor shape. Parking in downtown lots

Rebels West Coast Swing http://www.tcrebels.com info@tcrebels.com Hotline: 612.941.0906 Dances 1st and 3rd Sundays at Eagles, 25th and 25th Ave S, Mpls

Retro Ballroom - part of On Your Toes Dance School of Dance (5810 W. 36th St., St. Louis Park [36th St. W. & Highway 100]). The main entrance for the
Retro Ballroom is nearest the rear parking lot; accessed from Yosemite Ave

RUSH (Formerly RODEO): CLOSED! as of Dec 2007 Hwy 61 in Cottage Grove. Take the 80th street exit from Hwy 61. Turn R at the top of exit, another R by gas station, another at 4 way stop, another just over railroad tracks. Go under the underpass, then keep going until you get there. Free parking.

Schooner Tavern, next to Rainbow on Minnehaha N of Lake Street. Not a fancy place! Small floor, good live bands.

Shakopee Ballroom 2400 4th Ave E. in Shakopee (SW of Twin Cities). Go West on Hwy 13 from 494 or 169, Left on Shenandoah, go 1/2 mi. on Right 612-445-0412

Schullers Bar, Golden Valley. N of 55, E of Winnetka. 7345 Country Club Dr (763) 545-9972 Parking lot

Social Dance Studio, 60th and Lyndale S, Mpls. Across from Bachmans. Free parking in the lot

Sophia's Bar and Restaurant, 65 Main St. (Riverplace) Mpls 612.379.1111 Nice live jazz. Meters enforced 24 hours.

Stillwater Crab House (Stillwater ). Head across Hwy 36 into downtown Stillwater. After you have negotiated the hill towards downtown you'll find the entrance just a couple doors past the first stoplight in downtown, on the right-hand-side. The band is upstairs and there always seems to be plenty of room to dance.

Tango Society of Minnesota Argentine Tango. http://www.mntango.org tsom@tsom.org Semi-Monthly dances, 2nd Saturday. Usually held at Retro Ballroom.

Tapestry Folkdance Center: www.mtn.org/tapestry 612.722.2914 38th Ave S and Minnehaha, Mpls. Tiny parking lot. Park on the street, but lock your car.

Times Bar & Grill 201 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls 612-617-1111 Parking lot or street metered parking. Rarely a cover

Triangle Bar 3857 Labore Rd, Vadnais Heights, MN Parking is free, cover is free. Biker bar 35E just north of 694. Go East on Cty Rd E, two stoplights to Labore Rd. Turn left (north) on Labore, go about 1/2 mile, the bar is on the left just past the railroad tracks Blues Jam every Tuesday.

Twin Cities Ballroom 7166 10 St. N, Oakdale, MN. (Corner of 694 & 10 St. N) Weekly Friday & Sunday Evening Dance, regular admission price $7. $2 off with university ID. (651) 735-2233 Website: http://members.aol.com/tcbdc/dance.htm

Wabasha Street Caves, Thursday night swing. 215 S. Wabasha, St. Paul 651.224.1191 Free Parking lot

West Medicine Lake Community Club, 1705 Forestview Lane North, Plymouth. Take Hwy 55 to 18th, go North. Watch for signs-they're small! Free parking

Withrow Ballroom, 651.439.5123 http://www.withrowballroom.com/ From the Twin Cities take Highway 36 East to Manning Avenue North (15) Turn left (north), 6 mi. to 7, go about 1/2 mi., turn left on Keystone Ave Free parking

Whiskey Junction: 901 Cedar Ave, Mpls 612.338.9550 Parking on the street or in the lot free

Swing Dance Conventions Listings (for U.S.A.) www.swingdancecouncil.com/

How to Get There - Venue Information