October Nightlife: Rio Grande Valley, TX

Welcome to Nightlife Insider, a new monthly feature where PlanetOut.com readers submit their Top 5 picks of cool things happening in their neck of the woods.  See bottom for details on how you can become an Nightlife Insider!

Below are Shannon's October picks for Rio Grande Valley, TX

by Shannon Simpson
gay.com Buckeye1972

EVENTS

Splash "White Party"

1st -4th ~ Global Groove & The Upper Deck bring you THE biggest pride event on South Padre Island, October 1st -4th. Where else can you can you catch Britney AND Madonna on the same weekend with a few thousand other hot guys ringing out the last days of summer in South Texas? Britney (performed by Derrick Barry) is back by popular demand at Mooncusser's on Friday the 2nd and Madonna (performed by Chris America) takes stage at Louie's on Saturday the 3rd. I've been told Saturday is the big night but this looks like two big nights. Get your reservations at the largest gay resort in South Texas - The Upper Deck, who we owe this bi-annual event to, get your shop on for some crazy whites and see you at the island the first weekend of October!
http://www.upperdeckhotel.com/sitepages/pid35.php and http://splashsouthpadre.com

October Nightlife: Denver, CO

Welcome to Nightlife Insider, a new monthly feature where PlanetOut.com readers submit their Top 5 picks of cool things happening in their neck of the woods.  See bottom for details on how you can become an Nightlife Insider!

Below are Jim's October picks for Denver, Colorado.

by Jim Guttau
gay.com Xavier_Jagger
www.guttaupr.com

Mountain Excursion

Manitou Springs

Located in a "box" canyon at the base of Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs became famous in the late 1800s for the health benefits of the famous waters that are contained deep underground. Several of the grand hotels built in that era still stand, like the regal Barker House.

On a recent visit, my family and I chose two bed and breakfast inns-The Avenue Hotel and Eastholme in the Rockies. The Avenue Hotel, a boarding house built in 1886, is located in the heart of Manitou's historic district. Recently renovated back to its Victorian splendor, the B&B offers seven guest rooms. Another former boarding house built in 1885, Eastholme is a short drive away in the miniscule town of Cascade.

Hit the Roof: Top 5 Rooftop Bars

Originally published on OutTraveler.com
by Aefa Mulholland

Make the most of those last rays of summer by eking out the evenings at these first-rate open-air bars.

Sometimes having your head in the clouds is a good thing. For overseas sky sipping, we adore 64th-floor Sky Bar at restaurant Sirocco, on top of the Lebua Hotel, Bangkok -- at 65 stories above the chaotic streets below, it’s the rooftop bar with the most altitude; London’s 1.5-acre, Alhambra, English Woodland, and Tudor-themed Roof Gardens on chic Kensington High Street; and Sky Lounge, Hotel Continentale, Florence, which perches atop of the Medieval Torre de Consorti and overlooks the Ponte Vecchio and the river Arno. Nearer home, as summer canters to a close, we’re planning on topping off our night at one of our five favorite North American rooftop bars.