South Beach is the hottest gay dance club in town, and with good reason. Built on the site of the former disco Heaven, South Beach opened in 2001 to huge fanfare. The front of the club features a lounge area with a marble bar that is kept so cold, it has frost on it; placing your drinks on it while you chat with a date or friends guarantees your drink will stay very cold. After passing through the lounge, the club opens up into a massive space with two bars, a water wall with go-go dancers, and a large dance floor. This is where all of the action is, and, most nights, the place is PACKED. Shirtless boys (along with those of us who know to keep our shirts on) fill the dance floor, gyrating to the nonstop music turned out by a staff of talented DJs. The whole scene is topped off by an amazing laser light system. As the night wears on, every half hour or so the club is blasted with a chilling, dense fog that envelops the dance floor, instantly dropping the temperature about 10 degrees. It's quite a surreal experience, as you suddenly can see only a few feet in front of you. Watch for the yellow rotating lights on the walls around the dance floor to come on; this signals that the fog blast is nearing. This is also a popular make-out time on the dance floor.
Cover at South Beach varies from $2 to $3 during the week to $6 most Fridays and Saturdays, and $3 on Sundays. If you go on your birthday, you can get in with no cover (must have proof of your birth date). There are no exceptions to this rule; you must go on your birthday, unless it's on a Monday or Tuesday when the club is closed. In this situation, you can use the birthday special on the preceding Saturday. Cover prices may be higher (up to $20) for special events. Also, on Fridays and Saturdays, cover is free from 10:30 to 11:00 PM. If you are trying to get in without paying cover, show up right at 10:30, as the line builds quickly. Finally, if you like Latin music, Wednesday nights are Cafe con Leche nights at South Beach, with a mix of salsa, meringue, and other Latin beats. The club is usually packed with Hispanic guys on Wednesdays.
More Information:
- Parking. Please see my note about parking for the gay bars and clubs in Montrose in my entry on JR’s Bar & Grill in this journal. This is important for your safety in the neighborhood late at night. I don’t want to scare anyone, but, occasionally, people going to and from the clubs are mugged or worse in the neighborhood. It’s worth the price of a drink to pay for valet parking or to park in one of the paid parking lots where there is ample lighting and plenty of people around.
- Website. www.southbeachthenightclub.com