There’s a three-thousand-square-foot dance floor on US-19 in Holiday, and most of Pasco County has driven past it without knowing.
The Stockyard sits a mile north of Tarpon Springs — 18,000 square feet of country music venue, open five nights a week, with line dance classes every one of them. It calls itself Tampa Bay’s number one honky tonk, and on square footage alone it’s hard to argue.
What’s actually there
Two bars. The main one runs 64 feet. The second is a whiskey bar, a few steps from the VIP area. Full liquor, and the whole building is non-smoking — which is not a given in this category and is the sort of thing that decides where a group ends up.
The programming is DJs playing current country, with local and national artists booked in around them. But the thing that makes it a weeknight destination rather than a weekend one is the classes.
Line dance classes, Tuesday through Saturday
Every class starts at 7:30 p.m. and they’re structured by level rather than being one open free-for-all:
- Tuesday — FUNdamentals, beginners only
- Wednesday — the next step after beginners
- Thursday through Saturday — all skill levels
If you have never line danced and don’t want to be the person learning in front of a room of people who already know it, Tuesday is the night. That’s the whole point of a beginners-only class, and it’s rarer than it should be.
Advanced dancers are welcome after 9 p.m., which is when open dance starts.
August 18 — new FUNdamentals series starts
A new beginner series kicks off Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m., beginners only. $6 cover for 21 and up, $15 for 18 to 20.
Starting a series at the start rather than dropping into an existing one mid-way is the difference between learning and copying the person in front of you. If you’ve been meaning to try it, that’s the date.
What it costs
Cover is $6 for 21-and-up Tuesday through Friday, $5 on Saturday. Under 21 pays $15 — the venue is 18-and-up, which is worth knowing if you’re the designated driver in a mixed-age group.
The part most people miss: 21-and-up gets in free after 9 p.m. If you’re not there for the class, there’s no reason to pay a cover at all.
Nightly drink specials
- Thursday — $5 Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Southern Comfort, Fireball
- Friday — $4 Bud Light bottles, $4 well drinks
- Saturday — $4 Bud bottles, $5 Captain Morgan
Hours
Doors at 7 p.m. every night it’s open. Tuesday and Wednesday close at midnight. Thursday through Saturday run to 2 a.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Note the split — a Tuesday class night ends at midnight, so it’s a genuinely manageable weeknight rather than a write-off of the next morning.
Where it sits in the county
Holiday doesn’t turn up much in guides to Pasco County. It’s the far west end of the county, closer to Tarpon Springs than to anything in Wesley Chapel, and it tends to get skipped.
An 18,000-square-foot venue running five nights a week is not a small thing to overlook. For anyone in New Port Richey or Port Richey it’s a short drive — considerably shorter than the run down to Tampa for a comparable room.
For the other end of the county’s live music, there’s what’s on at Richey Suncoast Theatre this August, and if you want the arena version, nine Tampa Bay events worth the drive.
Good to know
The Stockyard is at 1916 US Hwy 19, Holiday, FL 34691 — one mile north of Tarpon Springs. Phone (727) 939-9494. Full liquor, non-smoking, 18 and up.
Schedule, covers and specials are taken from the venue’s own listings and can change. Confirm before you go.