8 Under-the-Radar LGBTQ+ Destinations Across North America

Queer travelers often clamor for hotels and house shares in well-known, top-dollar destinations—be it autumn escapes to New York City or summer sojourns to Provincetown. While these popular locations are worthy of a visit, the sticker shock of planning a trip can be a deterrent, as it’s common to spend upwards of $1,000 for vacations that last only a weekend.

For LGBTQ+ travel that doesn’t break the bank, head instead to budget destinations around the US, Canada, and Mexico that roll out the rainbow carpet for visitors. These spots might not carry the same name recognition as Puerto Vallarta or Fire Island, but they offer something different: a chance to travel off the beaten path and see North America from a new point of view.

Here are eight affordable, underrated LGBTQ+ destinations worth checking out.

 

1. Hudson, New York

Walk down Warren Street, the main drag of this river town 120 miles north of New York City, and Hudson’s queer bona fides quickly reveal themselves. By day, hop between LGBTQ+-owned clothing and craft stores (try Mikel Hunter’s punk apparel; peep FINCH’s vintage decor). Save time for the town’s smattering of free-to-visit art galleries, too: Carrie Haddad devotes an entire second-floor wing to Mark Beard’s homoerotic male nudes. By night, Hudson’s queer community gathers at pan-Latin restaurant Lil’ Deb’s Oasis for tamales and natural wine and, if you’re lucky, local trans cabaret performer Justin Vivian Bond will be singing somewhere nearby. Her musical interpretations are queer lullabies—the perfect way to wind down before resting your head at the centrally located Hudson Whaler.

2. Zipolite, Oaxaca

Zipolite is for beach bums—literally. This slender seaside village boasts Mexico’s only legal naturist beach, where sunbaked hippies and an inclusive queer contingency bare it all before the mighty Pacific. As the sun starts setting, LGBTQ+ crowds gather at Playa del Amor for golden hour, taking full-frontal advantage of Zipolite’s lax clothing laws. Don’t forget your day drag: Clothes are necessary while dining and drinking along the Adoquin, the town’s central strip, where you’ll find cheap tacos at El Delfín Taqueria and mezcal flights at Mezcaleria Gota Gorda. El Alquimista is Zipolite’s classiest crash pad (still thrifty compared to popular seaside resorts), with hammocks swinging from porches overlooking the sea.

3. Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs is so delighted by its LGBTQ+ community that it doesn’t throw one Diversity Weekend (similar to Pride)—it throws three. After bohemians colonized this rural Ozark hamlet in the mid-20th century, Eureka Springs earned a reputation as a rainbow island in the middle of politically red Arkansas. Grab joe from Just Bee Coffee Bar—founded by Belén Arriola, a queer woman of color—and stroll the town’s serpentine blocks. (“Not even our streets are straight,” goes a local adage.) You’ll find most of the queer crowd hanging at Wanderoo Lodge, run by trans man Ethan Avanzino and his husband, David—a cost-friendly motel doubling as a restaurant and bar. After meeting the locals, jump in 28,000-acre Beaver Lake or mountain-bike around 15 miles of trails at Lake Leatherwood. Cap it all off at Missy’s White Rabbit Lounge, belting Orville Peck’s queer country hits at karaoke.

4. St. Petersburg, Florida

The Sunshine State gets major shade for its lack of LGBTQ+ inclusivity—but not St. Pete. Since 2014, this Gulf Shore haven has earned a perfect score from HRC’s Municipal Equality Index, which evaluates how cities treat their LGBTQ+ communities. Queer life centers around the Grand Central District, where gay bars like Cocktail St. Pete splash onto restaurant-packed Central Avenue (grab a Cuban sandwich from Bodega on Central to sop up last night’s liquor). Spend your weekends strutting around Sunset Beach with Speedo-clad swimmers, and then join art lovers at the surrealist Dalí Museum. (Fun fact: Many art historians believe painter Salvador Dalí was bisexual.) Whether sleeping at the Art Deco-inspired Avalon or gay-centric Casa del Merman, it’s easy to imagine this pink pocket of Florida is just a dream.

5. Ogunquit, Maine

This is Maine’s answer to Provincetown: an Atlantic summer community that glories in its art scene and waves its Pride flag high. It’s also significantly less expensive than its Cape Cod cousin and, if you’re coming from Boston (90 miles south), easier to reach. Rev up with cold brew from queer-owned Backyard Coffeehouse & Eatery before hiking the 1.25-mile Marginal Way cliff or sinking into Ogunquit Beach, one of Maine’s few sandy shorelines. As night descends, head to alfresco Brix + Brine to slurp oysters and spritzes, and then see what’s playing at the Ogunquit Playhouse, a Broadway-caliber summer theater in operation since the 1930s. The tunes don’t stop at Front Porch with its sing-along piano bar, and you’ll find local drag queens performing at MaineStreet. For lodging, there’s a laundry list of gay-owned bed-and-breakfasts, including the quiet and quaint Dragonfly Guest House.

6. Lost River, West Virginia

LGBTQ+ folks from Washington, DC, have two nearby options for weekends away: Head east to action-packed Rehoboth Beach or drive west to Lost River, where hardwood forests provide the bucolic backdrop for this lesser-known queer destination. Lost River owes its place in LGBTQ+ travel to Bob Diller, who opened the Guesthouse Lost River in the 1980s, offering gay politicos a chance to escape prying eyes among West Virginia’s mountains. While driving into town, stop at the gay-owned Lost River Trading Post for everything from baked goods and wine to artisan crafts. Lost River also happens to be 70 miles from Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary—a Pennsylvania campsite that hosts Honcho, a queer EDM festival in August where urbanites camp beneath trees for a week of Burning Man debauchery.

7. Jasper, Alberta

Tiny Jasper isn’t your typical LGBTQ+ destination. There aren’t many drag shows or up-all-night parties, though serious stargazers have good reason to stay awake. That’s because this town lies within Canada’s Jasper National Park, a 4,200-square-mile wilderness and the world’s second-largest Dark Sky Preserve. You’re more likely to see hoary marmots than humans while hiking the park’s 620 miles of trails, unless you’re on the popular trek to Athabasca Falls, a 75-foot-tall cascade that forms rainbows in its mist. Queer life comes alive during Jasper Pride and Ski Festival in April, the only gay ski week in the Canadian Rockies. Eateries throughout town get in on the fun: Down Pride-themed pints at Jasper Brewing Company, or eat rainbow trout at Fiddle River Restaurant, which donates proceeds to the local Pride organization. Look for hotels offering steep discounts during the celebration, like the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, equipped with a spa and cross-country skiing trails.

8. New Hope, Pennsylvania

Skip through New Hope on a weekend, when you’ll find its walkable Main Street abuzz. Visitors from New York City (70 miles northeast) and Philadelphia (40 miles southwest) frolic between antique stores, craft shops, and galleries before seeing Broadway babies at the Bucks County Playhouse (open May to December), followed by pub grub and pints at the queer-forward Cub Room. The tiny town’s history as an LGBTQ+ enclave dates to the 1930s, when NYC thespians found solace among the New Hope’s hills, which roll toward the infamous Revolutionary War site where George Washington crossed the Delaware River. Grab a room at the gay-owned Pineapple Hill Inn, don’t miss the monthly gay-forward High Tea at the Playhouse Deck, and consider planning your trip around the annual Pride festival in May, which draws thousands of spectators.