The best gay clubs in America

The oldest continuously operating gay bar in the nation, the White Horse has served the LGBT community since 1933—it just celebrated 90 years this month. Here in this welcoming space, you’ll find karaoke nights, DJ dance parties & drag shows. Crosswalks painted in rainbow colors lead you to the bar from its nearby intersection. Originally called the White Horse Inn, the bar may even be older than 90 years, as its earlier operations would have been on the down low because of Prohibition. Owner Patty Dingle believes she may be the only (or at least rare!) queer woman of color sole owner of a queer/gay bar.

With a large dancefloor and a huge beer garden, this club gets you happy indoors and outdoors. Play free billiards and engage in Karaoke, weekly DJ dance parties, live music on the patio and drag shows every Friday and Saturday night. Each weekend the drag show cast walks the downtown streets of Historic Eureka Springs to spread a message of love and acceptance, especially important during this time when anti-drag and anti-trans bills are being passed.

At NYC's neighborhood LGBTQ+ bar where all are welcome, there are tons of celebrations and events like the Tuesday Tease ...or just listening to tunes from the famous jukebox. The best event? The monthly Happy Hour sip-n-swap, where you bring up to five books you’re ready to swap for new ones. The bar also hosts an annual AIDS walk fundraiser. In 2022, one of Cubbyhole’s bartenders wrote an open letter to patrons asking for more kindness in the continuing wake of the pandemic. The beloved Cubbyhole has been around since 1994.

This 25,000 square foot nightclub with three levels and a huge patio has been around since 1981. Its building dates to 1892 as a German athletic club and later USO office. Today, immersive lightshows and pulsing music, plus libations at 10 different bar stations, make for an explosive evening. With drag shows and day parties, you’ll be swept along in the club’s ‘live happy’ vibe. If you live locally or attend often, a $200 gold membership lets you and three guests in for free all year without waiting in line.

Key West is home to many gay establishments but, for over three decades, locals and tourists alike have made 801 Bourbon their preferred destination. When downstairs, take a seat at the bar for top-notch people watching, generous pours and karaoke. You can also opt to head upstairs to the cabaret to enjoy the biggest and best drag shows on the island.

This world-famous gay bar in West Hollywood has been around for more than three decades and playfully adopts a religious theme with its “Sunday Service Drag Brunch” and events in its Chapel. With an eatery, dance floors, outdoor cocktail courtyard, and epic events schedule, you’ll enjoy dancing and dining with the chance to catch a glimpse of celebrities—Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and Lance Bass have all visited.

Nellie’s provides an all-are-welcome inclusive vibe, named for two Kansas great-grandmothers related to the owner who “lit up elite Kansas social circles with unparalleled warmth and hospitality.” A young stream of patrons fills the two stories and roof deck to throw back reasonably priced bottles of beer, cocktails and burgers. Enjoy events like the uproarious Wednesday trivia nights with beer bucket specials, PokerFace (hm...it’s just poker night!) drag brunch, drag bingo and more.

Twin Peaks Tavern holds the most iconic spot in the Castro neighborhood of SF, just beyond the shadow of a giant rainbow flag and a few doors down from the famed Castro Theater. Almost every LGBTQ+ visitor to San Francisco will roll into this classic tavern at some point, drawn like martini-chasing moths to its rainbow-colored lights. Though it came very close to closing in 2020, a successful fundraising campaign helped the Tavern keep its doors open.

In Chicago’s Boystown nabe one bar looms larger (literally) than all the rest: Sidetrack. Parties, theme nights and a good-looking group of dudes fill the multiple levels and lush roof deck. Slurp down the signature spiked slushies while getting down to divas like Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Tina Turner or sing along to musicals on Monday nights when the TV screens and floors are taken over by movies like Rent and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Hula’s always welcomes a heavy flow of fun-loving gay, lesbian, queer and transgender visitors from all over the world, as well as straight folks who just want to grab a drink with a view of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. Housed at the Waikiki Grand Hotel, Hula’s offers specialty frozen cocktails with a tropical flair and bites like sliders and mezze plates. Live music each week, DJs, drag shows and themed events bring the party to this bar—a local favorite for nearly 50 years. Plus, every Saturday, take a Catamaran cruise with other guests.

Every summer, when gay guys and gals descend on Cape Cod’s P-town for a beach vacation, they head to the Crown and Anchor’s Wave Bar to truly kick back. With great views of the harbor and access to the waterfront pool deck, you can sip cocktails and enjoy Provincetown’s allure. Check out the Say Gay Sundays! Drag Brunch at this hotel with five other bars and multiple performance venues, where everyone is not only welcomed, but also celebrated.

Alan Cumming took over the former Eastern Bloc bar in 2017 and reimagined it as a cabaret, comedy and party hub evocative of NYC's golden era of downtown nightlife. Count on Broadway singers belting out favorites by the piano, nostalgia-fueled dance parties and stellar cabaret and comedy nights just about any time you drop in. Cumming himself comes regularly to tend bar and schmooze, while celebrities such Paul McCartney, Emma Stone, Adele, Jennifer Lawrence, Billie Jean King and Vanessa Williams have all stopped by—but the club is its own star.

Once open 24 hours, today this dance club opens at 10 p.m. and remains wild until its amorphous “close.” With multiple rooms blasting music on a sound system worthy of the Strip, the shaking, thrusting and thumping never stops here. Considered by many to be the crown gem of the 'Fruit Loop' (a cluster of several high-profile LGBTQ+ spots), Piranha attracts a fair number of queer celebrities like Adore Delano and other RuPaul’s Drag Race alums for performances and free meet-and-greets. Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Lance Bass, Sam Smith, Paula Abdul have all been seen on the dance floor.

Club Café, Boston’s long-standing restaurant, cabaret space and dance club, will satisfy whatever nightlife craving you’re dealing with. As an institution of the city’s LGBT scene – it was founded in 1983 – its glossy interior has become a place where friends old and new gather weekly. Regulars spring for a special club membership ($75) to waive cover fees, skip the entry lines, and get a dining discount.

Ever seen someone do a death drop on the sidewalk? Now’s your chance. Palace is home to the best drag brunch in the entire world. Though we had a not-so-tiny panic attack when we learned Palace’s original location was going to be shutting down, we quickly recovered when we learned the iconic drag brunch bar was simply moving a few blocks away on Ocean Drive. Now, at 1052 Ocean Drive, you can find the same curbside drag shows and gallons of mimosas.

Inspired by the West Village and Castro bars of the ’70s, Pony transformed a vintage 1930s gas station into one of Emerald City’s most beloved dive bars. Year-round, folks gather on the outdoor patio to soak in those rare sunny days or enjoy the smell of rain underneath the retractable roof while warming up by the gas fire pit. During the frequent parties and theme nights, a good-looking crew gets friendly on the dance floor as DJs spin indie, punk rock, disco and new wave.

A mainstay of the gay community and a favorite among bachelorette parties, Darcelle XV hosts nightly performances by 'female impersonators.' The seasoned drag performers put on a raunchy cabaret well worth the $20 cover. For visitors looking for less singing and joking and more rock-hard abs, the Friday and Saturday 'male centerfold show' is the ideal destination.