Hugging Bear Inn – Vermont Gay Friendly B&B

Hugging Bear Inn

Stay in one of six guest rooms blending 19th century charm and modern touches, each with a private bath. Rooms accommodate couples, singles, families and children. And you will find a Teddy Bear in every bed! Included in your room rate is a hearty country breakfast, including Pure Vermont Maple Syrup. Seconds? Certainly! Relax on a spacious wrap-around porch, in the living room, or the cozy den with a game, television or a good book.

We welcome children of all ages to this lovely Victorian Inn. This place is enchanting and magical. You get friends for life here!

The Hugging Bear bed & breakfast and teddy bear shop – a Victorian residence circa 1825, is an enchanting b’n’b in the Vermont tradition. Located in Chester, Vermont, the Hugging Bear features a wonderful shop with the finest selection of Teddy Bears in the Northeast.

Country Inns and Teddy Bears are both symbols of warmth, closeness and family ties. They belong together. You’re likely to find anything from aardvarks to zebras and a lot in between. We have a large selection of Steiff collectibles, artist bears and Muffy Vanderbear, puppets (Folkmanis and others), Gund, Boyd’s, Merry thought, Hermann, Douglas, jewelry, ceramic collectibles, books and endless other bearaphernalia.

Inn History – In 1825, a unique Italian Colonnade home was built and situated across form the village green in Chester, Vermont. It saw many years, many seasons and went through many changes. It had different owners, was a schoolhouse for a period and went through the Victorian era, which changed this home into a beautiful Queen Anne style Victorian home by adding a tower, bow windows and a big wrap around porch. Circa 1905, a Carriage House was constructed on the property. One of the finest examples of carriage barns in New England, it shares the Colonial Revival style – notably the gambrel form of roof – with several contemporary Chester village buildings. The projecting loft gable and the pyramidal-capped cupola distinguish the finely executed barn.

In 1982, this Victorian home went through another transformation when it was renovated to accommodate guests with a private bathroom in every bedroom. The Hugging Bear Inn was born and continued to welcome families, children, and everyone from all over the world that love Vermont, enjoy a Bed and Breakfast Inn and, most of all, have a passion for Teddy Bears. Teddy Bears, you ask? Yes, the theme of the Hugging Bear Inn revolves around teddy bears, family, fun, collecting and enjoying the lovely countryside of Vermont.

Not long after the Inn was established, the Hugging Bear Shoppe began. It’s a gift shop that quickly grew from one to four extensive rooms of the finest selection of teddy bears in the Northeast, with over 10,000 teddy bears and similar products available for purchase.

See the Hugging Bear Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Central Vemront Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Five Things About Gay Montreal – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Montreal - Nomadic Boys

“Diversity is the engine of invention. It generates creativity that enriches the world”

…spoken by one of Montreal’s most famous (straight) residents, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who led the gay parade when the city was hosting Canada’s first nationwide Fierte Pride.

Canada has always been at the forefront of LGBT rights, being one of the first countries to legalise gay marriages and with one of the most progressive transgender laws in the world. Gay Montreal, in particular, has always been a bedrock of acceptance and cultural diversity, to the point where it has developed the largest gay village in North America, and hosts many gay events throughout the year. Here are our 5 interesting gay facts about Montreal, celebrating its evolution as a haven for the LGBTQ community in North America.

Le Village Gai: Montreal’s huge gaybourhood

Montreal’s gaybourhood, otherwise known as Le Village Gai or just The Village is famous for being the largest gay neighbourhood in North America. It’s literally an entire district of the city, officially recognised in tourist city maps and searchable in social media location tags.

This is the heart of the city’s LGBTQ community, based along the mile long Saint Catherine street, bordered by St Hubert Street to the west, De Lorimier Avenue to the east, Sherbrooke Street to the north and René Lévesque Boulevard to the south.

The Gay Village dates back to the 1980s when it used to be a poor working-class neighbourhood. It was first occupied by gay and lesbian businesses after they were forced out from downtown Montreal. Over the years, the area gentrified massively to become the pink bubble of fun it is today.

During May-September, St Catherine Street is closed to cars, allowing the cafes, bars and restaurants to spill out onto the pavements to create outdoor terraces, giving the village the exciting buzzy atmosphere we love about it. It also has a rainbow crossing to mark its starting point. You can read more in our gay guide to Montreal.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Montreal Travel Resources

Gay Stockholm – Gay Star News

Gay Stockholm - Visit Gay Stiockholm

My first trip to gay Stockholm was in 1998 to perform Twisted at an underground club promoted by Swedish producer Per QX. While there, my friend and hard house legend Tony De Vit died. This led to hysterical, drunken grief and pill-induced sleep. Needless to say, my memories of that period are hazy. Sightseeing was minimal. In fact, aside from ogling a sunrise while sat in a gutter under a concrete flyover, I saw little but illegal raves and the inside of my own eyelids.

My return to Stockholm last month for Pride 2017 proved a refreshing contrast. It was a whirlwind of gastro thrills, queer history and cultural highlights. Upon arrival we were whizzed straight to Mälarpaviljongen, a semi-floating riverside restaurant that looks like a decadent party in a verdant fairy grotto. It was the aesthetic opposite of wet bus stop in Luton, which I’d experienced a few hours earlier.

Mälarpaviljongen is gay-owned and collaborates with Regnbågsfonden, an organization supporting LGBTI rights worldwide. They serve a rainbow-bottled rosé, which contributes to the charity with every sale. While getting lashed in one of their many ornate gardens, it’s cheering to know that by drinking, you’re helping.

By Steward Who – Full Story at Gay Star News

Sweden Gay Travel Resources

Casa De Lhasa – Catskills Gay Friendly Vacation Rental

Casa De Lhasa - Catskills Gay Friendly Vacation Rental

One-of-a-kind Artist Gem, 5 acres, stream, heated pool, pet friendly, 5 min to Woodstock NY

A soulful 100-year-old house w/all the modern conveniences, Casa de Lhasa is your ideal vacation home in the Catskills. It’s on 5.5 acres with woods, lawn, mature plantings and stream by which there is seating where you can relax with your drink as you watch nature do its thing. May to September: Heated saltwater pool! And there is an outdoor fire pit to enjoy any time of the year.

The house has a fully equipped kitchen and an awesome/one of a kind dining room that can seat eight. The outside deck is furnished with large table for perfect al fresco vino ‘n mangia. There is a gas barbecue on the deck for your grilling pleasure.

The den has wood burning fireplace with a full-size sofa bed and a TV. The living room has French doors opening up to the lawn and pool. Off the living room is a study and the entrance to a fenced in yard for your two house-trained small dogs or one house-trained medium/large dog.

The three bedrooms are located upstairs. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom and jetted bath tub, the South Bedroom and the Blue Bedroom with a private balcony. In all, the bedrooms can sleep up to six persons. Upstairs has AC.

Make this well-appointed, tastefully decorated house in a magical setting your happy home in the country while you enjoy the delights that Woodstock and its environs have to offer.

See the Casa De Lhasa Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Catskills Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Another Day in Rome – Dolly Travels

Rome - Dolly Travels

Buongiorno, tutti,

I have really enjoyed being in Rome again, as now we are not feeling pressured to see as much as we can cram into a few days. We can proceed at a more relaxed pace. I have already told you about our Sunday: from Piazza Navona to the Pantheon to Trevi Fountain, then to Bar Brasile, to watch Roman chaos. We had been there on Friday, after visiting the Borghese Galleria.

Rome - Dolly TravelsThe waiter, Mario, was so happy when he saw us, he grabbed Frank in a big bear hug and kissed him on the cheek. Mario then found us a spot where we could watch the activity of Piazza Venezia.

Monday was another story. We had reservations for the Vatican Museum. We took the Metro out to a stop about a 10 minute walk from the Museum. The place was packed, with many tour groups. As we had reservations, we got right in, but after that we had to follow groups, on after another, to get to see anything. We stopped at a cafeteria for a cappuccino, then went with the crowds to see our favorite sculptures.

Every place was so crowded, with people pushing and shoving, I was afraid that we might get hurt. After an hour of that, we turned around, gradually getting back to the entrance and we left. By then, it was lunch time, so we found a restaurant that we had gone to before on our trips, and had lunch. We just went back to the apartment after that, and relaxed for awhile before attempting any other excursions.

That was stressful. A lady we met yesterday, who had also been at the Vatican Museum that day, told us that her tour guide said that Monday was the busiest she had ever seen the museum, and it is usually busy.

I went online and I read estimates that anywhere from 17, 000 to 25, 000 people visit the Vatican Museum every day that it is open. On that day, I am sure that there were 25,002 visitors. The Economist estimates that over 80 billion dollars per year from ticket sales and over 20 billion per year from merchandise sales go into the Vatican coffers.

The museum is indeed huge, with many fabulous works of art, culminating with the piece d’resistance, the Sistine Chapel. I am happy that we had been to the museum on numerous other occasions; therefore, leaving early was not too big of a disappointment.

Yesterday, we walked from the apartment up to the Vittorio Emmanuele Monument. That was quite a walk for Frank and his cane, but he did it. We wanted to catch a hop-on, hop-off bus, but at first glance, I could not see a bus stop in the vicinity. I had Frank sit on a bench in a park and wait for me, while I went around the monument until I found the stop. On the way back to get Frank, I discovered a staircase that went up the back of the monument, into Campodoglio, where the Capotoline Museums are. Then I went down another staircase to fetch Frank.

Rome - Dolly TravelsAfter we had seen all we wanted to see, we had lunch at the very lovely restaurant on the roof top of the museum.

We eventually found the hop-on, hop-off bus and took at tour around the center of Rome. By the end of that tour, it was time to head back home again. We had enjoyed another long but entertaining day.

Dinner last night was at the Trattoria Il Tettarella again. This is a very good restaurant inn our neighborhood. It was very busy, as the food is very good. Being in the neighborhood, the trattoria is frequented by locals as much as by tourists.

Tonight, we are having dinner in our apartment. I am going to make soup. I have gone too long without cooking. I simply must do that.

So, I will say, Arrivederci now. I will be certain to tell you how the dinner is.

Ciao for now,
Dolly

The Bear-Naked Chef and the Scruffy Italian Launch a Gay Tour!

Bear-Naked Chef and Scruffy Italian Traveler

Ready to be part of the sexiest gay tour in Italy of the year? The Scruffy Italian, that is me, will be joined by one of the hottest chefs alive for the sensational Culinary holiday of the year, in Italy of course. Because, as Madonna says, Italians do it better!

The heel of the boot of Italy, Puglia, is without a doubt one of the sunniest and most lively parts of the country, famous for its food, beaches, breathtaking landscapes… and hot men! Join Italy Gay Travels, that is the travel company I run, this October for an exclusive Luxury Food and Wine Gay Tour.

Puglia is home to some of the best cheeses (does burrata ring a bell?) and wines in Italy. Primitivo and Negroamaro are the talk on everyone’s lips. On our Gay Tour for the Foodies you will become a connoisseur as well as getting a little tipsy too! Puglia is also one of the biggest producers of Olive Oil in the World: you will learn about the secrets of olive oil production (at the time of olive harvest) by the masters of the trade.

By Sergio – Full Story at The Scruffy Gay Traveler

LOCATION Gay Travel Resources

Pinehurst Inn B&B – Gay Friendly Bayfield, Wisconsin B&B

Pinehurst Inn B&B

Fantastic Bayfield Wisconsin North Woods bed and breakfast. Consistently high ratings by guests and one of the top ranked Bayfield bed and breakfasts on TripAdvisor.

Located on 3.5 acres with soaring pine trees and amazing gardens, just one block from Lake Superior, Pinehurst Inn provides a tranquil environment from which to enjoy all that the North Woods of Wisconsin and the Bayfield area have to offer. Come experience the majestic Lake and Apostle Islands and take in the natural beauty of the area by land or water.

We are open year-round so you can experience the four uniquely beautiful seasons of the North Woods. From boat tours and ferry rides to kayaking the Apostle Islands’ sea caves, the summer and fall are full of big water adventures. Winter brings snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, local downhill skiing and tubing, and so much more fun with the fluffy white stuff.

And if the weather cooperates and it is sufficiently cold, there may be an opportunity to experience the awe-inspiring ice caves and the ice road to Madeline Island. There also are many beautiful trails and waterfalls in the area to be enjoyed all year.

Make Pinehurst Inn your headquarters for exploring Lake Superior and the Bayfield area. Guest rooms are available in both the main house, built in 1885 and full of old world charm, and the garden house, built in 2003 with more modern eco-friendly features. Each room is unique so you can find the one that is right for you. Rooms with jetted tubs, fireplaces and decks are available and each room has either a king or queen bed.

A hearty three course breakfast is served each morning to prepare you for your day of adventure. Soft drinks and a Kuerig machine for coffee, tea and hot chocolate are available in the common area of both houses for guests’ enjoyment throughout the day. We look forward to having you stay with us!

See the Pinehurst Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Wisconsin Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

New in Gay Calgary – Passport Magazine

Gay Calgary - pixabay

Music is liquid architecture,” wrote Goethe. “Architecture is frozen music.” It’s a pithy, oft-quoted turn of phrase that makes intuitive sense. One needn’t read music, let alone study architecture, to understand that rhythm, structure, harmony, and precise detail amid sweeping grandeur are common elements of the two artforms.

Another common factor: unlike paintings and literature, which are largely passive, requiring us to approach their frames, to open their covers, music and architecture reach out in our direction, playing inevitable parts in our daily lives.

Until last year, North America had no major music museum with a building befitting its subject. Then came the opening of the spectacular and stirring Studio Bell, home of Canada’s National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta (850 4th St. SE. Tel: 403-543-5115. www.studiobell.ca). It’s a deeply satisfying building to explore, seeming to unfold around you as you move through it. Like the best symphonies, it is at once majestically scaled and compellingly intimate.

What did we have before this? Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is, to me, Pei’s knock-off of his own Louvre Pyramid; it looks like an award-ceremony trophy, with none of music’s emotional resonance.

And while it might be argued that the Seattle edifice originally built as the Experience Music Project, Frank Gehry’s most garish major building, resembles a frozen chunk of 1970’s Moog synthesizer sounds, the design is untethered to any coherent vision. With no essential change to its appearance, the building was rechristened last year as the Museum of Pop Culture (aka MoPOP) and now houses a hodgepodge collection “spanning science fiction, fantasy, horror, fashion, sports, and video games.” Studio Bell is on another plane altogether.

By Jim Gladstone – Full Story at Passport Magazine

Alberta Gay Travel Resources

The TraveLibro App – Nomadic Boys

TraveLibro App - Nomadic Boys

Montreal gay Pride was simply incredible! We had such an amazing time and it was definitely one of the best gay pride festivals we’ve ever been to. We met Nelly Furtado, hung out with a few of the Ru Paul drag queen superstars and saw the handsome Canadian Disney Prince, Justin Trudeau, as he led the parade.

We had a whole bunch of selfies, video clips, recommendations, reviews and more, which we uploaded and recorded all in one place in the TraveLibro app and can now re-live it all again whenever we want. This is one of the reasons we love TraveLibro and highly recommend it as a way to document all your favourite travel memories.

A complete timeline of your trip

If like us you’re of the generation that recalls those old fashioned film cameras, you’ll no doubt have experienced the excitement of developing your travel photos, then collating and organising them into a photo album for future admiration.

Things have evolved a lot since, and today we do this all online via Facebook and Instagram, but after several hours, most of your social media posts are lost within the newsfeed. There is no place where you can put everything in one place to re-live all the different online memories in a way which we did over 10 years ago.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Bluff Creek Campgrounds – Gay Friendly Sunshine Coast Campground

Bluff Creek Campgrounds - gay friendly Sunshine Coast campground

Bluff Creek is a simple campground in the beautiful Mary Valley on the Sunshine Coast. The 100 acres of camping offer guests the opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the Mary River, walk through bushland that is home to koalas, kangaroos and many other native animals.

Features and amenities include, hot showers and flushing toilets, bush walking trails, swimming holes and a small farm shop offering local fare and camping basics. We keep numbers low to allow our guests extra privacy and space.

Our locality offers lovely day trips from visiting waterfalls to breweries and local producers. Markets in the nearby towns of Imbil and Eumundi can also be found on selected days.

If you would like to visit give us a call to arrange your camping or glamping stay.

See the Bluff Creek Campgrounds Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Queensland Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals