Viva, Las Vegas! There’s just no other place like it on Earth. Though not a gay-mecca in and of itself, this capital of decadence draws a vast number of gay visitors each year to frolic in its luxury theme-hotels, flashy casinos, world-class dining, flashy shows, and exploding nightlife. Although a few visitors venture beyond The Strip to such spectacular sights at the Hoover Dam or flight-seeing over the Grand Canyon, virtually all activity in Vegas centers on Las Vegas Boulevard and its world-famous collection of massive hotels. Here you can shop, eat, gamble, dance, and cruise to your heart’s content. If you tire of the hetero masses of The Strip, Vegas’ little gay community clusters along a few blocks of Paradise Road, north of Tropicana, and a mile east of The Strip. There is a clothing-optional gay beach on Lake Mead, but it’s difficult to find. Ask at a local bar, or Get Booked (the book store), for directions.
Gay Las Vegas Bars, Restaurants and Clubs
Bars in Vegas are open 24 hours, so there’s never a “last call” (Oh, yeah, baby!) And nightlife tends to start late, since most of the locals work in the hospitality industry. Gay nightlife is split between traditional gay clubs, which attract mostly locals (the majority of whom are fairly young), and the mega-clubs of The Strip, none of which are gay-oriented, but which tend to attract the larger percentage of gay tourists. Since you’re likely to run across other gay travelers at any of the big clubs on The Strip, we won’t cover them here. Along Paradise Road you might start with Icon, one of the largest and friendliest bars in town. The Buffalo draws a leather and Levis crowd. In the general vicinity is Good Times Bar and Grill, a large venue with a popular Monday night. Up on Sahara you’ll find The Badlands Saloon, which attracts local cowboys. In the same strip mall is the Spotlight, an eccentric hangout with a friendly local crowd. Further a-field you’ll find the Backdoor Lounge with cute dancers. Flex, on the other side of town, has them, too, yet attracts a good lesbian following, as well. The Las Vegas Eagle seems to attract a more vanilla following than its locations elsewhere in the world, but they will give you free drinks on Wednesday and Friday if you come only in your skivvies.
The most popular gay clubs are both in the Paradise strip, Gipsy, popular with younger guys, and FreeZone, which draws a more mixed G/L crowd. A newcomer right on The Strip is Krave, a cavernous, state-of-the-art megaclub, which will undoubtedly attract a large number of straight partiers, but is advertising hard to the gay community.
If you can tear yourself away from the world-class (and ruinously expensive) dining of The Strip, you can get the traditional plate of camp at Hamburger Mary’s. Krave , on The Strip, also has an upscale eatery. Beyond that, Vegas doesn’t have any restaurants which attract a steady gay following, unless you count Bahama Breeze, which serves Caribbean food at the corner of Paradise and Flamingo, just north of the gay district.
Get Booked is the local gay bookstore, a great source of information.
Gay and Gay Friendly Las Vegas Hotels
Blue Moon is Las Vegas’ only exclusively-gay-male resort, with a clothing-optional environment, and an extraordinary pool area. Lucky You Bed and Breakfast, offers a more intimate, but still clothing-optional, atmosphere. And your host, Olé, was the former executive chef for Liberace! An uber-campy alternative is the Viva Las Vegas Villas. Located just north of the strip, this outrageous place offers kitschy theme rooms, like Camelot, with its drawbridge bed, or The Gothic, where you sleep in a coffin. They also have palatial honeymoon suites, and an on-site marriage chapel with easily-arranged commitment ceremonies. Most of the hotels on the strip welcome gay visitors (they’re so large, there’s no way to discriminate), with Bellagio, Monte Carlo, the Venetian, and New York, New York ranking as favorites among gay travelers.
Las Vegas Gay Pride and other Gay Events
Las Vegas Pride takes place the second week of May, with pageants, parades, and dance parties for both genders. The Big Horn Rodeo, one of the largest gay rodeos in the world, takes place in early April. The Viva Las Vegas circuit party is held the first weekend of October each year, and it seems like all of gay Southern California descends upon Vegas for this massive event.
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.
