Gay Friendly Denver

You can tell a lot about a city by the nicknames that are given to it by people across the world, and what you might be surprised to learn about Denver is that it's nicknames suggest a gay-friendly playfulness which is sometimes hidden by Colorado's conservative air. After all, with appellations which include "The Mile-High City", "The Queen City of the Plains" and "The Rail City", Denver has got a tongue-in-cheek attitude which supports a growing gay community. Of course, the city will claim that the nicknames come, in turn, from the its official elevation, its role in agriculture and its link with the country's railroad history but every traveler knows that there is more than meets than eye when it comes to exploring an area and Denver is certainly no exception.

A portion of Denver's willingness to embrace the gay community is related to the early history of the city. As an Old West town, this was one of the Colorado cities which was welcoming to frontier pleasures including gambling and prostitution. As the area began to grow, Denver was the city which began to develop a "big city" mentality, welcoming not only the fringe groups of its past but also the up-and-coming trends of the future. Today, Denver continues to embrace the new with something of that frontier mentality thrown in to the mix, which gives the city a flavor unexpected in much of the MidWest.

The different lifestyles accepted by Denver's community are reflected in the diverse neighborhoods of the city. Capitol Hill is the main hub of Denver's gay community, home to the annual Pride parade, the boutique shopping and the arts communities of the city. South Broadway (or SoBo) is the city's other main gay location, where antique shopping, art galleries and revitalized history all have their places. Although nightlife options are available in both gay neighborhoods, the city's most vibrant nightlife is found in Lower Downtown, known locally as LoDo, where seedy behavior and all-night fun are generally gay-friendly.

In addition to the welcoming diversity of Denver's neighborhoods, the climate of the city is conducive to travel to the area. Denver is truly a location which experiences all four seasons, but none of them are experienced to a discomforting extreme. The winters are chilly enough for skiing (or at least for donning the latest in fur-lined outerwear), the summers are warm enough for enjoying the surrounding area's numerous outdoor activities (and the chiseled shirtless men who also enjoy those activities) and both spring and fall welcome travelers with their moderate temperatures and numerous local activities.

The year of annual events in Denver kicks off right in January with the local Rodeo but of more interest to our PCG travelers might be the annual Colorado Gay Rodeo which doesn't take place until July. Cultural events taking place throughout the year include a Native American Pow Wow in March, Cinco de Mayo events in May, a Greek Festival in June, the Irish festival in July and a Victorian Fetish Ball in late fall. Arts and music events which may interest travelers include May's Colorado Art Festival, June's Buskerfest (of street performers), a summer Global Dance festival, the autumn Performing Arts Festival and a number of film festivals throughout the year. PrideFest takes place each June at the city center with related events throughout Denver.

Despite the prevalence of activities and the presence of a thriving gay community, Denver is frequently off-the-map for travelers considering a gay-friendly vacation. This means that there are often low prices and off-season gay-friendly travel options for visitors to use to their advantage, allowing them to bring their inner queen to the Queen City of the Plains without costing a fortune.

Where to Stay - Gay Friendly Hotels in Denver

Since Denver is a relatively inexpensive location for United States travel in comparison with numerous other gay-friendly destinations, you might want to take the opportunity to splurge a little bit when it comes to your accommodations. Denver's diverse offerings in terms of places to lay your sleepy head include ski-lodge style resorts, small boutique hotels and bed-and-breakfasts and modern full-service hotels. The gay neighborhoods of Capitol Hill and SoBo are the best place to begin your search for accommodations but there are other gay-friendly spots throughout the city as well.

If you want to put yourself right in the heart of Denver's downtown, either because you desire the convenience when spending time in the city on business travel or simply because that’s where much of the area's activity takes place, consider staying at Hotel Monaco's luxury accommodations. This is Denver's Kimpton hotel, a name associated with the GLBT community and known for going the extra mile in terms of service provision, whether that means offering a complimentary wine hour with chair massages or simply making sure to be staffed with those most knowledgeable about the area.

Head to Lower Downtown if you are seeking to stay within the midst of things but prefer quieter gay-friendly accommodations. The LoDo Inn is the newest of the area's boutique luxury hotels, providing small details of service like feather pillows and in-room organic coffee to make you truly feel like you are on vacation. Other gay-friendly lodging in LoDo includes the Oxford Hotel Denver and the Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Downtown.

Located on the edge of the LoDo neighborhood is a well-known gay bed-and-breakfast, the Gregory Inn. This spot offers all of the ambience of a charming historic bed-and-breakfast combined with modern amenities (such as wireless internet) and with proximity to all of Denver's area hot spots. Another popular downtown bed-and-breakfast is the Capitol Hill Mansion which tends to have a more romantic flavor than its historic counterpart.

For places to stay outside of the main bustle of downtown Denver, many travelers stay at Elyria's Western Guest House. And if you really want to get outside of the area, a weekend get-away at this hotel's second location may be just what you need since the second location is a mountain-top cabin approximately an hour away from the main hotel. With so many different types of gay-friendly lodging to choose from, it's a wonder that more gay travelers aren't in Denver right now!

What to See and Do in Gay Friendly Denver

Denver is a city where it is just as easy to enjoy the indoors as it is to spend time outside, so it suits all sorts of travelers from those who want to leisurely browse the indoor antique stores and art galleries to those who would prefer to be enjoying some extreme sport adventures. Although there are plenty of opportunities for indoors action, travelers are fore-warned that Denver tends to be an active city. It has been named one of the thinnest cities in the country for its association with health-conscious behavior. This means that it's easy to find a gym anywhere in the city but you're also likely to regularly encounter rollerbladers, hikers and skiing fans in your travels to the area.

If you want to partake of the city's many outdoor offerings, you should travel to Denver during the season which best suits your activity style. Skiing and snowboarding are popular in the area during the winter months. Summer is better suited to hiking, and with literally hundreds of trails in the vicinity, there is a hiking spot for every skill level. Other outdoor activities enjoyed in and around Denver include mountain biking, white water rafting, snow-shoeing and fly fishing. For those who prefer a leisurely enjoyment of the outdoors, there are hot springs located nearby; and for those who prefer to watch sports activity instead of participating in it, fun events include Boulder Babes Rugby games and the Colorado Climax gay ice hockey team sports.

Of course, there is much to do in Denver that doesn't require you to have an interest in any sort of sports activity. Area attractions of interest to many travelers include the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Denver Zoo, the Downtown Aquarium, and the numerous arts and history museums located all throughout the city. To indulge the kid in you, a trip to Six Flags Elitch Gardens could be in order. To embrace the adult that you are, attend the symphony, opera or chorus presentations taking place throughout most of the year.

Although there are specific tourist highlights in Denver, much of what there is to be enjoyed in the city is found simply by wandering through the city and seeing what there is to see. LoDo, SoBo and Capitol Hill are the best locations for browsing through independently-owned stores and taking advantage of all of the arts and culture of this Mile-High City.


Dining in Gay Friendly Denver

The best way to enjoy dining in Denver is not to expect anything particular. That is because this city is known among travelers for offering an eclectic array of food which doesn't fall in to any easily definable category. Whereas some cities specialize in Italian food or Tex Mex flavors, Denver is a city which embraces all sorts of different tastes. For gay-friendly dining, LoDo and Capitol Hill remain the best areas.

American food is a staple of the downtown Denver dining scene. Restaurants of this nature which are frequently recommended to gay travelers include Dixon's Downtown Grill and Avenue Grill. Other downtown dining options which are low-key include Mori Sushi Bar, Mattie's House of Mirrors and The Delectable Egg. Visitors who are looking to head to that one gay restaurant that everyone in the area knows about will probably want to check out Racine's, the Denver restaurant which has been in business for more than twenty years and just keeps drawing people in.

Travelers who are interested in spending a little bit more money and maybe getting a little entertainment with their meal should consider going to The Soiled Dove, a karaoke/piano bar where the food is as good as the drinks. BJ's Carousel is another fun spot which puts a little bit of nightlife in the dining scene of Denver. Of course, sometimes it's better to enjoy an intimate meal before heading out on the town. Gay-friendly restaurants where doing so is made easy include Red Square Euro Bistro, Mizuna, Bravo! Ristorante and Las Margaritas Uptown.

There are flavors of all kinds to be enjoyed in the restaurants of Denver. Gay-friendly coffee shops share street space with gay-friendly fine dining in an environment which makes it easy to find something even if you are the pickiest of diners. After all, we all want things the way we want them, and The Queen City of the Plains does not deign to disappoint us.

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

Denver's Gay Nightlife Scene

Denver is a city in which it is fun to go out and play. With its highly health-conscious attitude, it finds itself home to some of the country's best looking bodies and they aren't afraid to bare their skin on the dance floors of Denver's night club scene. Many of the area's gay bars have some of the country and western flavor which the city was first developed from, but there are different places to meet the needs of all sorts of different types of gay boys.

Those who want to enjoy the country side of the Denver nightlife will find that they have their choice of places to go. Two top picks are Charlie's Denver and the Denver Wrangler. Charlie's Denver is most often associated with the gay rodeo as it features a number of the events leading up to this annual affair. The Denver Wrangler touts itself as being a "bar for men who like men" and delivers on that promise with nightly activities geared towards making introductions to strangers on the dance floors.

For those whose dancing style is more suited to a younger and more vibrant club scene, BJ's Carousel is a good place to start the night. It begins with dining and goes on to offer weekend drag entertainment. During the week, entertainment is found at spots including Clocktower Cabaret (where all eyes are on the stage), JR's (where go-go boys abound) and Denver Compound (open for dancing every night of the week).

Visitors who are trying to get a laidback drink will find that the Bijou Bar & Grill, The Den, Denver Detour, and tHERe coffee bar and lounge are all spots with their own unique ambience always conducive to local drinking. The local leather bar is, of course, the Denver Eagle, and if you're on the hunt for a little skin - head to Boyz Town Denver to find some of the sexiest strippers west of the Mississippi.

The downtown area remains the best spot for gay bar hopping, whether you find it in LoDo, SoBo or the gay community of Capitol Hill. All three areas are home to a number of different gay bars, lounges and late-night dining spots so you shouldn't find it difficult to locate that perfect place for pre-theater drinks or post-dancing cool-downs. The Mile High City has got you covered.

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

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