Orbitz

17 welcoming lesbian vacation destinations in the US

Roxanne and Maartje
17-welcoming-lesbian-vacation-destinations-in-the-US

Note: All travel is subject to frequently-changing governmental restrictions—please check federal, state, and local advisories before scheduling trips.

Roxanne and Maartje are a Dutch lesbian couple in love with each other, the world, writing, and photography. After selling everything to live a nomadic lifestyle for three years, they settled down in Amsterdam in 2020. This post originally appeared on their blog, Once Upon A Journey, which features their many stories of traveling the world as a lesbian couple.

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Don’t we all just want to pack our bags and enjoy our lesbian vacation? Without needing to worry if we can get a double bed without awkward questions, without worrying if we can hold hands in public, and that we can kiss whenever we want?

Sadly, extra preparation is still needed as a queer female or lesbian traveler. But we are here to make things easier for you! These are 17 welcoming lesbian vacation destinations in the USA, so you don’t have to worry about doing all the research anymore.

From relaxing on the beach, exploring exciting cities, hiking through the woods, and skiing from the slopes, we’ve included the best lesbian getaways where we—queer people—are welcomed with open arms! And if you like to go out for a drink at a lesbian bar: We included those for you, too.

Not only we are here to help you, there are more resources online to making planning an LGBTQIA vacation easy. One of our favorites is Orbitz, the online travel agency that. offers flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and more. They just launched a new “Travel as you are” LGBTQIA microsite designed to help LGBTQIA wanderers book welcoming, friendly hotels and resorts all around the world. While the microsite is new, it’s good to note that Orbitz has been supporting the LGBTQIA community for years, and that’s why we love them even more.

 

Without further ado, here are some of our favorite lesbian-friendly travel destinations around the United States:

New York City, New York

What’s a list with lesbian vacation destinations in the USA without New York City on it?

New York City has one of the largest LGBTQ+ communities in the United States. And the city is a historically important place for the community. This is where the gay rights’ movement started with the Stonewall Riots.

NYC has 3 lesbian bars, Cubbyhole, Henrietta Hudson, and Ginger’s Bar (known as G-Spot). And of course, you have to visit the iconic The Stonewall Inn. Read more about queer and lesbian bars in NYC.

NYC is a city you have to visit at least once in your life. Or that’s what we think. We can’t get enough of it!

Find great New York City hotels here.

Provincetown (aka PTown), Massachusetts

Photo by @27travels

Provincetown is a seaside town in Massachusetts that is famous for being very welcoming. Many gay travelers from all around the world travel to Provincetown.

Yes, many gay men go to Provincetown, but it’s also a great place to go to as a lesbian traveler. It’s really an LGBTQ+ friendly town in the USA. Maybe the most LGBTQ+ friendly in the whole country? We let you decide for yourself!

There are many things to do in and around Provincetown (also known as PTown). How does sailing on the ocean sound, for example? Or exploring many art galleries?

Plus, if you want to relax at the beach, it’s also possible in Provincetown. The town also has exciting nightlife. Go and see a drag performance if you can!

Head to the bar and restaurant The Club for food and a drink. It’s founded by lesbian show Orange Is the New Black star Lea Delaria!

Provincetown for Women organizes many exciting activities for women. For example, Single Women’s Weekend, Women of Color Weekend, and Women’s Week.

Are you into beach towns? Another cute beach town to visit is Ogunquit. Drive a few hours north of PTown and you will find this other LGBTQ+ friendly paradise.

Find a charming place to stay in Provincetown here.

Honolulu, Hawaii

The islands of Hawaii are perfect to visit for a relaxing holiday and have, arguably, the most stunning scenery in the United States. It’s also an adventurous lesbian vacation destination in the USA.
There are lots of fun and exciting things to do! There are 8 major islands. Oahu definitely has most to offer for the LGBTQ community, especially its capital city Honolulu.
Yes, gay life in the state of Hawaii is more modest than mainland USA: Don’t expect a lesbian mecca, but you will be welcomed in the Aloha State. Hawaii is famous for being with relaxing vibes!
The neighborhood Waikiki is the LGBTQIA center of Honolulu. This is the place to be for great dining, relaxing beach vibes, and queer nightlife. Stop at Scarlet Honolulu for a drink, to watch a drag show, and dance the night away. Scarlet Honolulu is one of the main bars in Oahu for the queer community.

Make sure to visit Waikiki Beach and Queen’s Surf beach too. Hike Diamond Head if you are looking for adventure, relax on the beach afterwards!

Good to know: Honolulu Pride is in October.

Find a lovely Honolulu hotel right here. 

Fire Island, New York

Only located two hours away from Manhattan, New York City, Fire Island is a small car-free island with only about 300 residents, most of whon are part of the LGBTQIA community. But many tourists and summer residents love to go here.

Fire Island Pines, also known as The Pines, is the first LGBTQIA (beach) town in the States. Close to it is Cherry Grove Beach, which is the place to go for lesbians, while Pines is more for gay men.

But the whole island is super welcoming and accepting. It has great vibes, and is a great place to be yourself an enjoy life.

If you are into volleyball, look into the women’s volleyball tournament LezVolley, that takes place at Cherry Grove!

Find your Fire Island hotel right here. 

Los Angeles, California

 

Like NYC, Los Angeles is a city with a large LGBTQIA community. Visit LA and live your own The L Word story! In case you forgot, the series follows a group of queer friends living in West Hollywood.

West Hollywood is a predominantly gay city within in Los Angeles and is where the fun nightlife happens. Head to the Abbey to dance, eat, and drink!

Besides a great nightlife, Los Angeles has many amazing things to offer. Great beaches, beautiful street art, many places to shop, fantastic museums, it’s close to Disneyland, and much more.

You need weeks (maybe years) to see everything (especially with LA traffic jams)!

Find a fabulous LA hotel right here. 

Palm Springs, California

About two hours away from Los Angeles you can find Palm Springs, which is perfect if you are looking for a lesbian getaway. Palm Springs is a desert resort city that attracts many tourists.

Many know Palm Springs from the famous festival Coachella. But us lesbians know it from a way more famous festival (in our eyes). Dinah Shore Weekend, the largest lesbian festival in the world, is a great reason to visit Palm Springs, isn’t it?

Reserve your Palm Springs hotel room right here. 

New Orleans, Louisiana

 

New Orleans is among the best US lesbian vacation destinations. In the past, the city has been nominated by Gay Cities for the most welcoming city in the world. And Advocate listed New Orleans as the fifth queerest city in the USA!

While the South may not be the most progressive, New Orleans is. History, music, art, food, and so many more things come together in New Orleans. It’s a diverse city that has a lot to offer, also for the LGBTQIA community.

And don’t forget about visiting New Orleans during Mardi Grass (though be aware for ass-grabbers and drunk, straight cisgender men)! Head to the French Quarter and Bourbon street for all the party-fun.

Find a great New Orleans hotel right here.

Puerto Rico

Before traveling to Puerto Rico, we didn’t know this as we’re from Holland, but technically this Caribbean island is a US territory. If you are American and want to visit Puerto Rico, you don’t even need a passport; a government issued ID is enough!

Puerto Rico is a beautiful island to visit! We really enjoy its beaches, tropical waters, fun nightlife, great dining, and adventurous activities (think about zip lining through a rainforest and riding a quad bike). Or enjoy the waters during a relaxing catamaran ride.

The island is great to visit year-round, which makes it a perfect lesbian vacation destination. We visited Puerto Rico in December and enjoyed the warm temperatures and island vibes.

The capital city, San Juan, has quite a few LGBTQIA spots that are worth exploring. Some even call San Juan the gay capital of the Caribbean.

We haven’t explored any other islands in the Caribbean, so we can’t say anything about that title, but we can say that we felt welcomed in Puerto Rico, and we loved its capital San Juan!

Good to know: Puerto Rico celebrates Pride in June and in December too, with a winter Pride!

Find your San Juan hotel right here. 

Seattle, Washington

 

Seattle is a beautiful, lesbian friendly destination in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a city that’s welcoming, safe, and friendly.

As Washington State’s largest city, it’s a very LGBTQIA-friendly destination. The LGBTQ laws in the state are among the best in the United States.

The city is very green and has mountains nearby and lots of water to enjoy. Plus, in Seattle you can find many great restaurants with delicious foods. The art scene in Seattle is also exciting and the city has many cute neighborhoods.

The neighborhood Capitol Hill is the gay heart of the city. Capitol Hill is full of rainbow flags, rainbow crossings, and gay-owned bars, restaurants, and shops.

We haven’t visited Seattle yet ourselves (it’s super high on our list), but we’ve heard many great stories from our queer friends.

Find the perfect Seattle hotel right here. 

 

Key West, Florida

Blue waters, white sand beaches, and palm trees! Key West is a great US lesbian vacation destination if you want to relax. But also if you want to be active and go on the water for some water sports.

The island is known for its relaxed vibes and for being very tolerant and welcoming. It’s also the southernmost point of the mainland United States and only 90 miles from Cuba.

Be sure to book your Key West hotel here soon.

San Francisco, California

Back to the West Coast! California is known for being a welcoming, progressive, and overall LGBTQIA-friendly state. And San Francisco, in the north of the state, is a beautiful city that has much to offer. A must-see is of course the Golden Gate Bridge.

But Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, the colorful Painted Ladies architecture, and the gay neighborhood the Castro District can’t be missed either.

In the entire city, you can find gay-owned businesses. San Francisco is a very welcoming city! Next to San Francisco, there’s the city of Oakland, which is great to visit on a day trip from San Francisco.

Find a fantastic San Francisco hotel right here. 

Burlington, Vermont

Located in the state of Vermont, this lively small city is perfect to visit! Especially if you like to ski or snowboard.

It snows a lot in Burlington and there are many ski resorts nearby. Just 45 minutes away from Burlington you can find the town Stowe, which hosts a yearly gay ski week.

Progressive Burlington is also great to visit during the warmer months, for a romantic lesbian honeymoon for example! Go kayaking, hiking, or sleeping in the forests.

Find a lovely Burlington hotel right here.

Chicago, Illinois

Another place on this list of USA lesbian vacation destinations that’s perfect for a city trip is Chicago.

Nicknamed the Windy City, Chicago is an amazing Midwestern city that has lots to offer: Think fun things to do, friendly people, and a thriving LGBTQIA scene. There are two gay neighborhoods in Chicago: Northalsted and Andersonville.

Northalsted was previously known as Boystown, but since that name wasn’t very inclusive, and since the place isn’t just for boys, its name changed! Boystown/Northalsted was the first officially recognized LGBTQIA community in the United Stated. It’s the place to be for LGBTQIA nightlife in Chicago, but also for food and drinks during the day.

Andersonville has the nickname Girlstown, as it’s the lesbian leaning counterpart. The neighborhood is a lot smaller, but is also fun to explore! It has many trendy cafés, shops, and restaurants. Make sure top stop at Women and Children First Bookstore; it’s a lesbian-founded bookstore where you can buy LGBTQIA titles.

Other must-see spots in Chicago are Cloud, Gate in Millennium Park (aka the Bean), The Skydeck at Willis Tower, and a stroll along the Chicago River. The city also boasts outstanding art and theater scenes. Also make sure to eat Chicago-style deep-dish pizza while you’re in town!

Find wonderful Windy City hotel here. 

Fort Lauderdale is the gay capital of Florida! The city truly lives up to that title, so pack your swimwear and make your way to this South Florida gem.
Fort Lauderdale is a beach city that welcomes over 1.1 million LGBTQIA visitors each year (well, before 2020 anyway). The city has one of America’s highest concentration of same-sex couples and there’s always a party going on in Fort Lauderdale. Looking to relax? Head to one of many great beaches!
Pride takes place in October and in June there’s a Stonewall Pride parade and festival.

Austin, Texas

Austin is not like the rest of Texas. The state, overall, is conservative and not as welcoming or accepting. Its capital city is a whole different story, however. Austin is liberal, progressive, and has a visible LGBTQIA community. Austin is the perfect city trip destination for your lesbian vacation!
There isn’t just one gayborhood in the city, you can find the community all over Austin. The city is known as the “Live music capital of the world,” and has two major music festivals that attract many people: Austin City Limits and South by Southwest (SXSW).

Cheer up Charlie’s is a lesbian-owned vegan bar, which is fun to visit if you are in Austin.

Find a the perfect place to stay in Austin here. 

Portland, Oregon

Over 5% of Portland’s population identifies as queer. That’s a lot higher than the average in the United States. So of course, Portland has to be included between these other great US lesbian vacation destinations.

Many members of the LGBTQ community move to Portland to live.

And Portland is definitely a fun city to visit! Something we Dutchies love about Portland is that the city is very bicycle friendly. Many people bike here. The city has been rated best cycling city in America and best walking city in America in the past.

The city is home to many queer events like the Portland Film Festival and Portland Pride Festival, so if you can combine your visit with a queer event, we highly recommend it.

Next on this list with lesbian vacation destinations is Northampton which is known as the lesbianville of the East. Some name Portland lesbianville of the West!

Find a perfect Portland hotel here. 

Northampton, Massachusetts

And last but not least on this list with USA lesbian vacation destinations: Northampton.

Northampton is in Massachusetts, also known as Lesbianville, a title that was given to this town many years ago. It’s arguably the best place in the United Sates for lesbians, especially to live in.

It’s a small town, so there isn’t a lot to do, but the Northampton is famous for its free-spirited hippie vibes, being an academic town that has multiple universities, and is an artistic and music hub. The best part: It’s full of lesbians!

Go on a day trip to Northampton from Boston or New York City (around a 3-hour drive) or decide to stay a couple days to fully enjoy Lesbianville.

About 30,000 people live in Northampton and in the past years many other people of the LGBTQIA community joined the lesbians and chose to live here.

Find a great place to stay in Northampton here. 

 

Enjoy these US lesbian vacation destinations! Did we miss any great lesbian vacations destinations in the USA? Let us know!

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