Best Gay Clubs Near Me: Where to Go For Exciting IRL Connections

Doublelist Team

January 18, 2023 10 minutes read
Connect with straight, gay, bi and curious!


Nothing beats personal contact. Swiping left or right simply isn’t as exciting as making real eye contact with a stranger across the room. Scrolling through dating profiles doesn’t deliver the same electrifying thrill as brushing up against somebody’s warm body on the dance floor. If you’re gay and looking for heart-racing, in-the-flesh connections, the only reason you should go online is to look up “best gay clubs near me.” And you’ve come to the right place to find it.

This is your ultimate guide to the “best gay night clubs near me” across the major cities in the US.

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LGBT Clubs Near Me

Most lounges, clubs, bars, and other night spots are highly inclusive these days, but sometimes, you just want to be among peers. If you’re wondering what hookup possibilities await you and you’re searching for “LGBT clubs near me,” check out these loud and proud spots.

  • Twin Peaks Tavern in San Francisco, CA
    Whether you’re a local or a tourist, Twin Peaks Tavern is a favorite spot for anybody under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. The place is an iconic landmark, as evidenced by a successful fundraising campaign that saved this neighborhood treasure from permanent closure.


  • Club Cafe in Boston, MA
    Located in Boston’s historic South End/Back Bay area, Club Cafe serves up all kinds of nightlife entertainment. Whether you’re in the mood to dine, drink, dance, or watch a cabaret show, this is the place to be. Founded in 1983, the club is considered an LGBTQ+ institution and continues to be a popular spot to this day.

  • O. Henry’s in Asheville, NC
    The oldest gay club in North Carolina and named by Esquire as one of the 32 best gay bars in the US, O. Henry’s is a monument to the unwavering LGBTQ+ culture and a must on your visit list for “best gay clubs near me” when you’re in NC. Established in 1976, the club is still members-only, ensuring that O. Henry’s remains a safe gathering place for LGBTQIA people. The club also houses “The Underground,” an industrial dance bar that hosts the popular “Total Gold Dance Your Ass Off” parties every first Friday of the month, cabaret and burlesque style shows, goth nights, and jazz & blues music.

  • Metropolitan in Brooklyn, NY
    Metropolitan has been welcoming the LGBTQ+ community and all its allies since 2002. Weeknights offer Queeraoke and drag trivia games; the weekends are entertainment packed with drag shows, DJs, and live music. If you just want to relax with friends, the place also has two fireplaces for chilly, winter nights and a huge outdoor patio open 365 days a year.

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Gay Men’s Clubs Near Me

Here are your top choices for “gay men’s clubs near me,” from the East Coast to the West.

Best Gay Clubs Near Me in the East Coast

  • 801 Bourbon Bar in Key West, FL
    Key West is a popular spot for gays, but 801 Bourbon has consistently been a highly preferred destination since the 90s. You can experience the best drag shows on the island upstairs; or head downstairs to relax, have some drinks, and enjoy the karaoke theme nights. This bar definitely deserves to be on the top list for “best gay clubs near me” in the Southeast coast!

  • Club Cumming in New York, NY
    This is a cabaret, comedy club, and party hub that has reawakened downtown NYC nightlife’s golden era. Celebrities are known to pop up here every now and then, but the club has a shine all its own with its decadent and risque ambiance.

Midwest Gay Clubs

  • Sidetrack in Chicago, IL
    Get your fill of Sidetrack’s signature spiked slushies and good-looking dudes. Get your diva on during Show Tune Sundays and Musical Mondays, and dance the night away on Thursdays and Fridays. Make sure to bookmark this location for the “best gay clubs near me” when you’re in the Midwest.

Best Gay Clubs Near Me in the West Coast

  • Piranha Nightclub in Las Vegas, NV
    This is Sin City’s 24-hour dance club, where the shaking and grinding never stops. Piranha belongs to the cluster of high-profile LGBTQ spots on the Strip, known as the Fruit Loop, and is frequented by RuPaul’s Drag Race alums and other queer celebrities. That’s a fabulous reason to add this “best gay clubs near me” spot to your Las Vegas itinerary!

  • The Lumber Yard in Seattle, WA
    The Lumber Yard was revived and reborn into a bigger, better, and gayer spot for leather daddies, bears and cubs, trans women, and lesbians, too!

  • Club Try-Angles in Salt Lake City, UT
    With a quirky name like that, you know you can only expect tons of gay fun here. Their themed events are just as whimsically kinky: Leather, Gay and Pups; Underwear Night; and Furry Night Fluff Party, just to name a few.


  • Oasis in San Francisco, CA
    Frolick and get sweaty on the enormous dance floor. Or be entertained by Superstar Drag Shows and fabulous cabaret performances.

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Female Gay Clubs Near Me

If you’re looking for “female gay clubs near me,” here’s a list of the hottest spots for drinking, mingling, hooking up, and all other types of fun.

  • Ginger’s in Brookly, NY
    Ginger’s on Fifth Ave. is a local institution and a testament to Brooklyn’s vibrantly queer history. The place proudly waves a pride flag and an Irish flag, and has an old-school and laid-back vibe. The restrooms are more like a tribute to queer culture, decorated with iconic imagery that includes magazine photos of “The L Word” cast, vintage pin-up photos, and decades-old newspaper clippings featuring Pride marches. Ginger’s is a place where lesbians always feel that they could be their authentic selves.

  • Pink Metal in Brooklyn, NY
    The theme is Discipline Burlesque on Tuesdays, featuring femme burlesque dancers, and Fetish Figure Drawing on Mondays. Things only get dirtier and more exciting on the weekends.


  • Cubbyhole
    in New York, NY
    The Cubbyhole Bar in NYC’s West Village has been serving the LGBTQ+ community and their friends since 1994, and remains a neighborhood favorite for lesbians. Kick back and enjoy a margarita or two, soak up the eclectic West Village culture, and meet new people and old friends.

Best Gay Clubs Near Me in the Midwest

  • Farragut’s in Chicago, IL
    This is a low-key, neighborhood lesbian bar which is a great choice for low-key or still-in-the-closet gays. Whether you enjoy draft beer, pool, darts, or an old-fashioned jukebox, you’ll feel right at home here.

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Best Gay Clubs Near Me in the West Coast

  • The Abbey in Los Angeles, CA
    You’ll never go wrong with this world-famous destination if you’re looking for the “best gay clubs near me.” It’s a favorite for big-name celebrities, and its famous WOMXN LGBTQIA NIGHT Wednesdays are always packed.

Best Gay Clubs Near Me in the South

  • Lipstick Lounge in Nashville, TN
    The giant, red, lips-shaped couch outside is hard to miss and should tell you about the vibrant and playful vibe of the place. This is Nashville, baby, so expect chair-turning karaoke performances and staggeringly talented professional musicians on stage. This is technically a lesbian bar, but everyone’s welcome as long as you’re at least 21.

Gay Black Clubs Near Me

  • Lambda Lounge in New York, NY
    This gay black club is new to the gay club scene and is self-described as a place “where downtown elegance meets uptown swag for the grown and sexy in you.” If you’re on the prowl for “gay black clubs near me,” here are the best of the best. The founders Charles Hughes and Richard Solomon are a gay, black married couple who also owns the liquor company, Lambda Vodka. The couple opened the lounge because of the scarcity of black gay establishments in NYC.

  • 4 West Lounge in New York, NY
    An upscale LGBTQ+ lounge in Harlem, 4 West Lounge also offers Harlem’s first social membership club for the community. Events to watch out for include the weekly black LGBTQ happy hour called “Trappy Hour,” and an Afro-beats party hosted by Drecules. The usual crowds are 25+ black and Latin gay males, but the place is also a popular spot for heteros.

  • Jeffery Pub in Chicago, IL
    This black and brown LGBTQ+ club in Chicago has been around since the 1960s and continues to be a cultural haven in the city’s south side. Jeffery Pub is practically a historic landmark, with its plain and unassuming exterior housing a lively and welcoming space filled with joy, music, and culture.

Best Country Clubs for Gay People Near Me

If you’re gay and into cowboy hats, cowboy boots, flannel shirts, studded boot-cut jeans, or cut-off denim shorts, check out these “best country clubs for gay people near me.”

  • Carol’s Pub in Chicago, IL
    This country western dive bar exudes major gay vibes. Carol’s Pub was established in 1972 and temporarily closed its doors in 2016. It was reopened in 2018 without skipping its country music beat, thanks to the pub’s legendary houseband, Diamondback. The band has an impressive 25,000-song repertoire and a boot collection that’s the stuff of every gay cowboy’s fantasy.

  • Round-Up Saloon in Dallas, TX
    Put on your cowboy boots and get ready to line dance under Round-Up Saloon’s disco ball. The sprawling saloon first opened its doors more than 4 decades ago as a gay country western dance hall. The place houses The Tequila Shack, a patio bar, a separate area for karaoke, pool tables, and its iconic fenced-in wooden dance floor.

  • Side Kicks in Kansas City, KS
    Dress up in your fabulous country western outfit and live out your Brokeback Mountain fantasies within the cavernous space of Side Kicks. From drag queens to the local gay dart league, there’s plenty of gay fun to be had whether you’re into drag performances, sports, or line dancing.

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Where to Go When You’re Tired of the Gay Club Scene

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