For visitors, beach lodging choices span big-brand hotels allied with the LGBTQ+ community, like W Fort Lauderdale, to a dozen clothing-optional, gay guesthouses, including the Grand Resort & Spa and Worthington Resorts, a collection of three guesthouses under one management team.Fun in the sun – the gay section of Fort Lauderdale Beach is within walking distance of both upscale high-rise hotels and clothing-optional gay resorts. Unlike Miami’s gay “Muscle Beach” reputation, here the Speedo and bikini scenes are shared among the fit and the plus-sized, the smooth and the hairy-and equally celebrated.
Take Fort Lauderdale Beach, where the action centers on Sebastian Beach, the most popular of Fort Lauderdale’s three gay beaches. Of course, all-welcoming LGBTQ+ life isn’t restricted to Wilton Manors-it spans the entirety of Fort Lauderdale. It’s a place where married same-sex couples can plant roots and start families without living under scrutiny or fear of being perceived as “different,” a sanctuary where trans-identifying individuals can shop in the local grocery store and go on dinner dates to places like Rosie’s Bar & Grille without snickers or stares. Across the drive lies more niche retailer Rock Hard, an adult entertainment store that carries harnesses, chaps, whips, and everything you’d need for a visit to Ramrod, the nearby hardcore leather bar.īeyond the loud and proud panache of the Drive, the rest of Wilton Manors intentionally flies under the radar as a quieter residential neighborhood of spruced up single-family homes, reinvented 1950s duplexes, and new builds scattered along labyrinthine canals. There’s also Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar, a community mainstay known for its drag shows, low-priced drinks (hello, $4 Long Island Iced Tea Thursdays), and laid-back vibe. It’s home to one-of-a-kind haunts like To the Moon Marketplace, a candy store stocked with every vintage sweet imaginable, and Bubbles and Pearls, an oyster and champagne spot by Top Chef royalty, chef Josie Smith-Malave. Here, the rainbow flags fly high along Wilton Drive (aka “the Drive”), a mile-long main street lined with novelty stores, personality-driven restaurants, coffee shops, specialty bars, and travel agencies like Freedom Travel, which cater specifically to the gay community. Want the proof? Start by visiting Wilton Manors, a thriving gayborhood among Greater Fort Lauderdale’s 31 municipalities. Or that it receives 1.5 million LGBTQ+ travelers annually, corresponding to an estimated $1.5 billion in economic benefits. It’s no coincidence the city has the highest concentration of same-sex couple households in the country.
Everyone’s represented and welcome in Fort Lauderdale. In fact, the classic gay stereotype of male pageantry and showmanship is the minority in a city that paints with all the colors of the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Yet Fort Lauderdale manages to break community barriers, promising a queer destination that’s more than a beach of sculpted, Speedo’d men. With so many identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, it’s easy for some to be overlooked, even in the most gay-friendly of cities.