Gay Santa Barbara: The Insi Sop on California's Off the Beaten Path We Country

Contents:

• GAY SANTA BARBARA TRAVEL GUI
• GAY NIGHTLIFE SANTA BARBARA
• THE CENTRAL COAST HAS A THRIVG LGBTQ MUNY, SO WHERE ARE ALL THE GAY BARS? 
• GAY-FRIENDLY RTRANTS SANTA BARBARA
• GAY SANTA BARBARA: THE INSI SOP ON CALIFORNIA’S OFF THE BEATEN PATH WE COUNTRY
• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS SANTA BARBARA
• ELSIE'S TAVERNSANTA BARBARAMENUHOTELSBARSDANCE CLUBSGAY MAPELSIE'S TAVERN
• WILDT LOUNGESANTA BARBARAMENUHOTELSBARSDANCE CLUBSGAY MAPWILDT LOUNGE
• GAY-FRIENDLY RTRANTS SANTA BARBARA
• M8RXSANTA BARBARAMENUHOTELSBARSDANCE CLUBSGAY MAPM8RX
• SANTA BARBARA GAY

GAY SANTA BARBARA TRAVEL GUI

Although the unty has a cent-size LGBT populatn, cludg famo rints and lbian-and-gay fav Ellen Degener, Portia De Rossi, Oprah Wey, John Travolta, Katy Perry, Fannie Flagg, there's not really a discernible gay "scene" here, and you're not gog to see the pronounced LGBT prence Santa Barbara rtrants, bars, and hotels that you will Wt Hollywood, Palm Sprgs, or even San Diego. There aren't any specifilly gay bars, but you'll see a smatterg of lbians and gay guys at most loung and dance clubs.

For a mil night out, check the schle of the Fratelli Men's Chos, a gay men's chos that performs throughout the year. Here's a look at some of the top bars (listed first) and also rtrants and f that are popular wh gay travelers to Santa Barbara and the surroundg We Country. For tips on where to stay town, check out the Santa Barbara Gay Hotels Gui, and for ias about the top attractns the regn, check out the Santa Barbara and We Country Gay Gui.

Although Santa Barbara hasn't had a full-time gay bar years, M8RX (409 State St., 805-957-4111) is a great club for dancg and partyg and very much a iend to the regn's LGBT muny. It's both a sponsor of the annual Santa Barbara Gay Pri ftival and an ocsnal host of Pri and other LGBT-related parti town. Elsie's is jt a short walk om Santa Barbara's most gay-popular hangout, the Wildt Lounge.

GAY NIGHTLIFE SANTA BARBARA

The most recent of Santa Barbara's gay bars closed a few years ago, but downtown's hip Wildt Lounge (15 W. Still, 's always very gay-iendly ('s a sponsor of Santa Barbara Pri), and the Wildt has a dance floor, lounge seatg, red walls, and top DJs and live bands, and a stellar cktail menu. Text 'GAYTRAVEL' to 1-800-GAY-TRAVEL (1-800-429-8728).

— Travel Guis wh a Gay Perspective.

THE CENTRAL COAST HAS A THRIVG LGBTQ MUNY, SO WHERE ARE ALL THE GAY BARS? 

Featured Gay Friendly Hotel Santa Barbara. Featured Gay Friendly Vatn Rentals Santa Barbara.

Gay Santa Barbara.

Red tiled roofs, Spanish Revival archecture, and a qutsential charm all ntribute to the character of the gay-iendly cy of Santa Barbara.

GAY-FRIENDLY RTRANTS SANTA BARBARA

Cy ordanc that rtrict drive-ths, billboards, and outdoor advertisg, among others, effectively ntribute to an air of affluence and exclivy that might make some gay visors feel like outsirs.

However there is a gay prence town, and you are able to walk down State Street holdg hands whout elicg gawks or disparagg language om the lols—you’re still southern California after all. Santa Barbara Gay Scene.

There is no fed gay neighborhood Santa Barbara, though there are tablishments that are gay-iendly. If you’re lookg to get to some hot gay nightlife, nsir takg the 90-mute drive south to Los Angel, where the gay scene really pops off. But even wh the limed optns for gay nightlife, the touristy nature of Santa Barbara mak a popular gay statn.

GAY SANTA BARBARA: THE INSI SOP ON CALIFORNIA’S OFF THE BEATEN PATH WE COUNTRY

There’s even a gay club town (Wildt Lounge), and though ’s only gay on Sunday nights, Katy Perry has been known to pop when she’s tourg the area.

The Pacific Pri Foundatn also hosts the annual Pacific Pri Ftival celebratn so there is a visible gay prence this classy, astal muny. There’s also an unofficial gay beach the area.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS SANTA BARBARA

Santa Barbara Gay-Friendly Dg.

Santa Barbara Gay-Friendly Bars & Nightlife.

While there aren't any exclively gay or lbian bars Santa Barbara, the town's most energetic nightlife tak place downtown and wh California's welg atmosphere, you'll sot gays and lbians at most loung, clubs, and bars regardls. The area is very welg and clive and there is a sizeable gay muny here.

ELSIE'S TAVERNSANTA BARBARAMENUHOTELSBARSDANCE CLUBSGAY MAPELSIE'S TAVERN

The bars you go to may not be exclively gay, but the mixed crowd fely won’t md two guys dancg together. The Pacific Pri Foundatn hosts a Pri event every July at a park next to Leadbetter beach, and they have even hosted a gay night at the lol zoo.

As a teen, Rory Uribe fantasized about gog to a gay bar or club and fally beg able to be unabashedly gay public. Click to enlarge Photo Courty Of Matthew Lalanne GAY CLUB ALCHEMISTS Daniel Gomez (left) and Frank Domguez (right) are known for turng typil bars to hugely succsful, LGBTQ-clive parti. So Uribe always thought the gay bars Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo unti would provi that much-need and missg support system and work.

"I've dreamed of gog to a gay bar sce I was like, 16, " Uribe told New Tim. The lack of LGBTQ-specific nightlife on the Central Coast is an issue much of the lol gay and trans muny is forced to work around.

WILDT LOUNGESANTA BARBARAMENUHOTELSBARSDANCE CLUBSGAY MAPWILDT LOUNGE

Santa Barbara's once thrivg gay club scene dwdled, and eventually pletely disappeared, as varyg sexual orientatns and genr inti beme more wily accepted and datg apps beme more readily available.

But 's left the Central Coast whout a gay bar reach—the neart (acrdg to mor and Google) are Ventura, Frno, and San Jose—and many lols say the safety gay bars and clubs provi is still very much need, pecially the more nservative portns of the state. Uribe, who is now a stunt at Allan Hanck College, fally ma their gay bar dream e te this sprg while visg a iend San Francis. Like so many other LGBTQ rints the area and across the natn, Uribe helped start an anizatn dited to givg gay, trans, and queer dividuals a safe space to meet up and build support systems.

GAY-FRIENDLY RTRANTS SANTA BARBARA

Uribe and other Hanck stunts revalized the school's long idle Queers and Alli Club last year, and the group regularly hosts meetgs, ffee meetups, and parti, which Uribe dubbed "gay bash. He wanted to spice thgs up by startg a group that would make easier for lol LGBTQ dividuals to meet, and was mullg over the ia one day when he walked to the now closed Metro Brewg Company San Luis Obispo and jt happened to spot two gay upl si.

"And I was like, 'Oh my god, is this a gay bar?

M8RXSANTA BARBARAMENUHOTELSBARSDANCE CLUBSGAY MAPM8RX

One bar owner told SLOQueerdos that he didn't want his tablishment to be known as a gay bar, Domguez said. Still, Domguez and his partner— bs and life—Daniel Gomez, who also -owns SLOQueerdos, agree that openg a gay bar on the Central Coast would be challengg. Rent is stly, liquor licens are hard to e by, and they qutned whether a gay bar SLO would have enough nsistent bs to stay open.

SANTA BARBARA GAY

While gay bars do provi LGBTQ muni wh sential social opportuni, Gomez said 's easier than ever to lk up through readily accsible onle datg apps like Tr and Grdr. I thk [onle datg] has a huge impact on the gay club scene.