Taking a somewhat softer approach for a gay weekend getaway, we travel to the artsy city of Sarasota, around an hour south of Tampa by car. Gain evermore insights into this gay paradise with our dedicated guide to Fort Lauderdale. At any other time of year, Fort Lauderdale remains active in gay rights awareness, being home to the Stonewall National Museum & Archives. Visit during the month of February to get involved with Fort Lauderdale Pride, where live music, dance and partying comes studded with LGBTQ+ activism. Besides the nightlife, the community at Wilton Manors is also a reason to stay, with more than 100 gay-owned businesses set up here, including a number of hotels and guesthouses. Stay centre-stage at the Ritz-Carlton or another of the best gay resorts in Florida to be close to the endless beach action, moving inland for sophisticated shopping and dining on Las Olas Boulevard or yachting through the Venice-like waterways that grid the entire city.Īs for the city’s gay scene, Wilton Manors is the place to be with its huge assortment of gay bars and clubs visited by upwards of 1.1 million LGBTQ travellers each year. Letting your hair down in Fort Lauderdale is easy as it comes, between leisurely days on the sandy waterfront and wild nights in town. While St Petersburg might be known as the newer, more downbeat gay capital, Fort Lauderdale stands as Florida’s largest and most diverse gay destinations, popular among gay travellers the world over.
Best gay bars fort lauderdale full#
After a full day of shopping and eating, head over to any of the 5 best gay bars in Tampa for a wild night to remember. Base yourself in Tampa for sightseeing around the National Historic Landmark District, exploring the redeveloped cigar factory buildings to find pop-up bars, boutique lofts and evermore locally-owned businesses bring community spirit to Tampa. Petersburg waterfront and the best gay beaches in Florida. Besides its wild nightlife, gay Tampa showcases a neat selection of museums, parks and cultural institutions all within reach of the gay St. Located on the west side of the Florida peninsula, Tampa is often wrongfully overlooked by travellers. Heading the Florida gay scene with countless drag show, cabaret and gay club offerings along Ybor Street, Tampa also organises regular LGBTQ+ events, such as the yearly Tampa Pride and Diversity Parade and the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Continued development has turned the Hillsborough Riverwalk into a glittering feat of urban design, while a transformed bar scene in the trendy GaYbor district now attracts many gay partygoers from across southwest Florida. Staying longer in the Keys? Discover our pick of the top 10 things to do in gay Key West.ĭespite gaining a reputation in the past for its somewhat trashy nightlife and grittier spots, more recently, Tampa has undergone a complete make-over to show off a stylish and sophisticated side we never knew existed. Indulge in a weekend of water-sports, boat tours and partying, sampling Latin and Cuban culture along the way by way of a salacious food and music scene.
With such beautiful surrounds comes inevitable beach-bum hedonism centred in the city’s dive bars, but, to balance to books, Key West offers much in the way of culture in its literary festivals and art galleries, all served alongside performances and phenomenal sunsets on Mallory Square. It’s easy to guess why the region is nicknamed ‘the Floribbean’, blessed as it is with year-round sunshine and tropical beaches many lined with Caribbean-style villas and Cuban eateries. Once home to both Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, Key West’s population of gay nationals and ex-pats has boomed since the 1970s, and the island is now ripe with gay-owned hotels and B&Bs as well as an active gay nightlife centred around Duval Street. Key West in particular is a gay favourite for its eccentricity and creative energy, pushed forward by literary residents both past and present.
Best gay bars fort lauderdale series#
Stretching towards Cuba on a series of tropical islands all linked to the mainland via the Florida Overseas Highway, find the Florida Keys, home to some of the most romantic getaways in Florida.