The LGBTQ Renaissance is blossomg unlikely statns all over the Uned Stat. See where you should be travelg wh our list of the 10 bt gaytn statns that jt might surprise you.
Contents:
- UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
- 40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS
- THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
- BT GAY BEACH DTATNS
- GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS
- 14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE
- THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
* best gay summer destinations *
’Outsirs may thk of the old Conferate pal as a cy stuck s ways, but ltle do they know that Richmond, Virgia is anythg “g out” 2014, Richmond has emerged as the gay pal of the South. The Milwkee Gay Arts Center offers one-of-a-kd LGBTQ productns, and Walker’s Pot is settg self up to be the next big most renowned “gay statns, ” Santa Fe, New Mexi don’t have a go-to district like L. S., but ’s also home to North Carola’s annual Pri Ftival and the state’s Gay & Lbian Film if that’s not enough for North Carola, head wt to Asheville and fd an LGBTQ bohemian paradise smacked the Smoki.
Lolly known as the San Francis of the regn, the gay cultural landspe is vibrant, and the drag scene is easily among the bt the natn–jt watch “Kgs, Queens, and In-Betweens” cy is also a risg fashn mec, hog the third most fashn signers the untry, along wh retail giants like L Brands, Exprs, Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fch.
” It mt be somethg the over 140 gay-owned bs, rangg om B&Bs to bars to art galleri to cuty ice cream shops, the small neighborg towns of Sgatuck and Douglas are home to the largt gay rort the Midwt–and thanks to lol protectn of genr inty and sexual orientatn, you’ll be hard-prsed to fd anti-LGBTQ attus here.
40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS
The bt gay statns the world acrdg to travelers. Disver each of the world’s top gay travel statns and why they’re so popular. * best gay summer destinations *
The cy created the first gay and lbian muny center the untry, and ’s Albany that was home to one of the earlit transgenr groups datg back to the cy may not have the crazy, never-endg nightlife of NYC, and may not have the sheer numbers of NYC, but, for general “Queer Life, ” Albany ranks seventh the untry–not to shabby for a cy overshadowed by the Big LGBT muny and the Mormon church hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye. Most of the cy’s excg gay nightlife is Le Marais, cludg the well-known Le Raidd, Everyone lov stoppg by Raidd for sexy “shower shows” where you n tch a ltle risqué performance. Rambunct drag bnch rtrants like Hamburger Mary’s, evengs dancg at The Abbey, and pesg quirky ems at gay shops like Block Party WeHo are all classic experienc for LGBT travelers.
An epic gay rort statn, Torremolos is popular wh Spaniards and other southern Europeans, but gay travelers om other areas of the world typilly often don’t even know about ! As travel on the high seas ntu to bounce back om the COVID-19 panmic, gay and lbian travelers should nsir settg sail on a fun-filled cise vatn as their next planng a cise, vatners should first nsir what their ial sailg looks like. Cisers should also thk about whether they'd like to travel aboard a gay-iendly mastream le, such as Celebry Cis or Virg Voyag, or opt for an all-gay, full-ship charter wh a third-party vatn pany.
This le gets the stamp of approval om prev LGBTQ cisers, who praise the ships' genr-ntral bathrooms, onboard shows wh rint drag queens and diverse Voyag offers gay-specific sailgs through travel pani like Atlantis Events, but s more mastream erari still offer a welg, clive atmosphere that attracts LGBTQ cisers year-round. For s all-gay cis, Atlantis charters megaships om popular l like Royal Caribbean Internatnal and Norwegian Cise Le, so cisers will have a fully immersive board, travelers n enjoy all the perks the megaships have to offer (thk: pools, hot tubs, sports urts and plenty of dg choic), pl special events like drag performanc, motivatnal speakers, LGBTQ movi on mand each b and high-energy circu parti across the ship. Celebry Cis(Courty of Celebry Cis)Celebry Cis sets the scene for an excellent vatn for gay travelers, om s extravagant annual Pri parti to s daily LGBTQ programmg throughout the year.
THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
The gay cis promise fun activi, excellent entertament and erari to tertg statns around the world. * best gay summer destinations *
Private travel pani like VACAYA also charter Celebry ships for all-gay voyag throughout the (Getty Imag)Specifilly marketed toward lbians and LGBTQ women, Olivia has hosted more than 350, 000 travelers by land and sea over almost five s. Outsi of the sailg experience, Royal Caribbean has also publicly mted to support the LGBTQ muny throughout the year, and was the first cise le to earn the tle "Gay Traveler Approved" om GayTravel 2023, nsir a Royal Caribbean voyage that sails to gay-iendly statns.
BT GAY BEACH DTATNS
Miami, Nice, Provcetown, R Janeiro and Fire Island are jt a few sizzlg, hot beach towns. Get our plete list of fun beach statns for gays and lbians. * best gay summer destinations *
]The Cise Wh La Demence(Courty of The Cise wh La Demence)Acrdg to past cisers, if you're lookg for one of the bt party scen on the open seas, nsir an all-gay cise wh La Demence. Prev cisers had high praise for the erari – which exclively vis gay-iendly lotns – as well as the uy cktails, themed nights (stum strongly enuraged), glamouro entertament, and unique events like drag bgo and high heel Demence sails every summer to statns like Rome; Athens and Mykonos, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and more.
For a wild time off the beaten path, Piñata PV Gay Hotel offers stic charm and clothg optnal pool Cy ns a close send, particularly for the electric gay nightlife loted at the heart of the cy Zona Rosa, the area’s official gayborhood (which also has some of the bt shoppg). Durg the day, you n take the sights via an all-gay tour of the pal cy and surroundg areas () — highlights clu Frida Kahlo’s “Blue Hoe, ” Chapultepec Castle, and nearby Teotihuan.
See the famed Oxford Street gay district wh a private tour om The Fabulo Wonr Mama (@thefabulowonrmama), a wealth of knowledge and humor who also posss some of the biggt peaks this si of the Grand Beach is perfect for workg on your tan or takg a surfg lson. Queer visors should head to Ibiza Town’s gay neighborhood, Calle la Virgen, wh s terraced rtrants and gay bars ial for fun tim, people watchg, and cisg for you’d rather not party like Paris Hilton but prefer to relax luxury and relative solu, leave behd Ibiza Town and head north to the Six Sens Rort. Condado Beach is San Juan’s top spot to experience Puerto Ri’s gay scene, and for a ep dive to the surroundg culture, there are no better acmodatns than those at La Concha Renaissance Rort.
GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS
Fd the bt Gay Travel tours wh TourRadar. Choose om 19 tours (wh reviews). Book now and save wh ! * best gay summer destinations *
Quick beach accs, two hwater pools, and plimentary breakfast are jt a few of the perks awag guts at Sand Castle on the Beach, a charmg gay-owned abo found on the island of St. Jt 90 mut outsi of the natn’s pal, the gay-owned Inn at Ltle Washgton has hosted Capol Hill’s most prtig policians sce s lnch 1978 — and all tak is one be to unrstand what keeps the dignari g back year after year. One of Utah’s most gay-iendly statns, Park Cy is known as the home of the Sundance Film Ftival, but this star-studd event is far om the only attractn that keeps tourists flowg .
14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE
Lookg for the bt gay-iendly ci to vis? We asked the top LGBT travel bloggers om around to world to remend their favoure statns * best gay summer destinations *
It’s gag a reputatn as a gay party town wh Las Vegas-style drag shows, techno nightclubs, and beachsi pal of Jalis, Guadalajara, is often lled the “Gay Capal of Mexi” due to s embrace of the queer muny. Also worth a vis is the Royal Botanil Garns, the gay Oxford Street LGBTQ+ district, and the Sea Life Aquarium to observe Sphen and Magic (aka Sphengic), the world-famo gay pengu uple. Walk the cliffs outsi Bondi Beach and Manley, where at least 80 gay men were killed the latter portn of the last Queensland the Great Barrier Reef may be the most famo tourist statn, but the state is also home to Datree Rart.
The Gay Village’s Rue Sate-Cathere, be a walkg promena durg most summer months and the queers have bted out of the neighborhood, spillg to the surroundg historic district wh addnal LGBTQ-owned shops, spas, and the banks of the Great Lak, Toronto is said to hold the tle for the most diverse metropolis the world, where 230 natnali are reprented and the rints speak over 140 languag. Calgary is also known for s wboys, and the cy hosts the world’s largt gay roo associatn, so visors may be surprised at s metropolan neighborhoods and shocked ’s home to the biggt queer Canadian nightclub wt of Montreal, Twisted Element. There are two gayborhoods: Davie Village, wh a wi variety of gay bars, rtrants, and stor; and Commercial Drive (also lolly known as The Drive), home to a thrivg lbian muny.
THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
The largt Pri celebratn wtern Canada is held Vanuver every Your Se ArticlLGBTQ+ Travel Safety Inx: 150 Countri Ranked Worst to Bt ›The 10 Bt LGBTQ-Inclive Plac to Vis In 2022 ›Europe's 10 Most Romantic Capals Ranked ›What to Do In Alberta, Canada ›Joey Amato’s Gay Gui to South Ai ›. While plenty of rorts wele diverse travelers, some really roll out the rabow rpets—whether they’re part of a gay-iendly brand; home to an out-and-proud LGBTQ+ staff; or part of a fabulo statn. The brand is a Gold Global Partner of the Internatnal Gay & Lbian Travel Associatn (IGLTA), and has been honored for more than a as one of the HRC’s annually ranked Bt Plac to Work for LGBTQ+ Equaly.
Along wh Grand Palladium’s tramark ntemporary sign and range of on-se rtrants and entertament, gay and lbian guts n enjoy ameni like the Zentropia Spa & Wellns and s fully equipped gym, several pools and Jacuzzis, sports facili, and direct beach accs.
It’s one of only five untri to make queer rights equal at a nstutnal level and holds first place on ILGA-Europe’s Rabow Europe Inx, which ranks untri on LGBTQ+ my last vis, a gay gui showed me round the wdg medieval streets of Valletta and Rabat, potg out sential bars and rtrants om Michel-starred Noni to the Monaliza Lounge drag bar, as well as the nightclub Michelangelo lively Paceville. This spir filters down to Dubl’s many LGBTQ-iendly tablishments: two personal favour are iendly bnch spot Social Fabric Café Stoneybatter, one of the cy’s most tertg neighbourhoods, and Street 66 bar, a eful cktail spot before a night at inic LGBTQ+ stutn The southsi is gay-owned Gutter Bookshop (named after the famo Osr Wil quote), and the weekly “big gay dis” Sunday Social at Farrier & Draper; or cross the river for the Outhoe LGBTQ+ muny rource fe on Capel Street and PantiBar, owned by drag queen, activist and performer Panti Bliss. Enjoy bnch at Osr bar and fe, before a beer at one of Europe’s olst gay bars, Centralhjor, which hosts drag and Sunday jazz ssns venu clu Bøssehet Christiania, home to theatre, performanc, exhibns and parti – a well-suated boutique hotel is SP34 (doubl om £133) the Lat Quarter.