I have a confession to make.
I am a travel writer married to a man who will not board an airplane. Luckily, he has no problem driving long distances, so when we need to get to a distant destination we pack up the car, load in a supply of usually forbidden snacks and goodies, and arrange the cargo area so that I can stretch out on a futon and watch movies on my laptop, or read (or nap, which I tend to do on long car rides). He has on his headphones and listens to his music (which I hate), and we get to our destination eventually. We must be doing something right, we just celebrated 32 years together.
One of our favorite trips is up the East Coast to Massachusetts. We take a couple of weeks, load our laptops and our pup in the car and visit friends in Boston and Cambridge, and then we all head to Provincetown together for Carnival. On the way to Massachusetts, we visit friends or stay in interesting cities or LGBTQ-friendly resort areas. We try to limit our driving to less than eight hours in any day, with plenty of pee breaks for the dog (and us). If you’ve got the time, copy our trip or adapt it to your own interests. You’ll find it’s a lot less stressful than flying.
Day 1
Fort Lauderdale to Savannah, Georgia, 6-7 hours
Savannah, you ask? Well, we have friends there, but also because in Savannah you will find a bastion of open-mindedness and acceptance in the Deep South. The city of Savannah was founded on the idea that all people are equal, and this historic attitude has carried over into modern times regarding LGBTQ people. Adding to that is that the city is home to 17 colleges and universities including the prestigious Savannah College of Art & Design and you have a great artistic mindset. There aren’t any gay bars in the town, locals feel comfortable at any bar. Check out Chippewa Square, surrounded by many of Savannah's finest restaurants, galleries, and attractions. “Forrest Gump” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” were filmed here.
For more information, check out visitsavannah.com.
Day 2
Savannah to Washington, D.C., 8½ hours
We stretch this one because there ain’t a hell of a lot we want to see between Savannah and D.C. Washington, D.C. is perhaps as gay, if not gayer, than Wilton Manors/Fort Lauderdale. A Gallup poll reported that 8.6% of District of Columbia residents identified as LGBT, a higher percentage than any U.S. state. When this poll was taken (before Trump was elected), an estimated 209,000 LGBT people were living in the Washington metropolitan area, making up 4.5% of the population. The Census Bureau reported that there were 6,935 same-sex households in Washington, D.C., in 2018, of which 61% were same-sex spouses. In 2017, 2.9% of all households were same-sex couple households. Seventy-seven point four percent of those households were male couples. So, I guess we know who’s running this country. It used to be that all the LGBTQ activity was confined to the Dupont Circle, and to a lesser degree, Adams Morgan neighborhoods. Now you can add Logan Circle, The U Street Corridor, 14th Street NW, and a few that remain from The Gay Way (8th St. Southeast) of the late 1990s.
For more information, go to washington.org/lgbtq.
Days 3-4
Washington D.C. to Fire Island, 8 hours
It’s a five-hour drive from D.C. to the Bayshore Wharf where we can catch the ferry for a two-hour sail to Fire Island, where every bar is a gay bar. The Pines has more of a party atmosphere, Cherry Grove is more about house parties and residential events. The beach is wide open. Expect to pay a premium for your stay. There are only a couple of hotels, so your best bet is to see if you can get part of a share at a private home.
There’s a Boys of Fire Island Facebook group used for reserving rooms in Fire Island Pines. Create a post stating what type of accommodation you are looking for, as well as your budget. Keep in mind that a single room with two twin beds runs about $600. It’s not cheap! Post a photo of yourself along with your solicitation. It helps, even if you’re not the most beautiful model type. Once you’re settled in, head over to Pavillion for Low Tea every day, starting at 5 through 8 p.m. As Low Tea winds down, High Tea (also called Sip n’ Twirl) is just beginning on the pool deck and the upper Pavilion deck.
For a good summary of life on Fire Island and accommodation tips, go to wolfyy.com/travel-guide-gay-fire-island-pines.
Days 5–9
Bay Shore, Long Island to Provincetown, MA, 5½ hours
For a century, gay and lesbian travelers have made Provincetown a destination. Less than one hundred miles from Boston, they found a Bohemian culture that embraced them, and they embraced the town right back. Today, this colorful tip of Cape Cod continues to draw its energy and spirit from members of the LGBTQ community who come here year after year, some for the first time, and many who stopped counting long ago. There’s nothing like an LGBTQ event to make Provincetown’s streets teem with queens from coast to coast. Accommodations range from quaint guest houses to luxurious hotels. The entire town is LGBTQ-friendly and there are dozens of bars and clubs, cabarets, and shows. Celebrations such as Carnival attract some 90,000 people, especially for the flamboyant parade down Commercial Street. In Provincetown, queer events go on all summer long, but you don’t have to be there between Memorial Day and Labor Day to experience some color.
Go in May for Single Women’s Weekend, and in October for TransWeek (formerly Fantasia Fair). Among the most popular events are Pride (June 6-8), Provincetown International Film Festival (June 11-15), Frolic Weekend, a six-day celebration of queer joy for men of color from all over the world (June 18-23), Bear Week (July 12-19), Carnival (Aug. 16-Aug 23), Book Festival (Sept. 19-21), and Women’s Week (Oct.13-19).
For information on events, places to stay, and directions, go to ptown.org.
Day 10
Provincetown to Philadelphia, 7½ hours
The City of Brotherly Love was also home to the earliest LGBTQ demonstrations in the United States, long before Stonewall, with early picketing organized by LGBTQ organizations on July 4 at Independence Hall in 1965. The events were designed to inform and remind the American people that LGBT people did not enjoy basic civil rights protections. Now, Philadelphia’s LGBTQ community has a strong presence in the city. With the “Gayborhood” being an officially designated neighborhood and events promoted on the city’s website.
For more information, go to visitphilly.com.
Day 11
Philadelphia to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, 2½ hours
LGBTQ folks in Rehoboth like to call it a gay beach resort, but the town's official website cityofrehoboth.gov produces zero entries when you search LGBTQ. But the city will have its first Pride celebration July 14-16 this year, so I guess that’s progress. Being gay doesn’t always have to be in your face. Rehoboth was traditionally a place where folks from Washington, D.C. could step out of the spotlight, and that’s how it became a getaway for the LGBTQ community.
For more information, check out gayrehoboth.org.
Day 12
Rehoboth Beach to Raleigh, NC, 6 hours
Being the state capital and home to many colleges and universities, Raleigh is one bustling city. There is always something to do, see, or eat (it is a culinary destination)!
For information, go to visitraleigh.com which, in addition to accommodation and attractions, has an entire section devoted to LGBTQ offerings. You might also want to check out downtownraleigh.org or lgbtcenterofraleigh.com.
Days 13 & 14
Raleigh, NC to St Augustine, FL, 7 hours
St. Augustine, one of the oldest cities in America, and the one-time capital of the Florida territory, was founded more than 450 years ago, and home to Indigenous people for centuries before that. Its unique scenery and history set this city apart from any other in the country. Founded in 1565 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the contiguous United States. It is also supposedly the site where Ponce de Leon discovered the Fountain of Youth in 1513. This old town has brick-lined streets and a delightful European feel, unusual in Florida. Some of the buildings are centuries-old, and it’s not uncommon to see horse-drawn carriages and hidden courtyards. Accommodations range from LGBTQ-run B&Bs to luxury hotels to funky ‘50s motels.
Check out oldcity.com for suggestions on accommodation, dining, and attractions. From there, it’s just a click of the ruby slippers (and a four-and-a-half-hour drive) to return home to Fort Lauderdale. Home never looked so good.
