San Antonio - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

The centre of San Antonio's queer scene is North Main Avenue around Evergreen Street, known locally as "The Strip". Most of the city's gay bars and clubs line up along this mile-long stretch, with a few more addresses in other neighbourhoods.

Heat is the biggest club on the Strip, with several rooms, DJs, go-go dancers and drag. Sparky's Pub is a roomy English-style bar with a dance floor, pool tables and patios front and back, while WKND keeps people dancing late into the night. The leather crowd heads to the Eagle, which has its own entrance on Evergreen Street. Ay Qué Chula is also on North Main Avenue. Away from the Strip, the Bonham Exchange near the Alamo has been part of the scene for decades.

The city's gay bathhouse, The Z, sits on North Zarzamora Street on the West Side, well away from the bar district. Local directories list no dedicated lesbian bar; lesbian and sapphic women meet through groups such as Lez Dance SATX and Just Us Lesbians, which run their own nights.

Once a year, at the end of June, the whole scene comes together. Pride holds its daytime festival in Crockett Park, the parade rolls up North Main Avenue after dark, and the Strip turns into a block party for the weekend.