The guy wearing the helmet is kinda cute!

The Spazmatics - TX

Eight words that I would have bet money would never come out of my mouth while standing in a dark, crowded, night club. But sure enough, one Thursday night at Sammy's in downtown Houston I found myself saying just that.

The Spazmatics are a rockin 80's cover band, covered from head to toe in what can only be described as pure 1980's nerdiness. They played three sets of quintessential 80's pop classics, everything from Girls Just Want to Have Fun to 99 Luftballoons, all while performing perfectly planned choreography. The energy in the room is pure 80's cheesetasticness and will have you doing the Carlton dance in no time.

Currently, the guys are playing every Thursday night at Sammy's on Main. Although paying a cover ($10 in this case) to get in anywhere goes against everything I stand for I folded just this once, and I'm glad that I did. I highly recommend valeting, parking around there can be difficult to say the least. Sammy's is rather small as far as night clubs go, so expect to be packed in like hot, sweaty sardines until after the first set but people will start to filter out after that.

Pros: Top notch entertainment, good time, 80's music
Cons: Parking, cover, cramped, no drink specials

Bottom Line: Grab your friends, geek out on brat pack movies and chocolate Yoo-hoo, and check these guys out. Totally outrageous!

St. Arnold - Patron Saint of Brewers

Saint Arnold Brewery Tour - Houston, TX

2522 Fairway Park Drive

Drive down Fairway Park Drive and you would probably never guess that there was a microbrewery tucked away in this industrial neighborhood, but there is. In fact, St. Arnold's Brewery is the oldest microbrewery in Houston and every Saturday at 1:00 pm they offer a brewery tour. Well, it's less of a tour per say and more of a 20 min informational session followed by 1 hour and 40 mins of drinking.

The warehouse is completely opened up, which is a good thing because there is no AC/heating (sometime this fall the brewery is moving to a climate controlled warehouse just north of downtown). It costs $5 to get in and that includes a 6-8 oz. souvenir glass and 4 drink tokens. Tip: if you have a large St. Arnold's glass be sure to bring it, because they will fill that, regardless of how big it is. Get there early to score a table and feel free to bring a picnic. The tour, which is just an employee standing on a ladder with a microphone regurgitating information while some people listen and most people get in line for beer, starts @ 1. The 4 bars open as soon as the tour ends and the beer drinking free for all begins. Oh and don't think you'll be sly by waiting to get there around the time the tour ends because drink tokens are only given out until 1:15. Don't let the crowd/lines deter you; by 2:00 the warehouse really starts to thin out.

Pros: Price, Good Beer, Great Place to Socialize, Free Parking, BYOF (Bring Your Own Food)

Cons: No A/C, crowded at first

Bottom Line: A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon with friends.