How you like to party depends on what you’re into. A D&D geek would probably prefer to avoid a biker bash. A Motown connoisseur won’t want anything to do with a hillbilly hoedown. With that in mind, we’ve broken down 10 of the best local New Year’s Eve parties by personality types. Which are you? Let us count down the ways.

10. The Aesthete

If sitting in a smoky bar drinking domestic beer and listening to covers of .38 Special and Bob Seger isn’t your cup of tea (which you always drink with pinky aloft, thank you very much), then New Year’s Eve at Chateau Thomas Winery in Plainfield may be more in tune with your taste.

The evening will begin with a luminaria walk to the Chateau Wine Cellar, where a specially blended wine will be chosen for guests. Then, a bagpiper will serenade you on the walk to the dinner. Afterward, the Max Allen band will present tasteful re-creations of classic rock and pop standards. At night’s end, retire to your room at the nearby Staybridge Inn or the Holiday Inn Express.

Details: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., Chateau Thomas Winery, 6291 Cambridge Way, Plainfield. Packages start at $315 per couple; reservations required. (317) 837-9463.

9. The History Buff

What better place to celebrate the passage of time than at a place that has stood the test of it? Indianapolis denizens have been carousing and carrying on at 372 S. Meridian since 1850. The Slippery Noodle Inn is even listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has been known by different names over the years — the Tremont House, the Concordia House, the Germania House — but its status as a party place has never changed.

On New Year’s Eve, the cavernous Noodle naturally features blues music (W.T. Feaster Band in the front room; the Alex Wilson Band in the back), as well as a buffet dinner and a split of champagne.

Details: 7 to 10 p.m., Slippery Noodle Inn, 327 S. Meridian St., $280 per four-person table; reservations required. (317) 631-6974.

8. The Gold Digger

Now we’re not saying that everyone who attends the New Year’s Eve Diamond Dance is a gold digger. But at least a few will be attracted to the gleam of the diamond that will be given away to a lucky door-prize winner. Before the Diamond Dance (in the historic Grand Casino Ballroom on the fourth floor of the Walker building), smooth jazz star Brian Culbertson will give a concert in the Madame Walker Theatre. Culbertson’s funk-based compositions should be a good primer for the party that follows, where DJ Dangerous Derrick will provide the soundtrack to a diamond-studded evening.

Details: 7 p.m. concert, 9 p.m. dance, Madame Walker Theatre Center, 617 Indiana Ave., $35-$55/concert, $35/dance (or $60 per couple). (317) 236-2099.

7. The Proud Redneck

Ain’t nothin’ wrong with lettin’ it all hang out now and again. If you agree, then you’ll be right at home at the 8.Seconds Saloon New Year’s Bash. The package includes a catered dinner (buffet, of course), party favors and a midnight champagne toast. But the real draw is the Blue River Band, whose mission, according to the 8 Seconds Saloon Web site, “is to bring back the Old Outlaw Country sound.” So grease up your bottom half and slide into those two-sizes-too-small Wrangler jeans. But please, for the love of Toby Keith, leave your chaps at home.

Details: 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (dinner), 8 Seconds Saloon, 111 N. Lynhurst Drive, $35/dinner, $10/general admission. (317) 486-1569.

6. The ‘80s Lady

From 1988 to 1989, Indiana-born heartthrob Henry Lee Summer had four hits on the Billboard Hot 100. His biggest, “I Wish I Had A Girl,” still spins on classic rock stations.

Lately, the singer’s career has been quiet, to say the least. But ladies who still carry a torch for the ‘80s ladies’ man will rejoice as Summer takes the main stage at the New Year’s Eve Rock ‘N’ Roll Ball at the Hyatt Regency. Duke Tumatoe will co-headline, and other acts, including the Why Store and Healing Sixes will also perform.

Not into the music? Then go for the fantasy casino, the stand-up comedy and the city’s largest midnight balloon-drop.

Details: 8.p.m. to 2:30.a.m., Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, 1 S. Capitol Ave., $49/general admission, $79/VIP party package. Hotel room packages also available. (800) 233-1234, www.bigcreekevents.com.

5. The Overachieving Parent

Your kids love broccoli and always behave in supermarkets. You are the perfect parent. And true to form, you’re not getting a babysitter so you can party on New Year’s Eve. Instead, you’re looking for something wholesome, family-friendly and alcohol-free. Look no further than the family celebration at the Indiana State Museum. Held in the Governor O’Bannon Great Hall, it includes face-painting, magicians, clowns and a performance of “Peewinkle’s Christmas Puppet Show.” And don’t worry about the little ones getting to bed late — the celebratory balloon-drop commences at 8 p.m.

Details: 6:30 to 9 p.m., Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., $5/members, $10/nonmembers; reservations required. (317) 232-1637.

4. The Tin Pan Alley Cat

In keeping with its name, the Indiana History Center is hosting a New Year’s Eve Party that celebrates the life and works of one of the most luminous of all Indiana-born figures: Cole Porter. “Anything Goes: The Cole Porter Review” will take place in Eli Lilly Hall, which will become a 1940s nightclub where a band and an array of vocalists will bring Porter’s sophisticated, smooth-as-silk compositions to life.

Also, the Actors Theater of Indiana will present a cabaret show based on Porter’s life and music. Costumed servers will attend to guests, who will be treated to a midnight balloon-drop and complimentary champagne toast.

Details: 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., $135-$165 per person ($125-$145 for members); reservations required. (317) 232-1882.

3. The Ageless Punk Rocker

Punk rock — once the domain of angry, disaffected youth— is about 30 years old now. Where have all the old punks gone? In Indy, those who haven’t traded in their anarchist credo for a mortgage and a 401(k) can be found at the Melody Inn. A good deal of them will assuredly be there this New Year’s Eve, where Latex Novelties and Frankie Camaro’s Atomic Bombay will headline a multi-band bill for a special edition of the weekly Punk Rock Night. For $5, it’s one of the cheapest parties in town, and you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank on beers either — inexpensive domestic beer flows freely at the Melody.

Details: 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., Melody Inn, 3286 N. Illinois St., $5. (317) 923-4707.

2. The Patriot

Individuals inclined toward strong patriotic feelings will appreciate the opportunity to toast to our great nation during the military salute at Beef & Boards Dinner Theater. The salute will be just one element of a night filled with theatrical entertainment, including a live Nativity scene, music from B&B’s Dinner Theater Orchestra, dancing and a big-screen broadcast of the Times Square ball drop. And if you’re up for it, the theater will offer a breakfast buffet the following morning.

Details: 8 p.m., Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, 9301 Michigan Road, $72-$88. (317) 872-9644.

1. The Non-Conformist

If you’re not into the regimented package-deal thing, the gathering at Big Car Gallery in Fountain Square might be up your alley. A laid-back evening of music (some recorded, some possibly live), offbeat video projections and artsy activities, it promises to be a more intimate affair than your typical corporate-sponsored champagne jam. Drinks will be available (although they won’t be free like they often are at Big Car events) and finger foods will be served. Feel free to come no matter how old you are.

Details: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., Big Car Gallery, 1043 Virginia Ave., Suite 215, free, www.bigcar.org.

-By Matt Gonzales, Indy.com correspondent