Out the sun: Florida's top 10 gay beach

Contents:

• THE BT GAY CLUBS MIAMI FOR A NIGHT OUT WH THE BOYS
• OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA’S TOP 10 GAY BEACH
• GAY LOS CABOS & CABO SAN LUS TRAVEL GUI
• 10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD
• THE BT GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH ST. PETE/CLEARWATER
• THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
• OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA'S TOP 10 GAY BEACH
• SANTA MONI AND VENICE BEACH GAY GUI
• BT GAY BEACH DTATNS
• GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI
• THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW
• DIPLOMATIC TENSN REPORTEDLY RISG BETWEEN UNED STAT AND JAMAI OVER GAY AMERIN DIPLOMAT
• WHERE ARE THE NEW JERSEY GAY BEACH?

THE BT GAY CLUBS MIAMI FOR A NIGHT OUT WH THE BOYS

Once home to a rabow of LGBTQ-iendly loung, bars and clubs, many of Miami’s most pendable gay clubs like Magnum, Mova and Sre are sadly no more. We might be experiencg an extend drought of gay clubs and bars Miami, but there’s plenty of actn to be had if you know where to fd . The most popular gay beach Miami is mostly a hangout for men, but you’ll also fd lbians and straights soakg up the sun wh lols.

At 2½ long, Smathers is big pared to other beach on this ty island of Key Wt, one of the natn’s top statns for gay travelers. The most popular gay beach  Fort Lrdale is across the street om the Rz-Carlton and wh blocks of some of the cy’s gay rorts and gutho. Pete Beach, the breathtakg, stic North Beach area of this unty park has a northern expanse near the end of the island where gays and lbians ngregate.

There’s an unofficial gay meet-up at Guana’s first beach accs pot, reached by a boardwalk that wds down a 40-foot-tall dune system to a priste stretch of seclud sand. Pensala Beach cy near the Alabama borr may not seem like the most gay-iendly spot, but ’s been a beach getaway for LGBTQ folks om the South for a long time, particularly for Gay Memorial Day Weekend, which started rmally the 1980s and has grown to a huge gatherg, drawg thoands to late-night circu parti wh well-known profsnal DJs and rmal tent parti on the beach. About 20 mut north of South Beach, Hlover Park Beach is one of the bt-known clothg-optnal beach Florida and ’s gay-iendly.

OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA’S TOP 10 GAY BEACH

Only the north part of the 1½-e priste, whe stretch of sand at this gay beach the Miami area is legated for urban nu sunbathers. Stonewall Beach, a swath of sand near the Pompano Beach pier, was unoffilly named by lol gay rints on the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Rts, a seri of spontaneo monstratns followg police raids New York's Greewich Village 1969.

GAY LOS CABOS & CABO SAN LUS TRAVEL GUI

An inic gay beach statn sce the 1970s, Fire Island is 5 kilometers off the ast of Long Island, New York, and pris a dozen beachsi muni.

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.

This town has a number of fay-iendly plac, such as CAMP Rehoboth, a full-service gay and lbian muny center that aniz summer events for all ag. 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.

10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD

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. This part of the beach is loud and proud, filled wh gay-iendly rtrants and bars that will tempt you to stay out all night. A beloved retreat of celebri, Wt Coast lumari, and the fashnable set, Los Cabos is a stylish gay-iendly pe at the Baja Pennsula's tip spread over two astal towns Baja California Sur, Mexi: Cabo San Lus and San Jose l Cabo.

In recent years, many gays travelg to Mexi have been drawn away om some of the more popular statns nearby, like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, favor of Los Cabos. The sophistited beach rort culture and the diversy of activi have ntued to draw gay travelers who feel right at home here. Some are temporarily closed, so check before you go, but here are a few gay-iendly bars to check out: Azul, Candil, Barr, Humo, La Revolución, Abolengo, Agua Salada, and Mixology.

THE BT GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH ST. PETE/CLEARWATER

As the only gay bar town, this spot is host to the ln’s share of the LGBT party, and s events clu theme nights, drag shows, and DJ sets. And while there are gay-iendly seasis all across the globe, several rise to the top—whether bee of their sheer bety, their unique character or the crowd they draw. Fort Lrdale has eclipsed Miami as Florida's go-to gay statn and Sebastian Street Beach, between Sunrise Boulevard and Las Olas Boulevard, fely fli the rabow flag.

Mostly popular wh men, 's close to the bars, rtrants and nightclubs of Wilton Manors, as well as a plethora of gay hotels and rorts. Lovgly nicknamed "Gger Rogers Beach, " the sizable sectn of beachont near lifeguard tower 18 Pacific Palisas is one of the most famo gay beach the U. Even when 's not Carnaval, "Farme Gay, " to the east of Rua Farme Amoedo, is the loc of gay life R—and a great place to ogle the mcular "Barbi" who sashay between Posto (guard tower) 8 and 9, next to the gay-iendly Ipanema Plaza 9pm, the actn mov to the half-dozen gay bars and clubs the area.

) The peak season, though, ns om early July to early fd the gay sectn of the beach, follow the crowds of buff hombr to the third beach zone, right near Hotel Calipolis. Playa Los Muertos, Puerta Vallarta's gay beach, was origally a cemetery before the cy moved the grav and veloped the area as a beach attractn. You might even spy a school of dolphs and the sun go down, head to one of the nightclubs jt steps away Zona Romanti, Puerto Vallarta's gayborhood.

THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS

Although urban statns tend to be most popular wh gay travelers bee of their rich cultural offergs, vibrant nightlife districts, and chic shoppg and dg, a number of the world's most gay-popular ci also enjoy picturque settgs on the water. From megaci wh skyscrapers on the ocean to relatively smaller statns on tranquil bays and lak, here's a ndown of the world's 20 bt gay urban beach statns (populatn 150, 000 or greater). Wh outstandg mms, distctive archecture (cludg several treasur by Antoni Gdi) a lively gay nightlife scene centered mostly around the sophistited Eixample district, and an abundance of stylish rtrants and hotels, Barcelona is a terrific statn for urban, yet there's a sweepg and betiful gay beach, Barceloa, jt mut om the cy center.

Wh cy lims, the bbltone streets of De Waterkant district are led wh gay-popular bs, cludg several fun bars and rtrants. It's jt a short drive south along the ast to vis some of the Southern Hemisphere's most betiful beach, cludg swank Camp Bay, which li the shadows of the Twelve Apostle mountas, and Clifton, which has a scene-y gay beach. Near the cy's uber-gay Boystown, also known as Lakeview, the GLBT set nverged for many years at Belmont Rocks, an area that no longer exists.

OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA'S TOP 10 GAY BEACH

And as 's set on the eastern shore of Zealand Island, on Ørund (a stra that divis the North and Baltic seas), Copenhagen is close to a number of priste, wdswept stretch of sand, cludg such gay hangouts as Bellevue and Ishøj beach. Back the betiful cy center, you'll fd gay bars, snas, clubs, and shops all a pact and walkable area - many are along Studitræ. For many years known primarily as Florida's "sprg break" pal, Fort Lrdale began an amb transformatn to a more sophistited rort statn startg around the early 1990s, which cid wh efforts to urt gay and lbian travelers.

Sce that time, more than a dozen gay men's rorts have opened wh a few blocks of the cy's betiful oceanont beach, as have several luxury high-rise hotels. Fort Lrdale is also close enough to Miami and Palm Beach for quick viss to eher place, makg an ial base for a sunny and relaxg gay vatn. 5 ln rints—prisg the Kowloon Pensula, New Terrori, and Hong Kong Island—is neverthels que forward wh regard to gay and lbian issu when you nsir the regn as a whole.

Travel a b farther afield, and you'll fd several betiful beach wh gay prenc, among them Gold Coast Beach and Middle Bay. And the pal cy of Honolulu, wh s vibrant though rather heavily veloped Waikiki beachont, ntas the heart of the state's gay scene. This dramatilly suated cy on the island of Oahu has several gay bars, a great dg scene, and proximy to many notable attractns, om Queen's Surf gay beach to Pearl Harbor.

SANTA MONI AND VENICE BEACH GAY GUI

One of the world's leadg gay and lbian statns, Los Angel is much more than a sgle metropolis - rather, 's an entire llectn of both sprawlg and many s scenic neighborhoods and adjacent ci. Here and funky Venice Beach, to the south, you'll fd que a few rtrants, hotels, and bars wh a mixed gay/straight followg, along wh one of the Wt's classic gay dive bars, Roosterfish.

The cy is pecially popular as a gay statn durg Midsumma Ftival, a three-week LGBT arts and cultural ftival held om mid-January through early Febary. The regn has been eclipsed by nearby Fort Lrdale recent year's as the state's top gay statn, but you'll still fd plenty of gays and lbians livg and playg the parts - and visg durg the several big gay circu parti held South Beach each year, om Wter Party to Whe Party to Miami Gay Pri.

In Miami Beach, you'll fd a pair of betiful and popular gay beach, cludg 12th Street Beach South Beach, and Hlover Beach farther north. The largt cy on the famoly swank and sophistited French Riviera, Nice (populatn 350, 000) is not que a gay playground on the same plane as such Euro-queer hot spots as Ibiza and Mykonos, but this stylish cy wh an outstandg variety of tony rtrants and shops do have a growg gay prence (this is also te, by the way, of nearby Cann, which is smaller but also is beg creasgly popular wh gay travelers). You'll fd gay bars, snas, and f mostly or Old Town, and along the curvg wateront gg the Mederranean, rabow flags note a gay prence at Co Beach as well as at Castel Plage.

BT GAY BEACH DTATNS

S., and Canada, the romantic Mexin Riviera rort of Puerto Vallarta mak for an approachable, relatively affordable, and fectly fun and lively gay getaway om late fall through early sprg ( quiets down here nsirably durg the hot summer months). The gay scene here has grown steadily over the past uple of s, wh the most popular GLBT beach and several welg hotels, rtrants, and bars centered upon the charmg and historic Zona Romanti district. R Janeiro jtly renowned for s sugary beach, and a party-driven, ftive gay scene that's ncentrated chiefly around trendy Ipanema and the more touristy Copabana areas, both of which ont the ocean and are ial for glazg, joggg, or playg the sun and sea.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

Ipanema, wh s lonial-style buildgs and tree-led streets, is pecially charmg; you'll fd a number of LGBT-popular f and bars around here, as well as a stunng gay beach jt off Rua Farme Amoedo.

THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW

One of the regn's most betiful beach, Fort Doto County Park, has a b of a gay followg, and there's also a great gay beach at Treasure Island, lled Sunset Beach. Petersburg Gay Pri, the largt the state, the area is home to a diverse mix of gay-iendly lodgg choic, om grand hotels to elegant bed-and-breakfasts pl Florida's largt gay rort. The cy's btlg Hillcrt neighborhood is a hub of gay nightlife and retail, and you'll also fd plenty of GLBT-equented bs nearby North Park and Universy Heights.

DIPLOMATIC TENSN REPORTEDLY RISG BETWEEN UNED STAT AND JAMAI OVER GAY AMERIN DIPLOMAT

Head for the oceanont muni of Pacific Beach and La Jolla, and you'll disver a geo stretch of gold-sand beach, wh the gay-popular Black's Beach among the most spectacular. San Diego also has a rich cultural scene downtown, ol rtrants and slick hotels the Gaslamp Quarter, and outstandg mms and attractns leafy Balboa Park, home to the San Diego Gay Pri ftival each July. Among the top 10 largt ci the Caribbean, sunny and vibrant San Juan (metro populatn 2 ln) has the bt gay scene and most welg attu toward GLBT travelers.

Commonwealth of Puerto Ri has betiful beach, pecially the Condado District, which has many of the cy's gay bars and acmodatns. One great approach to visg here is to be your trip wh a few days on Puerto Ri's gay-popular rort island of Viequ, which is a short flight.

WHERE ARE THE NEW JERSEY GAY BEACH?

Arguably the gay epicenter of the Southern Hemisphere, scenic Sydney is a major bs and cultural center that jt happens to be flanked by some of the world's most geo beach. Sydney's gay scene is foced tradnally around Oxford Street, a 20-mute walk om the much-photographed Inner Harbour and Sydney Opera Hoe, but nearby ner suburbs like Newtown, Erskeville, and Glebe have sizable LGBT populatns and many mixed bars and rtrants. Israel's send-largt cy after Jesalem, the Mederranean-ged metropolis of Tel Aviv (populatn 400, 000) is also among the most secular and gay-iendly municipali Israel.