I've never been inside, so I don't know what the atmosphere is, but the patrons I get in my cab are nice, respectful, and normal.
It's also-I don't know a delicate way to put this-a bar where guys go to, uh, meet each other and relieve each other's stress. Pretty much any bar in the back half of the Quarter is, if not explicitly a gar bar, at least very gay-friendly.ĭown in the Marigny is The Phoenix, which is probably the closest thing to a bear bar we have.
These are by no means the only gay bars in the Quarter, but these are the big ones. Over on North Rampart is a string of gay bars, like The Ninth Circle and a few others, that are probably not dangerous but are pretty sketchy. (I'll put it like this.if you were my younger brother, I wouldn't mind you going to The Rawhide, but I'd be a little sketched out if you called me from The Roundup.) However, it also has a lot of old school Quarter types who seem like they've been going there for 100 years. The Roundup is a bit more iffy.I get a lot of users, losers, and abusers out of there. Based on the people I pick up or drop off, The Rawhide seems to be a club for normal dudes who are into a more "serious" scene and who don't want to hang out with the college kids and straight girls and tourists who gravitate to The Pub and the Oz. These are obviously a little rough around the edges, though I wouldn't exactly call them dangerous. I recommend it, though.) I'd hesitate to call them neighborhood bars, per se, because they're in the French Quarter and therefore susceptible to all sorts of random skeevy people coming through.Īlso around the bottom of the Quarter is Rawhide and The Roundup. (Don't confuse Lafitte's Landing with Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, which is right around there and isn't specifically a gay bar. Within a few blocks of there is Good Friends and Lafitte's Landing, which are a lot less crazy and not nearly as loud. These are really clubby.they're pretty much like any other Bourbon St club, except the drunken 20-year-olds dancing on the bars are skinny dudes instead of sorority girls. Ann and Bourbon is Parade (which most people still call The Pub) and Oz. The bottom end of the French Quarter-that is, the one closest to the Marigny-has a pretty high density of gay clubs and bars. In addition to the spooky goings on, there’s a cheeky ghost who likes to pinch the rear ends of visitors! Of course ghost hunters of all kinds are welcome, but it’s an incredible LGBTQ+ safe-space that hosts an array of events for the community.I'm not gay, but I do drive a cab in New Orleans, so I might have a little insight here. Capote is often seen haunting the stairs, while Williams rests up on his favorite seat at the bar. The duo have since been spotted at the establishment, haunting their favorite gay bar in New Orleans.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commonsīoth Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote used to frequently visit the bar when in the Big Easy. The bar has always been welcoming and encourages individuality, creativity, and love! You’ll definitely spot a queen or two, as the venue is known for their fabulous drag shows. The city is home to not only one of the most haunted eateries in the nation, but it claims to be the oldest operating gay bar in the country.Ĭafe Lafitte in Exile has been operating since 1933 and the end of the Prohibition Era. New Orleans is known for being one of the most haunted places in the United States. Have a drink with Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams at this haunted gay bar in New Orleans.