Florida

Best Gay Key West Resorts – The Nomadic Boys

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Best Gay Key West Resorts - The Nomadic Boys

Key West is super gay! This small island in south Florida is a notorious gay mecca, with a whopping 30% of its 25,000 residents identifying as LGBTQ.

The island’s history as a gay destination dates back to the 1950s when well-known LGBTQ celebrities like Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, Truman Capote, Jerry Herman, Leonard Bernstein and Elizabeth Bishop have since made it their home. Subsequently in 1983, Key West became the first place in the US to elect an openly gay mayor (Richard A. Heyman), then in 2000, the island’s motto became: “One Human Family“.

We’ve visited Key West on several occasions and always had a blast, especially on the gay scene on Duval Street. There are so many things to do for gay travellers and with regards to to the hotels, it was never a case of ‘please can we have a double bed’, but more – ‘which of these many gay hotels should we stay at on this trip?’

There are an impressive number of different gay resorts in Key West to pick from, so we’ve put together our 10 best Key West resorts, which also includes gay hotels and guesthouses.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Key West Gay Travel Resources

Key West Gay Bars – The Nomadic Boys

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Key West Gay Bars - The Nomadic Boys

Key West is a gay island mecca at the southern tip of Florida, famous for its relaxed, friendly and Bohemian atmosphere.

We loved it here so much that we stayed here for a large chunk of our road trip in Florida. There are so many things to do in Key West for gay travellers, along with a terrific gay scene. The majority of the gay bars and clubs of Key West are located in the same spot along the busy Duval Street, between Angela and Petronia Streets. There is a permanent Rainbow Crosswalk here so you can’t miss it!

This is our gay guide to the best gay bars in Key West, along with dancing venues, drag show bars, beaches, events and best things to do. For accommodation options, be sure to check out our guide to the best gay resorts in Key West.

Gay Bars in Key West

These are the main gay bars in Key West to check out, including popular weekly parties:

801 Bourbon Bar: 801 is a large building standing proud next to the Rainbow Crosswalk. The bar is downstairs and upstairs is the club (see more below). The bar is a good place to come for a few cocktails to start the night. Also check out their Sunday karaoke nights between 4-8pm. 801 Bourbon is located at 801 Duval and is open everyday until 4am.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Key West Gay Travel Resources

 

Gay Tampa – Nomadic Boys

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Gay Tampa - The Nomadic Boys

Tampa is a lot of fun and very gay friendly!

It has a young and diverse population due to the large community of students, expats and the strong sports culture with two notorious home teams: the “Tampa Bay Lightening” hockey team and the “Tampa Bay Bucaneers” American football team.

All gay travellers to gay Tampa will find something to love about the city, in particular the GaYborhood in Ybor. For general inspiration, check out our best things to do in Tampa guide. Meanwhile, this is our detailed gay guide to Tampa focusing on the best bars, clubs, places to stay and more.

The gay neighbourhood of Tampa is based in the city’s historic district called “Ybor City”, specifically along 7th Avenue. A coalition of businesses in the area created a LGBT Chamber of Commerce business group called “GaYbor”, from which the gay neighbourhood of Tampa affectionally takes its name.

In GaYbor, you will find the main gay clubs, bars, bathhouses of Tampa, as well as a number of boutique and vintage shops like “La France“. In the evening, especially on weekends, 7th Avenue comes alive as the crowds hit the gay bars like Bradleys and Honey Pots (see more below).

The GaYborhood is also home to Tampa Pride, which takes place on the last weekend in March with a Diversity Parade. Also look out for the “Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival” held every October.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Gay Tampa Gay Travel Resources

 

Get Naked in Florida – Go Girlfriend

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naked in Florida

It seems only natural to celebrate the wonderfulness of getting naked in Florida! Take its hundreds of miles of sand and surf opportunities, add it’s mostly hot and sun-kissed southerness and you have the ingredients to enjoy ample opportunity to bare it all and enjoy life au naturel.

As with any new experience, we suggest you start your nudist experience with a step you can be comfortable with. Maybe you and your partner begin with a nude beach or a day access to one of the resorts below – just to explore being naked together and see how things feel. All the options below promote body acceptance and welcome you into the experience at your own rate. I guarantee once you’ve begun your own naked journey, you will celebrate this newfound freedom for the rest of your life!

Forget the mindset of nudist resorts as a rustic, commune-style backwoods campsites only for hippies. Both Cypress Cove Nudist Resort and Caliente Club and Resort offer modern, upscale, multigenerational nudist experience that brings nudism to the modern age. Their facilities deliver modern amenities, grounds and facilities to impress and entertainment options to find your groove just as well as similar clothed resorts throughout North America. The difference is life can be enjoyed au naturel … and once the sun kisses your skin and you’ve settled into the reality that hardly anyone has that ideal body type; the bliss of this newfound freedom is a treasure to enjoy!

By Stacy Rosien – Full Story at Go Girlfriend

Florida Gay Travel Resources

 

Sarasota Gay Bars – The Nomadic Boys

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Sarasota Gay Bars - The Nomadic Boys

Sarasota is a destination that most gay travellers to Florida are likely to overlook, opting for nearby St. Petersburg instead.

We’ll be very honest, before coming to Sarasota we knew very little about it. However, it turned out to be the hidden gem of our trip, a place we would definitely love to return to. As well as being the cultural capital of Florida with so many things to do, it also has a fun gay scene worth checking out, with annual events like the “Harvey Milk Festival” and “Sarasota Pride”.

Following our trip, we’ve put together our travel guide featuring the best gay bars in Sarasota, LGBTQ events, beaches and gay friendly hotels to stay.

Gay Bars of Sarasota

The gay scene of Sarasota is so small that even gay locals we met advised us to instead head to nearby St. Pete to party. This is no surprise given that St. Pete is 5 times larger than Sarasota. Despite its size, Sarasota still has a handful of places worth checking out for a fun gay night out:

Purple Rhino: this is Sarasota’s oldest gay bar with a really friendly atmosphere and some hilarious drag shows. We came here on a Saturday evening and saw a couple of shows, which you can see in our video below. On Sunday evenings, look out for their gay drag “Bingo Bash” event. Purple Rhino is located at 2920 Beneva Rd and is open daily from 4:40pm to around 10:30pm (later on weekends).

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Sarasota Gay Travel Resources

 

Gay Fort Lauderdale – Nomadic Boys

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Gay Fort Lauderdale

Over the past few decades, Fort Lauderdale has evolved massively to become the gay capital of Florida as well as one of the top LGBTQ destinations in the USA.

The city has everything to suit all LGBTQ travellers including clothing optional male-only resorts, gay beaches, many gay events taking place throughout the year and of course the gay scene of Wilton Manors!

We’ve been several times to Fort Lauderdale, either as a stopover for a cruise, or to go to one of the many gay parties they have here throughout the year like “Wicked Manors” on Halloween. We always love coming here, particularly as it’s a 365 day destination. There’s always something happening and you’re almost always guaranteed gorgeous sunny weather.

This is our detailed gay guide to Fort Lauderdale featuring highlights from the gay scene of Wilton Manors, the best gay beaches, events and gay hotels to stay.

The gay area of Fort Lauderdale

Just tell your Uber or Lyft driver to head straight to Wilton Manors. This is where all the action happens. It’s comprised of several blocks where all the gay hangouts can be found as well as gay shops like Pride Factory, and museums like the Stonewall National Museum and the World AIDS Museum.

One hidden gem in the area you should check out is the unassuming road near Wilton Manors called “Eucalyptus Gardens”. It’s a Bohemian block of cafes and colourful gay friendly hangouts. One particular favourite of ours in Eucalyptus Gardens is “Voo La Voo“ who do the best omelettes we’ve ever tried, as certified by our discerning Frenchman.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Fort Lauderdale Gay Travel Resources

Fort Lauderdale Gay Bars – The Nomadic Boys

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Fort Lauderdale Gay Bars

Fort Lauderdale is out, loud and fabulously proud! Over the past few decades it has become one of the gayest places in the States and was even featured as the ultimate gay holiday for the boys in the trashy movie – “Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!”

In terms of gay scene, Wilton Manors is the vibrant gayborhood of Fort Lauderdale, which comes alive every night of the week.

We’ve been to Fort Lauderdale several times, mainly due to the abundance of inexpensive flights from Europe. We used JustFly to search and book our flights, which we recommend because they offer a comprehensive range of options allowing you to search for the lowest prices. We also recommend searching for options to Miami Airport, which is only a 45 minute drive away, to maximise your flight options.

However and whenever you visit Fort Lauderdale, you’re guaranteed to have a great time with warm weather: temperatures rarely dip below 25 degrees (77 Fahrenheit).

The Gay Area of Fort Lauderdale

The main gay area of Fort Lauderdale is Wilton Manors, located around 15 minutes drive inland from the beach. Wilton Manors comprises several blocks with many Fort Lauderdale gay bars, clubs, boutique gay shops, cafes and restaurants. The biggest parties take place on weekends, but there is always a large crowd on every night of the week.

Nearby to Wilton Manors is a small Bohemian road called “Eucalyptus Gardens”. It has a handful of open minded and very colourful cafes like “Voo La Voo“, as well really cool street art murals. If you’re looking for a gay shop to stock up on your fetish gear, buy new swimwear and other accessories, check out Pride Factory.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Fort Lauderdale Gay Travel Resources

 

Romantic Gay Sarasota – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Sarasota - The Nomadic Boys

Sarasota is the arts and cultural capital of Florida. It has no fewer than 2 symphonies, an opera house, a world-class ballet company and many art galleries. That’s on top of the many beautiful powdery white sandy beaches like Siesta Key, as well as being the famous HQ of one of the world’s most eminent circus companies – the Ringling Bros.

Sarasota offers the ideal holiday for couples looking for a romantic weekend, or even for travellers who want to add on something different to their Orlando theme-park vacation. These are our 10 romantic things to do in Sarasota from our big road trip around Florida.

1. Watching the sunset together on Siesta Key beach
Siesta Key is perhaps the main reason most people will know about Sarasota. As well as being the title of a MTV reality TV show, this is also one of the best beaches in the US. For example, in 2017, it was ranked as the #1 beach in the US by Dr Beach and TripAdvisor also rates it as the #2 best beach in the US.

The reason why Siesta Key is so notorious is due to the fact that the water is so clear, clean and can be enjoyed throughout the year. In addition, the sand is powdery white, like icing sugar. This is because it is comprised of 99% pure Quartz, which means it is always silky in texture and cool to the touch, even on the hottest summer days. And if it couldn’t get any better, Siesta Key beach has spectacular sunsets every evening.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Sarasota Gay Travel Resources

 

Warm Gay Friendly Holiday Destinations

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Fort Lauderdale

If you’re gay and looking to get away for the holidays, chances are you’ll be visiting South Florida.

Four local cities — Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Oakland Park — ranked among the most in-demand gay-friendly global cities for LGBTQ travelers during the holidays.

That’s according to the newly released Holiday LGBTQ Travel Ranking from misterb&b, a website that connects LGBTQ travelers with short-term rental apartments and private rooms. The website looked at year-round online searches for bookings and travel for the holidays and also factored in whether the city has legalized same-sex marriage and hate-crime protection laws in place. (They considered the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving.)

Wilton Manors, which just elected an all-LGBTQ commission during the midterm elections, ranked No. 1 on the list, followed by Palm Springs (California), Fort Lauderdale, Cathedral City (California) and Miami Beach.

By Johnny Diaz – Full Story at Sun sentinel

Florida Gay Travel Resources

Historic St. Augustine – Go Girlfriend

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Aviles Street, Historic St. Augustine - pixabay

Celebrating nearly 500 years as the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United Sates, don’t be fooled by the age of this vibrant city. This abuela (grandmother) of american cities will surprise you with amazing restaurants, a vibrant city core, miles of beaches, a touch of sinfulness, and historic sites to explore that will turn back time.

As a getaway destination, there is more than a few days needed to experience the scope of St. Augustine’s richness. As a couple’s romantic destination, a girlfriend’s weekend retreat or a family beach vacation, a simple walk over the Bridge of Lions will tease excitement of what historic St. Augustine has to offer.

Where to Eat in St. Augustine

Good question? Would you like the old city or the more modern? Would you like seafood (fresh catches right from the ocean), farm to table freshness, or have a specific taste preference? I’m certain St. Augustine can satisfy it.

Catch 27 – deliciously delivering fresh seafood made from scratch with the freshest of locally sourced ingredients – what a treat! Try their cheese board as an appetiser with smoked blue cheese and drunken cherries, and any cocktail that features the distinctive St. Augustine gin.

By Stacy Rosien – Full Story at Go Girlfriend

Northeastern Florida Gay Travel Resources