This isn’t a place you stumble into in jeans and a T-shirt; the Continental is an event, so wear your nice shoes, but make sure you can dance in them -- if the energy is right, the dance floor will become a swirl of bodies.
Hold on to your drink (and then go upstairs to the Gallery).
You’ll experience a handful of genres within a couple blocks, or perch on a barstool and find your new favorite singer-songwriter.
Here’s where you’re bound to encounter your own chapter of Austin music history.
An immortal weird-circus gem: Away from the crowds and traffic of Downtown sits Carousel Lounge, a true beacon of Austin weirdness since 1963, when it was opened as an homage to the Carousel Bar & Lounge in New Orleans.
Most nights you can find a variety of local acts on the stage, but the ambiance and decor is the real highlight.
Dancing is not required, but it’s hard to resist the lure of the floor; if a stranger asks you to dance, just say yes.’ Red Room; if that reference grabs you, this is your kind of limbo.The dance floor gets crowded on busy nights, but that’s the best way to experience the White Horse: bumping elbows with strangers and working up a sweat watching local country, roots rock, folk, and Western swing acts.It also hosts punk, electronic, experimental, country, and hip-hop from local and touring acts; storytelling nights; and karaoke.It’s an ideal venue for catching a band you’ve never heard of or just hanging out under the stars. An eclectic home to you-name-it: A stuffed grizzly bear, raised up on its hindquarters, sets the tone here.