Atlanta - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Queer life in Atlanta centers on Midtown, where several bars sit close together between Peachtree Street and Piedmont Avenue. A few more addresses are spread across East Atlanta, Druid Hills and Cheshire Bridge Road.

Blake's on the Park on 10th Street is a good first stop. It calls itself a neighborhood bar with music, shows, a kitchen and drinks. Bulldogs on Peachtree Street is considered the oldest gay bar in the city and has long been a gathering place for queer people of color. The Atlanta Eagle on Piedmont Avenue is a Levi and leather bar with its own leather shop, while the Heretic on Cheshire Bridge Road is a nightclub with a leather area and a dress code. Friends on Ponce, on Ponce de Leon Avenue, is a relaxed bar with a mixed crowd, and Oscar's on Piedmont Avenue is a video bar with a jukebox.

For women, My Sister's Room on Crescent Avenue is the lesbian bar that bills itself as Atlanta's number one. It was founded and is run by two women and offers shows, karaoke and food. Jolene Jolene on Hosea L Williams Drive is a sports bar aimed mainly at women.

The city's bathhouse is FLEX Spas on 4th Street NW in Midtown. It belongs to a small chain with locations in other US cities, runs on a membership basis and is for men only. Facilities include a pool, a jacuzzi and a steam room.

Beyond nightlife there are established community organizations. Lost-n-Found Youth on Chantilly Drive supports LGBTQ+ young people aged eighteen to twenty-five who are experiencing homelessness, with street outreach, a youth center and transitional housing; its thrift store helps fund the work. The Atlanta Pride Committee, best known for the October festival, also runs community grant programs for local groups and recruits volunteers throughout the year.