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On Friday, June 25, City Limits Dance Hall, a country music dance hall that combines line dancing, live music, and “the Friday standard,” will open in the North Lakeland space formally occupied by Wild Greg’s Saloon.
Daniel and Caroline Gay, who also own the UPS store in the same shopping plaza, purchased the business from Greg Urban. Urban has owned and operated several Wild Greg’s locations across Florida for over a decade. He made the decision to sell the Lakeland location earlier this year.
Rather than completely reinventing the business, the Gays say their plan is to build on the legacy of the country-themed dance places that have occupied the location for the past 20 years.
“We love live music, and we love line dancing. We’re glad we didn’t have to pick one or the other,” Daniel said. “We can do both.”
Dance hall roots
Located along Highway 98, City Limits is one of the largest nighttime entertainment spaces in the area. The owners said the venue’s size, location, and abundant parking makes it uniquely positioned to serve country music lovers.
“It’s a very visible, easy location for people to get to,” Daniel said, “We’re really accessible to a lot of the smaller cities really close to us.”
The venue will continue to operate as two distinct spaces under one roof. The Dance Hall will remain dedicated to structured line dancing, while The Outskirts will now feature live bands and performers.
During the day, The Outskirts will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for drinks, pool, and darts, giving patrons a casual gathering space outside of evening entertainment hours.
Thursday’s Ladies Night will pair female performers with dance lessons, drink specials, and free admission for women 21 and older. Fridays will feature a DJ mixing popular hits. Live music will be featured Wednesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Fun, safe, and elevated
Beyond the addition of live music, it’s important to the new owners that everyone feels safe at City Limits. The owners said they plan to continue using security personnel and, when appropriate, off-duty law enforcement officers during larger events, a practice that was also common under the venue’s previous ownership.
“We really want it to be fun, safe, and elevated,” Caroline Gay said. “We want people to come here and feel like they can blow off steam, hang out with friends, enjoy themselves in a safe environment and a nice, clean environment.”
To support that vision, the owners invested heavily in renovations before reopening. Improvements include a completely new sound system, upgraded lighting, renovated restrooms, new bar equipment, and fresh paint and flooring throughout the building.
Contractor Pete Haubner of Bydand Construction oversaw renovations, and Leo Eckersdorff installed the new lighting system.
A team effort
“A lot of people just fell into the right seat at the right time to help us make this project happen,” Daniel said.
Local musician Alex Eisenberg helped install the venue’s new sound equipment, assists with booking live music, and will perform regularly at the venue.
Operations Manager Kyle Klos, a Lakeland native, helped assemble the venue’s staff and coordinate preparations leading up to opening day.
The venue recently held a soft opening, allowing staff to test operations before welcoming the public. According to the owners, the response has been encouraging.
Beyond introducing a new entertainment option, the owners believe City Limits fills an important role in North Lakeland’s nightlife scene.
“Lakeland has a great live music scene that maybe isn’t showcased as much on the north side,” Caroline said. “We’re excited to be able to do that.”
As City Limits heads into their official opening weekend, Caroline and Daniel hope that both longtime Wild Greg’s patrons and newcomers will enjoy the space.
“We just want to provide the best place for Lakeland and the surrounding community,” Caroline said.
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