Nightlife in Lockhart

Why is the studio's schedule so packed with fitness-tinted dance classes? "Because sweating is fun," explains its slogan. Between yellow-green walls, professional dancers teach kids and adults how to cut rugs and stay fit at the same time. Classes like Zumba, Pilates-infused burlesque, and hip-hop dance classes let on-staff choreographers showcase skills they also employ for special events—customers commission them to polish their wedding and quinceañera dances.

Sunset Bowling Lanes opened in 1959 with 24 solid-wood lanes and a stockpile of miniature pencils to keep track of spares and strikes. The alley has since upgraded to computerized scoring systems while also maintaining the charm of classic tenpin entertainment. In addition to its open bowling and league opportunities, Sunset Bowling Lanes hosts events such as college nights—which provide students with discounts so they can save up for books or exam mulligans—and keeps its patrons fueled for the eternal turkey hunt with burgers and drinks from the snack bar.

Third Base Sports Bar dishes out a menu of flavorful favorites in a relaxed, friendly setting. Limber up taste buds with an appetizer of crispy pickle chips ($7.25), or move straight to a main event of two tilapia tacos spicily topped with cilantro-jalapeño sauce ($7.99). Entrees such as the chicken-fried NY strip steak, smothered in chipotle-cream gravy and delicate fried tobacco onions, provide meaty fuel for over-the-fence catches and blindfolded Hail Mary passes ($10.99). Those who prefer to layer their bites like delicious sweater sets can delve into the Third Base burger, a half-pound pressed patty crowned with melted swiss, thick grilled onions, and homemade horseradish mustard betwixt a garlic sweet roll ($8.79).

Dedicated to satisfying seasoned gourmands and casual diners alike, Palmer’s menu offers everything from sizable steaks and chicken dishes to lighter, plant-based victuals and veggie-nestled seafood. Try the grilled ahi tuna steak with chipotle aioli, chef’s rice, and seasonal vegetables (4 oz., $14; 8 oz., $17), or nibble the tenderloin sandwich with tomato and portobello to harness the necessary brainpower to conquer your Sudoku-based home-security system ($14). A comfy atmosphere replete with multiple stone fireplaces colors the eatery’s interior, and a clean-air garden encourages postmeal relay races in the fountain courtyard.

In what was once a generic roadside warehouse, Patsy's Cowgirl Cafe now brims with inviting, kitschy personality. Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton, the entrepreneurs behind comedy hotspot Esther's Follies, decorated the ceiling with tumbleweeds and tree branches and built a bar inlaid with mosaic tilework. There's a stage for live music or tomato-throwing duels, behind which a mural depicts a cowgirl on horseback rearing up against the sunset. In the words of Austin Chronicle writer Virginia B. Wood, "Patsy's has great style and personality, the drinks are good, and the eclectic selection of local music is free."

The food is another popular reason to visit. Chefs prepare Texas staples such as hand-breaded chicken-fried steak with cracked-pepper gravy, and they also put their own spin on the classics with dishes such as chicken-fried portobello mushrooms in vegetarian cilantro-cream sauce. There's also a roster of burgers and veggie burgers named after local celebrities, and libations such as the mexican martini with tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and olive juice.