TRAVELFive Places Where Lesbian Travelers Are Celebrated Not Just Tolerated6 min read
Provincetown: America’s Queer Heartland
P-Town sits at the very tip of Cape Cod, a small fishing village that somehow became one of the queerest places on the planet. More lesbian-owned businesses per capita than anywhere else in the US. The highest concentration of same-sex households in the country. The oldest gay bar in America — the A-House — still operating on Commercial Street, which lays reasonable claim to being the gayest main street in the world.
The daily tea dance at the Boatslip — a wide deck over Provincetown’s West End Harbor, 4 to 7pm, packed dance floor, spectacular people-watching — is one of those experiences that’s hard to explain until you’ve done it. The town also runs themed weeks year-round: Single Women’s Weekend in May, Womxn of Color Weekend, Girl Splash in July, the massive Carnival in August that pulls 90,000 visitors, Women’s Week in October, and Fantasia Fair, a weeklong transgender celebration, also in October.
The East End Gallery District punches above its weight for a town this small. The beaches rank among the top ten gay beaches in the world. Book accommodation well in advance — during any of the themed weeks, the B&Bs fill up fast and the whole town commits fully to the event at hand.
Puerto Rico: Caribbean Without the Compromise
Most Caribbean islands are a gamble for LGBT travelers. Puerto Rico isn’t. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2015, the island is a US commonwealth so federal protections apply, and it’s the most LGBT-friendly destination in the Caribbean by a wide margin. For Americans, there’s no passport required and direct flights from most East Coast cities.
San Juan’s Santurce neighborhood is where the nightlife concentrates. Circo Bar draws the biggest crowds; Oceano is a gay-owned open-air beach bar across from Condado Beach with a sophistication the other spots don’t quite match. El Cojo Bar in the Hato Rey district is the go-to for lesbians specifically, though every bar on the circuit welcomes women. Beyond the capital, El Yunque National Forest is dense and otherworldly, the underground caves of Río Camuy are genuinely spectacular, and the beaches need no qualification.
The real find is Vieques. A short ferry ride from the main island, Vieques is largely untouched by mass tourism — wild horses roam freely, beaches stretch for miles without crowds, and Mosquito Bay is one of the most bioluminescent bays on earth. No LGBT nightlife to speak of, but that’s not the point. It’s a place for slow mornings, clear water, and, if you’re planning a wedding, the W Resort handles same-sex ceremonies. TripAdvisor named it one of the top 25 beach destinations in the world. Over 40 beaches, not one traffic light. That’s the whole pitch.