Hobart properties,
owner of several of
Key West's most
popular LGBT resorts
is offering great
deals on rooms and
suites at all of
their hotels. One
flat rate gets you a
room in the heart of
Key West just a few
blocks from all of
the action on Duval
Street and world
famous tourist
attractions like the
Hemingway House, the
Audubon Society and
Mallory Square. Pick
a room at any one of
Hobart Resorts
properties and fall
in love with
LGBT Key
West
all over again. For
more information,
use these links:
The Coral
Tree Inn,
Oasis
Guesthouse
and
Coconut
Grove Guesthouse
To easily move the Key West Gay and
Lesbian City Guide onto your phone or iPad for quick event
updates or to check out more photos shoot the QR Code on the left. Use
the short goo link above to Tweet, update
your Facebook profiles and spread the word
about Edison Farrow's Events.
Whether it’s called the Conch
Republic, Cayo Hueso, Bone
Island, or the Southernmost
City, Key West is known as
paradise to over 500,000 gay and
lesbian tourists who visit the
island each year. Imagine a
subtropical island glowing with
the rainbow colors of
bougainvillea, royal Poinciana,
and hibiscus blooms, where the
year around temperature is in
the high 70’s. Here two
turquoise bodies of water – the
Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of
Mexico – lap the shore. From its
gay and lesbian nightlife,
accommodations and events- to
its welcoming community,
live-and-let-live, “come as you
are” attitude- Key West is
internationally acclaimed as a
top gay and lesbian destination.
Key West's award winning
gay and
lesbian accommodations have long
set the industry standard. While
the phrase “gay guesthouse” was
invented in Key West, its
meaning has evolved. Today's gay
and lesbian traveler to Key West
has more options than ever,
featuring different levels of
amenities, sexual temperature,
location and much more. Key West
features several men-only,
clothing-optional resorts. It
has the world's largest
all-women resort. It has
clothing-optional resorts that
welcome both gay men and
lesbians. The island also
features over 100 gay-friendly
inns, many more private homes
for rent, and hotel choices
ranging from budget chains to
two recently-acquired Waldorf –
Astoria Collection ocean front
resorts (The
Reach Resort and Casa
Marina).
Key West's nightlife has long
been notorious. Many of its
Gay and Lesbian bars
and clubs, like its characters,
have become legend. From the
earlier days of the Monster and
the Copa to unforgettable tea
dances, Key West's daily parties
are intertwined with its gay and
lesbian history. Today's Key
West has continued that
tradition. During the day, many
visitors enjoy the island's
clothing optional men and women
only pool bars. Each night, a
different crowd of gay and
lesbian visitors fills hot spots
both on and off Duval Street.
Today's Key West features more
gay and lesbian nightlife
options than ever: cabarets,
dance clubs, drag shows, piano
bars, a leather/levi bar, a
gay-friendly country bar, and
neighborhood bars. Sunday's
themed
Tea Dance at
La Te Da continues to grow
after decades. Every weekend,
lounges featuring the latest
trends in dance and electronic
music attract gay and straight
tourists and residents alike.
All of Key West's
restaurants and nightspots are within walking
distance of one another and the
island's guesthouses and other
accommodations.
While it is no secret that Key
West knows how to throw a party,
the island often plays host to
gay and lesbian tourists during
recently developed and retooled
events, attracting thousands.
While other destinations
actively discourage spring
breakers, Key West's Gay Spring
Break attracts a large crowd of
younger gay men and lesbians who
want to enjoy the annual ritual
in an environment in which they
can safely be themselves.
Key West Gay Pride (June) is
a celebration of Key West's open
community. Tropical Heat
(August) is a steamy four day
event for gay men. Womenfest
(September) attracts up to 5,000
women each year and features
over a week of events. Bone
Island Bare It All Weekends have
become South Florida's largest
naturist gatherings for gay men.
Every October, between 50,000
and 80,000 visitors party in the
streets and nightspots of Key
West during Fantasyfest. The
island also features different
pageants for every month,
numerous charity events, and
several themed weekend events.
New Years rings in with Key
West Drag icon Sushi being
lowered in a six foot red
stiletto carried live
internationally on CNN.
Gay men and women can choose
from exclusively gay and lesbian
water activities such as
snorkeling, fishing, sunset
sailing, and dolphin watching;
or join other island visitors
above, on, or below the sea. The
beaches offer sunning,
volleyball, wind surfing, or
just relaxing under the trees.
Nearly a third of Key West’s
28,000 year-round residents are
gay or lesbian. A large
percentage of businesses proudly
fly the rainbow flag. Many gay
men and women feel more at ease
on this congenial subtropical
island than anywhere else in the
world. In a recent Harris Poll,
Key West was selected as the
second-most gay friendly city in
the United States, ahead of
every other resort destination.
The Key West Business Guild,
founded in 1978, operates a gay
and lesbian visitor center seven
days a week and provides
information at
www.gaykeywestfl.com
and
www.returntokeywest.com.
Liberal, civilized, and
sophisticated, Key West has a
gay police chief and openly gay
law enforcement officials who
protect the rights of residents
and visitors regardless of race,
age, gender or sexual
orientation. Even the political
arena reflects this easygoing
attitude. Key West was the first
city in the United States to
elect an openly gay mayor; a
variety of other high-profile
elected and appointed civic
positions — from city and county
commissioner to chamber of
commerce president — have been
and are held by gays and
lesbians. The rainbow flag
stands alongside the American
flag in the city commission
chambers, and the city’s
official motto is One Human
Family, proclaiming equality and
acceptance for all people.
For gay and lesbian visitors,
Key West is a place to be open
and relaxed. It’s a venue to
make new friends, to dress up or
dress down, or just wear a
dress. It’s a place to play from
dawn to dusk or luxuriate in
laziness. Above all, it’s a
prime destination to enjoy
carefree days and nights on an
irresistible, accepting tropical
island unlike any other.
Written with a little help from
the Key West Business Guild.
Wanderlust is a comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd as a married couple who try to escape modern society by leaving their cushy lives in New York. After an urban couple purchases a place in New York, the husband loses his job. With no other options, the couple leaves for Georgia to live with family. Along the way, they stay at a bed and breakfast hotel that turns out to be a hippie commune.
Other movies
out this
week:
Good Deeds is a romantic drama film written, directed by and starring Tyler Perry.
Gone
is a
thriller
starring
Amanda
Seyfried.
