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New Orleans Gay Travel Guide
If you find yourself in a quaint, old city on a muddy river, and you look around and see same-sex couples walking the streets, beers in one hand, holding hands with the other, and singing at the top of their lungs, you’ve found your way to N’Awlins! This sensual, sultry city has been known for its carefree revelry for centuries. In fact, in the early 1800s, an English nobleman wrote, “To all men who desire only to live a short life but a merry one, I have no hesitation in recommending New Orleans.” Maybe it’s because the French settled it, we don’t know, but New Orleans is a city dedicated to decadence: spicy food, lots of liquor, and plenty of excuses to party. From jazz to voodoo, southern belles to vampires, NOLA (New Orleans, LousianA) offers something for everyone. And everyone, regardless of interest, heads to the French Quarter first. Ironically, the French Quarter’s heralded architecture is Spanish, not French, but the vast majority of NOLA’s famous tourist attractions are there. Jackson Square is the place to start, a leafy green spot filled with street performers and artists, and bordered by quirky shops and cafes. Then stroll up Pirate’s Alley, reminiscent of the days when salty sea dogs anchored here for a little R&R from their plundering and pillaging. The alley leads you to Royal Street, the French Quarter’s main drag. In this area you’ll find two great museums, the Cabildo and the Presbytere. The Cabildo, a Spanish palace from the late 18th century, covers Louisana history from the early European explorers through the post-Civil war era. The Presbytere, built in the same century, focuses more on New Orleans history, culture, and art. Both are part of the Lousiana State Museum. The most famous (or infamous) part of the French Quarter is undoubtedly Bourbon Street, a block west of Royal. Here you’ll find the bars and houses-of-ill-repute which have made this city a haven for fringe walkers since pirates strolled these very same streets. It’s also ground-zero for the world-famous revelry of Mardis Gras, which takes place in early Febuary. If you’re looking for something more educational (and easier on the liver), check out the Aquarium of the Americas, one of the world’s best. It’s a crime to visit NOLA and miss the Garden District, famous for its antebellum mansions. New Orleans is also renowned as a haven for the macabre (Anne Rice lives here!), and if you’re looking for something spooky and deviant, check out the Historic Voodoo Museum, dedicated to the history of its dark rituals, or the Voodoo Spiritual Temple, where modern practitioners of Voudan educate the public on its spiritual benefits. Or maybe the House of Death, dedicated to all things post-living. There’s just so much to see, eat, and drink in New Orleans that it’s easy to forget that it has been a haven for gays and lesbians for decades, and gay bars have existed here since the 1940s. The city pioneered same-sex partner benefits for its employees back in the 70s. Today the gay scene is firmly rooted in “the fruit loop,” a section of the French Quarter bounded by Bourbon Street, Dauphine (pronounced “doh-FAN”), St. Anne, and Dumaine. A smaller, low-key scene is in Faubourg Marigny, just to the east.
Gay New Orleans Bars, Restaurants and Clubs
Due to light restrictions from the city, most bars and clubs in New Orleans are open 24/7. Hello! A great place to start your barhopping is the Bourbon Pub, right at the beginning of the Fruit Loop in the French Quarter. They’ve got an insanely popular happy hour. A block down is Lafitte’s, which claims to be the oldest gay bar in the country. Whether it is or not, it’s certainly popular, and the bar is open 24/7. Their balcony is infamous during Mardi Gras. The Corner Pocket is another happening spot, the place to be on Friday when anyone can join the go-go boy contest and dance on the bar for tips. Oh, and you can play pool there, too. Good Friends Bar is an elegant-yet-bizarre combination of sports bar and drag cabaret, but Sunday afternoon draws the entire city for piano sing-a-longs. Footloose serves as a quiet neighborhood bar during the day, and fun, crowded party spot by night. They’ve got drag shows on weekends. The Golden Lantern is the grandmother of NOLA drag bars and much-loved by the community. The Roundup draws a friendly crowd to its unique patio and Sunday night buffet. Voodoo at Congo Square has a friendly neighborhood patronage during the day and at happy hour, but gets wild and crazy late at night. The Faubourg Marigny district attracts more locals than tourists, and is consequently less frantic and more friendly. Check out The Mint, a quiet neighborhood spot with a small dance floor. The Friendly Bar is very (what else?) friendly! Relaxed and low-key, but always buzzing, especially on Monday nights. The Coppertop used to be a country/western hangout, but is now mainstream and popular. Chet’s Queen’s Pub is a piano bar with local talent Friday through Sunday. Two traditional NOLA hangouts sit right across Royal Street from each other here, Another Corner, with its video poker machines and mixed crowd, and Big Daddy’s, a busy local hangout with pool tables and live music on Sunday afternoons. Cowpokes is the only country-western bar in the city, and offers dance lessons on weekday evenings. A quirky-but-popular hangout is the Country Club, with its large, outdoor heated pool (clothing optional!) and variety of bars. The leather crowd flocks to Rawhide 2010 and the Phoenix/Eagle.
Oz is arguably the most popular dance club in New Orleans, and, indeed, one of the most famous in the world. With its massive dance floor, and go-go boys dancing on the many bars, Oz thumps from late in the night until early in the morning. And it never closes. Not ever. They don’t even have doors. 735 Bourbon is smaller, but equally popular, perhaps moreso after the publicity it got from MTV’s The Real World. Parade, upstairs from the Bourbon Pub, is the largest gay club in the city, and is always packed.
New Orleans is legendary for its dining. Cajun and Creole food (yes, there is a difference!) reign supreme here. If you’re a star-hunter, Emeril Legassi will kick it up a notch for you at Emeril’s, Nola, or Delmonico. It’s also traditional to have café au lait and beignets (ben-YAYS) at the legendary Café du Monde. But if you need a gayer crowd, head to the Marigny, which tends to have more gay restaurants as the real estate is cheaper than in the French Quarter’s Fruit Loop. Check out steak night every Friday at The Coppertop. The Monday night buffet at Another Corner is also popular. Lorenzo’s Pizzeria is a New Orleans standby, and the attached bar draws a big crowd. Marigny Brasserie is lovely for a more elegant dinner or Sunday brunch.
Gay Friendly and Gay New Orleans Hotels
Small, gay-operated B&Bs and guesthouses are a popular way to stay in New Orleans. The Creole Inn, in the Farigny, has been a popular choice for gay visitors for decades. Its five sumptuously-decorated suites are tucked into a townhouse built in the late 1800s. In the same area can be found the Eylsian Fields Inn and the Eylsian Guest House, as well as the Burgundy, the Lion’s Inn, the Olde Town Inn, the Ursuline Guest House, La Dauphine, and the House of David. In the French Quarter, your options are the Royal Barracks Inn, the Bon Maison, and the Royal Street Courtyard B&B .
Call an edirp.com gay travel specialist at 1-888-EDIRP-EZ (1-888-334-7739) or (214) 520-0345 (U.S.) to book any of the hotels mentioned above. Any hotels with links may be booked via our secure online booking system.
New Orleans Gay Pride and other Gay Events
New Orleans has been celebrating Pride for 25 years, and Pridefest usually takes place in mid-October here. However, Pride is easily overshadowed here by two massive parties which draw crowds from all over the world, Mardi Gras and Southern Decadence. Mardis Gras takes place in early February and the Fruit Loop is packed with gay revelers in all states of dress from gaudy to nada, competing for beads in a slightly more revealing way than the girls do a few blocks down in the straight French Quarter. Coveted spots are on the balconies of the various gay bars and clubs, particularly Oz and Lafitte’s. You’d best book any hotel, gay or mainstream, at least a year in advance. Southern Decadence is a massive circuit party that might draw an even larger gay patronage than Mardi Gras, and it takes place over Labor Day weekend with parties and events at every club and hotel in the city. Halloween, which is celebrated wildly in New Orleans, is also an important gay event here.
Travel guide by Benjamin Starr, a travel writer who claims the entire world as his home. When he's not at home, he can sometimes be found at a residence in Dallas, Texas. To contact Ben, email him at benjaminstarr@sbcglobal.net. |
