Fact: You don't need to go inside of any building to party this New Year's Eve on South Beach. You can get wild, weird, and wasted in the middle of Ocean Drive.
Another fact: You can't buy beer inside a store on South Beach after midnight. No matter what day of the year.
So if you wanna keep drinking after the fireworks explode, you're gonna need to go into a bar. A free one. That way, you'll have more money to drink.
Here are the top five South Beach bars with no cover on New Year's Eve 2012.
Their motto is "Daycare for drunks." Their hours are 2 p.m. till 5 a.m. from Monday through Sunday. They have a beer bong, a pool table, and a stripper pole. The place is about the size of two South Beach studio apartments, with five times as much liquor as the richest kid you knew growing up's parents. This rock 'n' roll surf dive is a great place to get wasted, and you might even run into Lebron James' mom having a cocktail.
4. Ted's Hideaway
This late-night hangout always brings in your favorite bartenders, service people, and probably valet drivers (hopefully after work). Their In-The-Biz New Year's Eve party goes till 7 a.m. There's no cover. And oh, the funny things that happen in the early morning there. Priceless.
This dark and smoky bar may be a chain. But there are only two other cities they serve -- NYC and Venice Beach. The South Beach outpost is an oasis overflowing with beer, sake, wine, and champagne. Go for the sexy noir aesthetics, lively barroom drone, and lithe bodies slinking through the night.
WTF is an Abraxas, you say? An ancient Greek term that was carved on rare gemstones used as charms. Even though they don't serve liquor here, this joint is still the place to go for choice brews by draft and bottle. There's also a nice wine selection, zero attitude, and some of SoBe's most comfortable neighborhood digs.
1. Purdy Lounge
So, this place is a little bit off the cut from South Beach, but barely. And if you wanna get wild in the bar across the street from Maurice Gibbs Memorial Park (yeah, the dude from the Bee Gees), this is the only place in the world to do it. Disco may be dead, but the party lives on. Happy New Year! And have an awesome 2012.
Honorable Mentions
- D'Vine Hookah Lounge - Get your Lincoln Road smoke on.
- Norman's American Bar and Grill - Stiff drinks, good food, two happy hours daily, just up the road on 67th and Collins.
- Liquor Lounge - Slingin' drinks till the early a.m., extended New Year's hours till 7 in the morning.
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