Village gay bar providence

Providence — Rhode Island — is perhaps the gayest state capital we have ever visited. And that is before we even talk about the booming food and arts scene…. In fact, we are honestly going to suggest you skip Boston entirely and make Providence the focus of your entire Gay Trip to New England.

Boston’s gay bars of yore

It is utterly fabulous and nothing at all like what we had expected. We loved roaming its streets of 18th and 19th-century buildings, taking endless photos and found ourselves mentally picking out paint samples for the stunning villas we planned to buy, do up and live our best gay life complete with two dogs, of course.

Providence is one of those rare destinations in the United States, which has a rich urban tapestry gay both old and modern, and we had a lot of fun exploring both. And rightfully so. This is a student town, after all, with the famous Brown University on College Hill — any town with this many students has to work to stay hip and relevant, and luckily Providence has done just that.

In fact, what we loved most was that there is barely a chain restaurant to be found downtown, and instead, in their place, you will find independent bar, chic cafes, and providence restaurants to investigate. When it bar to the local gay scene, well, where do we even gay Not only are there more gay clubs, bars, and bathhouses here than in nearby Boston — but there are rainbow flags flown across the city to let you know you are welcome absolutely everywhere you do.

Rhode Island was a state, after all, founded by Roger Williams, a religious dissenter banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony for his radical advocacy of religious toleration and separation of church and state. Constitution and Bill of Rights. This is all to say, Providence was the definition of a sanctuary city before that term was applied to areas harboring undocumented persons.

Persecuted people from the early s on to now have found protection in Providence, including religious minorities, Catholics back then and Jews in particular, and also the Quakers and Unitarians — all of which have contributed meaningfully to the creation of Providence today. Queer spirit is still strong here, and annual events such as the Rhode Island Pride Festival, the associated village parties and more see the entire downtown city shut down in a spectacle, unlike anything we have ever seen.

Even if you are not able to visit these flagship events, there is all but guaranteed to be something every village of the week to pique your interest. Are you relocating? This guide will help travelers discover the queerer side of the city. However, if you are lucky enough to be considering a move here, we recommend reading our article about moving to LGBT Providence or getting in touch with a local gay realtor.

And if you then want their help to find your dream home, you are guaranteed fair, equal, and honest representation. No surprises or awkward conversations are necessary! As we already said, there is a lot to love in this creative and accepting city. Providence blends the approachability and friendliness of a small town with the culture and refinement of a big city to create something unique, that just begs you to explore further and stay longer.

There is a prolific arts community, energetic and distinct neighborhoods to wander to, exceptional architecture, a distinguished restaurant scene, and so many more things to do. If you providence on getting a lot done, then car hire in Providence is a very affordable option and popular to see more far-flung attractions of Rhode Island and New England.

This is America, after all, and the car is king. But if you just want to explore the downtown gaybourhood and a few other places — public transport and rideshare apps should be sufficient. Naturally, being gay does not define which attractions most of us will want to see in each destination, and most queer travelers will simply want to check out the top things to see in Providence during the day!