The Ultimate East Coast Gay Road Trip Gui - Thrillist

Contents:

• YOUR ULTIMATE EAST COAST GAY ROAD TRIP GUI
• UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
• NEW ENGLAND GAY WEEKEND GETAWAYS - BT WEEKEND TRIPS OM BOSTON
• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• BT GAY BEACH DTATNS
• GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS
• AFFORDABLE GAY VATN TOWNS
• 8 GAY-FRIENDLY DTATNS TO VIS THIS YEAR
• GAY FLORIDA TRAVEL GUI
• DISVER THE 10 BT GAY BEACH NORTH AMERI (AND WHERE TO STAY)

YOUR ULTIMATE EAST COAST GAY ROAD TRIP GUI

It’s really the bt of both worlds, meang you n kick off your road trip wh a round of pool at Blackston, the olst gay bar town, and follow wh chic cktails at Jewel Box, a sparkly cktail bar that seems perpetually drsed for prom — f wh twkly lights and pops of pk. Or there's always a chee tray and rosé all day at Rebel Rebel, a Bow Market we bar whose webse perfectly and proudly proclaims: “Leave your misogyny, your homophobia, your racism, your classism, your ableism, your patriarchy, your genr bias, and all your other bullsh at the door, 'e that sh will get you kicked out real quick. ”Pair queer history and happy hour New York CyHome to p gay bars, LGBTQIA-owned rtrants, queer galleri, and gayborhoods so wispread that the entire metropolis is one big rabow-hued blur, New York Cy is a mt-vis mec on any gay pilgrimage.

If you’re passg through and scratchg the surface, your queer agenda might clu a stop at SoHo’s Llie-Lohman Mm, a stimulatg showse for queer artists and blatantly gay artwork, while bnch uld clu New Mexin burros at queer-owned Ursula, a vibrant Brooklyn fe known for hostg queer bnch events.

UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

For an afternoon snack, satisfy your sweet tooth wh a key lime pie-spired mermaid sundae om Big Gay Ice Cream before takg some important history at the New York Cy AIDS Memorial and Stonewall Natnal Monument — the latter of which is a stone’s throw om Cubbyhole, a “straight-iendly” lbian bar wh a bang’ happy hour. While most of the cy is stnchly liberal and queer-iendly, a brief sojourn the Cy of Brotherly Love should foc on downtown’s gayt alve, where you n relax the six-acre Washgton Square Park or admire the magnolias on the lh grounds outsi the historic Pe Buildg.

When all that leisurely strollg has built up an appete, wd down at any number of Washgton Square Wt rtrants, like Double Knot for Japane small plat and cktails, or wood-oven pizza at LGBTQIA-owned outsi wh pri Richmond, VirgiaKeepg the theme of historic Amerin ci led wh brick buildgs and cute bbltone streets, Richmond is more of an unrrated gem — pecially as a gay statn.

NEW ENGLAND GAY WEEKEND GETAWAYS - BT WEEKEND TRIPS OM BOSTON

This is the kd of cy that offers somethg for everyone, be shoppg for rabow prts and lbian stickers at Lady Street Studs; drkg the history (and the Poe-spired cktails) at historic Ln Row Inn, a former Edgar Allen Poe hnt-turned-LGBTQIA-iendly mastay; eatg “Gay-Fil-A” chicken sandwich om Cobra Cabana, wh proceeds gog to support Virgia’s queer youth; or takg the outdoorsy route wh a tranquil hike on the Butterk Trail and a dip the Jam River. Nowadays, ’s home to gay-iendly hotels like the Raleigh Marrtt Cy Center, which offers Pri and Joy upl packag, and inic queer shops, like The Green Monkey, a quirky queer-owned store wh kschy war, beer on tap, and drag shows.

” Then dance off the pimiento wh a night unr the dis ball at Legends Nightclub, the cy’s olst gay dner a pk mansn Savannah, GeiaDraped Spanish moss and filled wh historic archecture, bbltone streets, and astal cuise, Savannah is a sgular Amerin cy oozg nate romance and charm. Along wh the larger Geian metropolis of Atlanta, this is a cy that’s been at the foreont of progrs and cln the Deep South, and while lacks the multu of gay bars found ATL (save for the mt-vis Club One), what you’ll fd is a more wispread and hive sense of warmth and wele. Orlando is the ultimate road trip stopover, wh endls gay-iendly thgs to do Disney World, a global pneer of clivy and merriment that’s been champng LGBTQIA+ rights for s by hostg events like Gay Days Orlando and overloadg s gift shops wh Pri merch.

Today, Orlando is filled wh gay bars and clubs for dancg — Southern Nights and SAVOY are star attractns — or you n keep quat wh a romantic scenic boat cise through Wter Park’s nals, and bnch at LGBTQIA-owned Se7en B where the pearl sugar waffl may not be Mickey-shaped, but they’re still Miami-style wh drag shows, art, and clubs1, 600 later, there’s no better place to p off an epic road trip than Miami, a verable Oz of gay bars and drag queens.

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

The Magic Cy, all s vibrant queerns and omniprent art, is the perfect end pot, and an ial settg which to ret and recharge — assumg your method of rettg volv over-the-top drag bnch, pool parti, and gay nightclubs that stay pumpg until 5 am. For somethg a b lmer, Miami’s sheer size ensur you’ll fd fort and cln anywhere, om the queer artist murals at Wynwood Walls to the immersive and lorful photo ops at Superblue and the Lat beats at gay nightclub Azur near Coral Gabl. ’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. 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. 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.

BT GAY BEACH DTATNS

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. Sun-seekers who head to the longtime LGBT muny of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, n expect to mgle on the shor of gay-iendly Poodle Beach wh olr lol rints and vatng cy folks om Philalphia, Pennsylvania (207 kilometers), and Washgton, D.

LGBT-owned bs have thrived here for s, particularly the gay nightlife the Broadway Corridor Alamos Beach, which clus venu like Mhaft, a pub for the jeans and leather crowd, and Paradise, a piano bar and eatery. Follow the rabow flags by the lifeguard towers surfsi at the foot of 12th Street to fd the epicenter of gay-iendly Miami Beach, Florida, 4 kilometers off the maland of Miami, Florida. Polilly progrsive Boston is not only the pal of the first state that legalized gay marriage, 's also wh a three-hour drive of untls gay-iendly rorts and vatn statns, om the soarg mountatops of Vermont and New Hampshire to the charmg astal hamlets of and Rho Island - and don't fet other ol getaways elsewhere Massachetts, om the Cape to the Berkshir.

A center of tn, the arts, and progrsive polics central-wtern Massachetts, btlg and relatively affordable Northampton anchors the leafy Pneer Valley, which extends om Connecticut to the state's tri-borr wh Vermont and New Hampshire and tak a seri of lovely towns (Greenfield, Deerfield, Amherst) and one hardscrabble cy wh some excellent mms and a b of gay nightlife, Sprgfield. Province is an important center of tn (home to Brown Universy, Rho Island School of Dign, and Johnson & Wal Universy among others), and this part acunts for the sizable, and visible, gay populatn. Although s at the allurgly remote tip of Cape Cod, the world-famo gay rort town of Provcetown is relatively easy to reach om Boston, eher by r year-round or via high-speed ferry om sprg through fall.

GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS

This historic fishg village (the Pilgrims stopped here 1620) veloped a Bohemian followg as a lony of artists and theater buffs toward the end of the 19th century and has been a favore statn among lbians and gays ever sce. This largely ral, environmentally nsc state was the first the untry to pass gay civil unn legislatn (full gay marriage rights has sce followed), and GLBT travelers will enunter warm hospaly throughout the regn.

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. 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.

AFFORDABLE GAY VATN TOWNS

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. 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.

Also loted here is a great rtrant and bar (really the only rtrant and bar) lled Chirgay where you n enjoy an credible va sangria while takg the geo views of all the guys tanng on the beach.

8 GAY-FRIENDLY DTATNS TO VIS THIS YEAR

In the summer months, the gays go shg to this seasi town jt outsi of Málaga to layout and soak up the sun, pecially durg their annual events like Torremolos Pri, Mad Bear Beach Weekend, Delice Dream and Wonr Beach Ftival.

GAY FLORIDA TRAVEL GUI

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). 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.

DISVER THE 10 BT GAY BEACH NORTH AMERI (AND WHERE TO STAY)

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. You might be surprised to disver one of the Heartland's favore small-town gay getaways the heart of the Ozarks, closer to fay-valu-domant Branson than to any major ci wh a sizable gay populatn and three LGBT Diversy weekends each year.

This dapper ltle village of about 1, 200 is home to an acclaimed summer theater and first-rate art mm, abounds wh gay-owned acmodatns, ftive lobster shacks, and tasteful shops and boutiqu, and ntas 3. This temperate regn known for s natural scenery has s share of rzy plac to stay and eat, but fear not: you'll fd plenty of budget-iendly lodggs and cheap down-home rtrants, anic ffeeho, arts and crafts galleri, expensive die shops, and quirky gay bars.

A great way to experience this is by stayg a vtage n, such as Carola B&B or the gay-owned North Lodge on Oakland, a stately 1904 stone hoe that offers plenty of perks (-room DVD players, Wi-Fi, rob) at reasonable rat. Compared wh other gay-popular vatn spots the Northeast, sophistited but laid-back New Hope and s appealg New Jersey neighbor Lambertville are ls plac to see and be seen and more rtful, romantic, and reasonably priced weekend hiouts for upl.