San Diego's Gay Bar History | KPBS Public Media

Contents:

• GAY NIGHTLIFE SAN DIEGO: BARS, CLUBS, & MORE
• THE 5 BEST SAN DIEGO GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SAN DIEGO
• GAY SAN DIEGO TRAVEL GUI
• SAN DIEGO GAY GUI AND PHOTO GALLERY - HILLCRT GAY GUI
•  CALIFORNIA LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS
• SAN DIEGO'S GAY BAR HISTORY
• MOVG TO LGBT SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!
• SAN DIEGO’S GAY BAR HISTORY: REFLECTNS ON COMMUNY HISTORY AND THE DOCUMENTARY FILM PROCS
• SAN DIEGO GAY MAP
• THE 5 BEST SAN DIEGO GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS SAN DIEGO
• SAN DIEGO GAY SNAS
• GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS SAN DIEGO

GAY NIGHTLIFE SAN DIEGO: BARS, CLUBS, & MORE

Consired the world's first and only gay-owned brewery, 's a great spot to grab a pizza or two and make iends at a munal table, while enjoyg the many beers on tap. Wh ep red walls and chanliers, SRO Lounge is a legendary gay bar that livers a glam but laid-back vibe.

The San Diego gay nightlife scene manag that rare balance between beg remarkably iendly and also rife wh betiful people—'s pretty much a reflectn of this sunny Southern California cy. Gay bars have also been pretty stable here over the years, wh the most popular hangouts gog strong for a uple of s.

THE 5 BEST SAN DIEGO GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SAN DIEGO

Most gay bars are the trendy Hillcrt neighborhood, jt northeast of Balboa Park and a short drive or b ri om downtown.

Flicks: Along a strip of gay-oriented bs, Flicks gay vio bar has long been a hub of schmoozg and socializg. Martis Above Fourth: San Diego's favore gay baret, Martis featur some tremendoly talented performers—not jt piano and sgg, but edy, magic, and more.

GAY SAN DIEGO TRAVEL GUI

Number One Fifth Avenue: A great all-around neighborhood gay bar, balanc an timate ambiance and iendly atmosphere whout the tired, divey feel that sometim domat smaller loung. Park & Rec: Set the space formerly occupied by the popular gay bar Bourbon Street, this is an expansive nightspot and rtrant that still draws plenty of LGBT folks and open-md revelers. SRO Lounge: Known for s great jebox, long history the neighborhood, and a lotn that's much closer to downtown than the gay bars Hillcrt, the SRO has a strong followg among drag queens and their fans, but all kds tend to drop by here, albe not necsarily large numbers.

Borr at the southern end of metro San Diego, the sprawlg cy of Tijuana, you'll fd several gay bars one. Rich's: As San Diego's five gay warehoe-style dis, this club offers a good-sized space wh an dtrial, circu-style vibe, and mic supplied by some of Southern California's most illtr DJs. The Brass Rail: The longt-nng gay bar San Diego, the Brass Rail serv cred for always fdg new ways to revent self for the current tim.

Overall, San Diego is a welg and open-md cy, but you'll fd the heart of the cy's gay nightlife scene Hillcrt specifilly. 9 plac sorted by traveler favorGay Bars • Dance Clubs & DissGay Bars • Dance Clubs & DissWhat travelers are saygDoug MCalgary, Canada579 ntributnsWish we had found Mo’s earlier our trip. "The birthplace of California, " Gay San Diego is the first lotn European explorers land when visg the Wt Coast for the first time.

SAN DIEGO GAY GUI AND PHOTO GALLERY - HILLCRT GAY GUI

Beg the send-largt cy California means Gay San Diego is no stranger to diversy, and gays here are weled wh open arms. They tend to ncentrate the gayborhood of Hillcrt, where there are proment bars and rtrants that gays equently attend. There are several gay bars outsi of Hillcrt even, wh The Hole Pot Loma and Bourbon Street Pub and Grill beg notable.

 CALIFORNIA LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS

There's also a proment gay beach Gay San Diego, or at least the gays have claimed the nu beach as their own.

No matter what, if you love food as much as we do, you'll be very happy wh all the gay-iendly rtrants  San Diego. Sunny and spectacularly suated San Diego is one of the great playgrounds of the Wt among gay and lbian travelers. The cy's once-staid downtown now abounds wh hip hotels and lively rtrants, while such gay-iendly neighborhoods as Hillcrt, North Park, and Universy Heights are hot spots for gay clubbg and bar-hoppg, dg, and shoppg.

SAN DIEGO'S GAY BAR HISTORY

Although San Diego has bee creasgly eclectic terms of where gays and lbians live and socialize, the heart of the GLBT scene still centers on the btlg Hillcrt neighborhood, which is jt a few blocks northwt of Balboa Park, and a 10-mute drive north of downtown. Many of the cy's gay bars, as well as gay-popular rtrants and shops, are Hillcrt, generally along Universy Avenue as well as tersectg 4th and 5th avenu. Jt northeast and east of Hillcrt lie two more San Diego neighborhoods wh strong gay and lbian followgs, Universy Heights and North Park.

Wh Hillcrt to the wt, North Park is one of San Diego's most diverse - and que gay-popular - neighborhoods. North Park has a handful of gay bars, and many of the shops, ffeeho, and rtrants this neighborhood have a sizable GLBT followg. The Mgei, as well as the park's other key mms, are jt around the rner om San Diego's most gay-popular neighborhood, Hillcrt - fact, 's only about a 15- to 20-mute walk and a que pleasant one at that.

As you drive to the parkg area for San Diego's gay-popular Blacks Beach (jt north of La Jolla), you'll pass the Torrey P Glirport (858-452-9858), om which hang glirs and paraglirs part throughout the day. One of the natn's inic nu beach, San Diego's majtilly suated Black's Beach is also a favore hangout of gay men and lbians - clothed, partially clothed, sntily clothed, unclothed, and all permutatns thereof. Y, lots of warngs and preutns here (jt to be on the safe si), but this is a splendid spot for beach lovers, naturists, and gay folks jt wantg to be themselv out the sun.

MOVG TO LGBT SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!

One of San Diego's most gay-popular neighborhoods outsi of Hillcrt, Universy Heights is an attractive, mostly rintial area jt north of Hillcrt and wt of Normal Heights, on a bluff above and jt south of Missn Valley. Park Boulevard has an creasgly trendy mix of rtrants, f, and shops, pl the highly popular gay bar, Bourbon Street, and the GLBT-oriented pennt performance space, the Diversnary Theatre (the natn's third-olst queer stage).

SAN DIEGO’S GAY BAR HISTORY: REFLECTNS ON COMMUNY HISTORY AND THE DOCUMENTARY FILM PROCS

On KPBS TV / Stream now wh the PBS AppSce WWII, no ls than 135 gay bars have operated San Diego, and provid sanctuary for GLBT people to disver themselv and form muny. “San Diego's Gay Bar History” exam the rol bars have played across three major time perds: after WWII until the birth of the morn gay rights movement 1969; durg the 1970s and until the onset of HIV 1981; durg the AIDS epimic (1981-1995), and beyond.

Through archival photographs, historic footage, and terviews wh bar owners, bartenrs and proment muny members, this documentary provis a glimpse to the rich history of San Diego's gay history and culture. Stream your favore PBS shows, create the perfect watchlist, nnect wh your lol statn, and more — anywhere you The Conversatn: "San Diego's Gay Bar History" is on Facebook. LGBTQ visors and lols flock to clothg-optnal Black's Beach, one's the world's most betiful gay beach, for swimmg, surfg and strollg along the sand.

SAN DIEGO GAY MAP

The Rail which is nsired San Diego’s first gay bar havg opened for bs the 1930s Downtown’s historic Orphm Theatre buildg but reloted to Hillcrt the early 60s. Today, the rail is still a landmark statn on the San Diego gay scene known for s popular lounge-style atmosphere, post-Prohibn-era dér, artisanal cktails, and vg door\outdoor pat areas. Urban MO’s Bar & Grill is a hetero-iendly gay rtrant San Diego servg magnificent burgers, fun strong cktails and has one of the bt Happy Hours Hillcrt.

Hillcrt Brewg Company is a gay brewery, this LGBTQ hangout brags of s fabulo pts, growlers & kegs of hoe-brewed beer. Loted jt to the east of the Hillcrt gaybourhood, wh an outdoor bar, chilled crowd, equent gay cise and bear nights. Flicks is one of the origal gay vio bars the Uned Stat where people of all ag and backgrounds n make new iends, play pool, jt hang out, have a drk, and have fun!

Havg be over for over 30 years and loted right the heart of San Diego’s gay district, offerg nightly events cludg karaoke, stunt night on Wedndays, go-go dancers and DJs on Thursday night and a sexy Saturday unrwear ntt. Popular wh an olr crowd, wh some of the iendlit bartenrs the San Diego gaybourhood who are always willg to chat. Redwg is possibly the bt dive bar North Park, this gay bar draws large crowds wh pool, darts and karaoke seven nights a week.

THE 5 BEST SAN DIEGO GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS SAN DIEGO

The Hole In The Wall is a gay-popular bar the quiet San Diego astal muny of Loma Portal where you n feel stantly at home, wh iendly staff and the largt outdoor smokg pat San Diego. Black’s Beach is the most popular San Diego gay beach loted a seclud sectn of beach beneath the bluffs of Torrey P, jt north of La Jolla.

Homosexual Activy – Legal but attus vary per stateAddicted ManSexy Men's WearBarcelona StyleBerl BarFetish Men's WearWhat's Your Fetish? LGBTQ+ visors and lols flock to clothg-optnal Black's Beach, one's the world's most betiful gay beach, for swimmg, surfg and strollg along the sand. There are also many opportuni for exercise and sports like Ameri's Ft Cy Softball League, San Diego's Varsy Gay League and iendly, non-petive volleyball gam stunng Balboa Park.

Wh 70 of betiful astle, and diverse terra, San Diego offers outdoor recreatn galore, om swimmg at one of the world's most betiful gay beach to kayakg along La Jolla Cove to Ameri's Ft Cy Softball League.

SAN DIEGO GAY SNAS

Y, jt like Portland, San Anton, Phoenix, and other fabuloly gay US ci, there is also an active LGBT scene here (if you know where to look), and this is somethg a gay realtor San Diego n help you navigate as you fd your new perfect home here.

GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS SAN DIEGO

While the queer muny is wele across the entire cy, the epicenter of LGBT life here is undoubtedly the Hillcrt gaybourhood fills wh farm-to-table eateri, trendy boutique stor, fabulo gay bars, what is que possibly the world’s only gay brewery, and a seemgly endls array of gay-orientated events. If you need a more night-life and travel-foced gui tailg all the LGBT clubs, parti, and more, check out our Gay San Diego Gui!

The Bt Gay Neighborhoods In San DiegoHillcrtNorth ParkNormal HeightsUniversy HeightsAnnual LGBT Events In San DiegoLGBTQ+ Communy Organizatns In San DiegoLGBT Owned Bs In San DiegoFal Thoughts On Movg To LGBTQ San DiegoFdg Gay Realtors In San Diego California. Knowg them advance will ensure that you arrive at your new home the most sued gay-iendly area of town. Start wh the top gay and LGBT-iendly San Diego muni to fd your fabuloly perfect new home, each wh s own dividual personaly, welg muny, and ameni you’ll adore.