Denver may not be a cowtown at heart anymore—but on its fringes, country-and-Western culture still Picture 11thrives. Voted Country Club of America by the Country Music Association, Grizzly Rose is its headquarters.

The sprawling honkytonk has it all: a roster of concerts ranging from Grammy darlings like Taylor Swift to venerable old-timers like The Bellamy Brothers (along with the occasional ’80s hair band), a mechanical bull, cheap (and sometimes even free) beer, line dancing and two-stepping—as well as free weekly classes for the slickers.

On top of all of Grizzly’s activities, there’s some of the greatest people-watching in the city: nowhere else are you likely to find cowboys whooping it up with hipsters and confused but gung-ho tourists.