The Ranch Concert Hall and Saloon in Fort Myers is home to countless kids on Wednesday nights. Locals come into the Ranch with a 10-dollar fee, ready to listen to country music, line dance, and socialize. The kids’ night offers a midweek escape with a fun, laid-back atmosphere that brings the community together. For most, the highlight of the evening is the line dancing.
The ranch is western themed, complete with a large dance floor in the center, with 3 pool tables in the back left, food on the back right, and on each side, a bar with large tables for seating.
The theme in itself is the perfect background for any country-themed photo, sliding on a pair of boots and snapping a picture with a friend creates an aesthetic matched by very few other places.
The DJ booth is placed in the middle front of the dance floor, as he takes song suggestions. The DJ, Bubba Hyde, plays songs such as Fuego, American Kids, The Wolf, Church Clap, and more. If you are not into dancing, there’s always an alternative at The Ranch.
Songs such as Church also showcase versatility, as it is a common stereotype that the Ranch only plays country music. Since it is a country-themed bar, country music is the most dominant. However, Bubba Hyde will never say no to a song outside of the country genre, as the Ranch is a place for everyone.
They offer food, drinks, a pool table, and a photo booth to capture memories. Doors for this event are open fairly early, and the dance floor quickly fills with locals as country hits and line dance favorites play throughout the night.
Since the Ranch is country-themed, the best attire is a cute outfit complete with some boots. Getting ready has to be one of my favorite parts of the whole thing; it can be stress-free to get ready to go out with your favorite group of people at one of the most lively places, when things at school, sports, and so much more can just be overwhelming.
The ranch feels like home for me and my friend group. We go almost every Wednesday night in hopes that they play the best line dancing songs for us to dance the night away to.
Now, it would be funny to get all of our boyfriends and their friends to dance, but the pool tables occupy them while we have fun on the dance floor. When my friends and I get thirsty, we always get a Shirley Temple from the bar, or if I’m feeling tired, they offer energy drinks such as Red Bull. I usually arrive at the ranch around 7:30-7:45.
Overall, the Ranch is the best place to hang out with friends, bond with new people, and laugh with the ones you love. For me, the Ranch gives me a feeling of belonging. I can always escape there, and it is guaranteed to make me happy.
It is a part of every high school experience to have an oasis where you can go, and the Ranch just happens to be that oasis for me and my friends. The people I have met at the Ranch will follow me throughout high school, and I am so glad to have met them.
Once I am finished paying the fee to get in, I head on in and socialize with everyone inside. Kids from our school, Bishop Verot, Oasis, Ida Baker, North Fort Myers, and even Mariner show up in their ranch attire, ready to have a good time.
This provides an opportunity to branch out and become friends with people beyond the Cape High stratosphere. I know I’ve formed lifelong friendships with the people I’ve met at the Ranch, and as a social person, I also like to hang out with a variety of people from a variety of places.
