Gay Friendly New Orleans

Affectionately known as Crescent City or the Big Easy, gay New Orleans has been thriving since before it was appropriate to put as much flame in a city's fire as this one is known for. With four specifically gay holiday events happening in New Orleans throughout the year and numerous other activities and venues welcoming in the gay crowd, this is a city which does not lack for a scene. Whether you're looking for a place to party in the Big Easy or simply looking for the best places to go to enjoy gay-friendly service in a bustling city, New Orleans offers up the best dish.

Though the city is recovering from the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, it still has plenty to offer the gay crowd. The Big Easy's French Quarter, consisting of 100 square blocks of fabulous shopping and dining, is back in full swing with most establishments open for business. Gay friendly restaurants in other parts of the city are either open now or planning to reopen soon. New Orleans' first suburb, Faubourg Marigny, is another hub for gay-friendly businesses and hot happenings.

New Orleans is a veritable festival of sights and sounds. Think music, horse-drawn carriages, lone musicians and lively characters. Expecting to see bare body parts lounging on the balconies? New Orleans offers that as well and with official Gay Mardi Gras now a regular tradition, it's no longer just girls flashing for the boys to see. Plenty of guys participate in the "show and throw" games as well. Throughout the year, New Orleans is also host to the official Gay Easter Parade, Gay Halloween and an exquisite "Southern Decadence" celebration. This latter event, held over Labor Day Weekend, is a parade of scantily clad drag performers wielding wild instruments as their weapons for celebrating southern style. In a city that knows how to party like New Orleans does, the fun never stops.


Where to Stay - Gay Friendly Hotels in your New Orleans

Thanks to its strong gay population, New Orleans is literally brimming with gay-friendly hotels, bed and breakfasts, and guesthouses. This is particularly true in the French Quarter and the Faubourg Marigny suburb. The former is for those travelers who want to be right in the midst of all of the action and the latter is for those who want to be able to get away from the drama of the nightlife for a bit in order to get some beauty rest.

Gay travelers interested in staying in the French Quarter have a range of places to choose from. Bourbon Street is the most famous but this place tends to have frat boys and sorority girls singing out of every staircase so you may want to consider moving to other locations within the French Quarter. You can get the same exciting action with that much needed twist.

Located in the heart of gay New Orleans and adjacent to the French Quarter, Hotel LaSalle is a stone's throw away from most of the famous Big Easy attractions, including restaurants, museums, art galleries, nightclubs and boutiques. Gay-owned and featuring a fun-loving appeal, the Hotel LaSalle is adults-only and caters to both gay business and gay leisure travel. This hotel is an excellent choice for enjoying southern-style hospitality. And if you really want to be treated like a queen, choose one of the "Big Queen" rooms for your stay.

For size-queens who need more space than just the average room can offer, try one of the twenty three posh suites at the W New Orleans. These rooms have living areas and splendid bedding and allow you to revel in your new home away from home. The W Hotel is decidedly chic and downright spicy, blending comfort with technology. Located within walking distance of the French Quarter, W New Orleans is far enough from the frat scene part of the French Quarter to offer a little peace and quite at bedtime, yet close enough for enjoying all the fun of gay New Orleans.

New Orleans is not a city just for partying. With the music in the air, this is a place where romance can dominate. For a small, cozy inn, consider staying at the Burgundy Bed and Breakfast. Converted from an 1890s historic home, the bed and breakfast features a host of original details, including eight fireplaces and restored hardwood flooring. When renovating the building, the owner worked hard to maintain its original flavor, giving a stylish edge to the old design. The Burgundy B&B consists of four guest rooms with private bathrooms, a courtyard, a spa, a dining room where continental breakfast is served daily, a charming parlor for gathering with other guests - or reading the morning paper - and a galley kitchen. Ready to bare all? There is a clothing-optional policy for the spa and sunbathing areas of this gay bed and breakfast.


What to See? Where to Go in Gay Friendly New Orleans

When travelers think of heading to New Orleans, they are typically thinking of going to the French Quarter. More specifically, they are thinking of spending time on Bourbon Street, indulging in the kind of decadence that is only allowed to be on display in select areas of this country. Bourbon Street is a place not to be missed, but it is also a place which you should know details about before heading to New Orleans. You don't want to get trapped under the dancing feet of a million college co-eds when you can enjoy the time of your life in the right gay Bourbon Street establishments.

Browse the area a bit and you'll be sure to see spots that you'll want to check out. Make sure that one of those stops is Hit Parade Gift and Clothing. Located at 741 Bourbon Street, this spot is said to be New Orleans #1 spot for gay and lesbian gifts and clothing. This is where most of the local boys go to get costumes for the big gay events in the city but they also offer plenty of little things to take home as gifts. Once you've reached this spot, if you take a look around you, you'll see that you are more or less in the heart of the gay end of Bourbon Street. From here, you can find other shopping and activities. There are numerous boutiques, antique shops and trendy clothing stores where you can pick up a little bit of New Orleans style to add to your closets back home.

Moving out from Bourbon Street, the rest of the French Quarter offers much in the way of history. Explore the galleries, museums and shopping in this area to get a sense of both the culture and the history of the city. Most of the art galleries and antique shops are located on Royal Street. Farmer's Market style shopping can be found in the Old French Market. Street performers and live music can be found in Jackson Square. Live music can also be found in the jazz park. This often-free exposure to quality music is a hallmark of what makes New Orleans famous around the world. All of these various French Quarter locations are generally gay-friendly while catering to a mixed tourist crowd.

As enticing as you're sure to find the French Quarter, you won't want to spend all of your time there. Go ahead and hop on the St. Charles Streetcar and take in the 13-mile, 90 minute Big Easy tour. It starts at Canal Street and winds its way through the Garden District, past Tulane and Loyola Universities offering rich exposure to the history of the area as the locals experience it. Get to know the Mississippi which starts up in Minnesota and heads 2000 miles down to New Orleans, where it measures half a mile across but only 200 feet in depth. You can take a ferry cruise on the river or merely go take pictures to show that you were there. But either way, know where the river is located because most New Orleans locals give river-oriented directions. For example, instead of being told to go south, expect to be directed downriver.

Speaking of downriver, you won't want to miss Faubourg Marigny. Located a little south of the French Quarter, this community is a gay haven. Travel there to see the many French-Colonial mansions, restored to amazing splendor by gay and straight residents. This is a hip and trendy new neighborhood, one of those kinds of places where the party is just beginning to happen, so there's all the flavor of New Orleans without all of the drama from the big scene in the French Quarter. Quiet dining can end in crazy dancing but without the hassle of being mixed in with all of the other tourists.


Gay Friendly Dining in New Orleans

Gay New Orleans is filled with fun things to do, amazing sights to see, and delights for all of your senses. However, nothing trumps the eating. The food is a curious blend of Native American, West Indian, European, Latin American and North American flavors. This makes for fun for the palette no matter where you end up trying the treats.

In terms of specific foods which you'll want to try in the city, beignets (also known as French Market doughnuts), jambalaya and anything with Cajun in the title should be at the top of your list. In terms of dining experiences, make sure that you make at least one stop to a place in the French Quarter which offers outdoor courtyard dining because this indulgence is one which the city is well-known for.

One such place is Cafe Amelie, located at 912 Royal Street. In addition to courtyard dining, this gay-friendly restaurant offers an array of tasty dishes and live music on the weekends. Another favorite French Quarter dining location is Petunia's which is located at 817 St. Louis Street. Although they do not have that wonderful courtyard dining, they do have an indoor fireplace to add flames to your eating experience.

Moving out of the French Quarter, you can head down to Faubourg Marigny for more excellent dining. For a casual place, try the Indian-spiced dishes at the Hookah Cafe on Frenchman Street or head just down the street from there to the Praline Connection for upscale dining with a dash of Creole flavor.

For a complete list of our favorite gay friendly restaurants in New Orleans, click on the "Restaurants Tab" on the City Directory found on the left side of this page.

Gay Bars and Nightclubs in New Orleans

Gay travel is no fun without plenty of play. Luckily, New Orleans is a place where playing is second nature. Whereas most cities have laws against drinking on the street, New Orleans says go for it (just make sure you've got a plastic cup, not a glass container). Whereas most cities frown upon nudity in public, New Orleans turns the other cheek. Dance the night away in any number of gay bars in and out of the French Quarter.

The most well-known gay spot in the city is Oz. This is the place where you can go to see mostly naked go-go boys gyrate to the kind of music you want to grind to. This is also the place to go if you want to cruise for someone to go home with. For those travelers more interested in actual vertical dancing, Bourbon Pub and Parade, located right across the street, may be the better place to go. Cafe Lafitte in Exile is another Bourbon Street option. This double-floor dance club is touted as the oldest gay bar in the city but the crowd is young and fun.

For a quieter scene which isn't at all sleepy, head out to Faubourg Marigny. Frenchman Street is the place to head to here for going from bar to bar. Try the casual Apple Barrel, the artsy Cafe Brasil or the classy d.b.a. Off of Frenchman Street, get tapas and hip hop music at Mimi's or find the leather located at Phoenix.

For a complete list of bars - and more information on our Pride City Guide featured gay bars and clubs in New Orleans, click on the Bars and Nightlife tab under the City Directory on the left side of this page.

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