10. CLUB TROPICANA If the word alone makes you thirsty, you can quench that parched palate at Tropicana every weekend. Now's your chance to try out those dance moves you learned in Zumba class, or coax your quiet friend into shaking her "bum bum." Tropicana is known for its great Latin music, and Saturday's the day to go if you want to hear it. Plus, there's a live band that plays pretty great salsa, too. 3222 Fondren, 713-977-4188, clubtropicanahouston.com

9. DRINK HOUSTON Yes, Drink Houston hosts a motley crew of attendees, and yes, it enforces a severe dress code and cover charge, but it attracts a diverse crowd of people -- not hard to imagine, with five separate nightclubs under the same roof -- almost every night for one reason: Drink Houston is a fun place to be, with both great hip-hop music and drink specials. 7620 Katy Freeway, 713-290-0041, www.drinkhouston.com

8. NUMBERS Numbers is best-known, of course, for "Classic Numbers," DJ Wes Wallace's Friday-night institution of all things '80s and alternative. Open since the late '70s, as seemingly eternal (or is that undead?) as Dracula himself, Numbers also hosts local necromancers Underworld's monthly bash, and live music from synth-pop to rap several times a month. (Depeche Mode and Erasure co-founder Vince Clarke was a recent visitor.) This coming Thursday, look for a DJ set from Glasnost, 2011 Houston Press Music Award winner for Best Electronic Act, and then the Houston Burlesque Revue on February 15. 300 Westheimer, 713-526-6551, www.numbersnightclub.com