TripOut Gay Travel:
Going Gay Down South by Jason Dottley

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  Buckhead
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  The Korner Lounge 800 Louisiana Avenue
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  Tribe Bar 1517A Church Street
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  B-Bob’s 213 Conti Street
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  The Miss Mississippi Pageant
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  Dallas Symphony Opera House 2301 Flora Street
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  Highland Park Village 4500 Mockingbird Lane
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  Hilton Anatole 2201 Stemmons Freeway
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  J.R.'s 3923 Cedar Springs Road
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  Kitchen Dog Theatre 3120 Mckinney Avenue
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  Lucky's 3531 Oak Lawn Avenue
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  Majestic Theatre 1925 Elm Street
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  S4 3911 Cedar Springs Road
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  Skivvies 4001 Cedar Springs Road
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  Sue Ellen's 3903 Cedar Springs Road
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  The Crescent 200 Crescent Court
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  The Mansion 3411 Gillespie Street
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  The Round-Up Saloon 3912 Cedar Springs Road
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  Uptown Players 2600 North Stemmons Freeway
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  W Hotel - Dallas 2440 Victory Park Lane
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  Warwick Melrose Hotel 3015 Oak Lawn Avenue
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  Woody's 4011 Cedar Springs Road
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  Georgie's Alibi 2266 Wilton Drive
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  Pineapple Point 315 NE 16th Terrace
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  The Rose Room at S4 The Rose Room at S4
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Although I grew up in the South—Mississippi to be specific—I didn’t come out until I was 16 and living in central Florida, so I didn’t learn much about the gay South until I’d moved to California and had the opportunity to go back as an adult and really explore. All of the gay bars I frequented as an under-aged teeny-bopper in Tampa are now gone, which really makes me sad as some of the best gay places in the South were hidden in the downtown corridors of Tampa, discovered during my early gay years. Now my list is comprised mostly of places I’ve seen while working. Between being on the road touring with Sordid Lives in 2006, raising funds for my next film Southern Baptist Sissies, and filming and then traveling the greater US of A promoting my new TV show, Sordid Lives: The Series, I’ve had some fantastically gay times all around the South.

I’m usually one for randomization, but with a list of favorites, I’m putting these gay spots in order from nine to one, number one being my favorite!

#9) The Korner Lounge, Shreveport, LA

http://www.thekornerlounge.com/

Just a bit smaller than my living room, the Korner Lounge sits modestly on the corner of a beat-up strip of downtown Shreveport. Low-key and intimate, the Korner Lounge was a cast favorite during the filming of Sordid Lives: The Series. An antique Coke-Cola refrigerator glows from behind the bar, a few dusty poker machines line the back wall near the bathrooms, and sweet Southern gentlemen sit at two-topped bar tables drinking, laughing and sharing their most fantastic tales with anyone, even a crew of out-of-towners like us.
The Korner Lounge, 800 Louisiana Ave., Shreveport, LA; tel. 318-221-2898; http://www.thekornerlounge.com/

#8) Georgie’s Alibi, Wilton Manors (Fort Lauderdale), FL

I went on my first R.S.V.P. gay cruise two springs ago (and LOVED it!) out of Fort Lauderdale. The ship-off party was held the night before we left at Georgie’s Alibi, a neighborhood bar with a full menu and several fully stocked bars. Video screens light up the inside, while a great mix of guys and gals, young and old, light up cigarettes on the huge outside patio area. When I was starring in and producing the national tour of Sordid Lives (and Southern Baptist Sissies) in 2006, Georgie’s Alibi hosted a great party for us honoring our last tour stop and Sissies’ leading lady Delta Burke’s 50th birthday. I don’t remember much from that night, but I do remember a worthwhile hangover from the next morning.
Georgie’s Alibi, 2266 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL; tel. 954-565-2526;

http://georgiesalibi.com/wiltonmanors.html

#7) Pineapple Point Guesthouse & Resort, Fort Lauderdale, FL

While we’re in the area, let’s move on down the street to my favorite American gay resort (that I’ve been to so far), Pineapple Point. The owners of Pineapple Point so kindly put Del Shores and myself up while we were in Fort Lauderdale both raising money for our film Southern Baptist Sissies and awaiting the departure of our R.S.V.P. cruise. My previous experiences in gay resorts were not good ones. From Palm Springs to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, I have always had a sub-par experience when not staying at a mainstream hotel. That all changed during my visit to Pineapple Point. The food was delicious, the room – rather the cottage –was spectacular, the guests were cruisy in the right, non-threatening kind of way, our hosts were splendid and the numerous jacuzzis and pools kept you cooled off while the hot, Florida sun spilled even more heat onto the naked bodies lounged around the resort.
Pineapple Point Guesthouse & Resort, 315 N.E. 16th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301; tel. 888-844-7295;

http://www.pineapplepoint.com

#6) Tribe Bar, Nashville, TN
I’ll be honest; I never thought I’d spend much time in gay bars in the South. Boy, was I wrong. Over several years and for many purposes, I’ve found myself at Tribe in Nashville. Some bars have an at home feel to them that, when mixed with the right music and people, leave you destined to have a good time. Tribe Bar is that bar. The boys are friendly, the drinks are strong and the times are good and ready to be had.
Tribe Bar, 1517A Church Street, Nashville, TN; tel. 615-329-2912;

http://www.tribenashville.com/

#5) Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
Never mind gay bars, resorts or spas, Atlanta’s Buckhead district is gay enough without listing any of the usual suspects. In these parts, gay men seem to display some Gone With the Wind drawl that is just peachy, and all the gorgeous Southern women leave gay men drooling in their wake as they pass by with only the newest and finest Louis Vuitton bags and Chanel clutches. Shopping in Buckhead is orgasmic. When you can walk half a block and go from the Rodeo Drive-esque Phipps Plaza where children’s choirs and orchestras fill the walls with holiday tunes from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, to the monstrous Lenox Square Mall without even noticing how tired your arms are from carrying all those shopping bags, you know you are in gay heaven. It’s said that all gay men dream of great head, well, this gay man dreams of Buckhead!

#4) B-Bob’s, Mobile, AL

Courtesy of Jason Dottley

I had the best Mother’s Day this year while promoting Sordid Lives: The Series at B-Bob’s in Mobile. I was flown in to host a drag show and give away some special Sordid items, and what I discovered was one of the sweetest gay bars in the South. B-Bob’s has been an active part of the gay scene in Mobile for over 15 years. Think about it. That’s a long time in a little, conservative Southern town. My mom liked the bar more than most because of its true mix of lesbians and gay men. She strongly dislikes the way we segregate ourselves within the gay community, so seeing what appeared to be a true 50/50 split of gays and lesbians really thrilled my mom. I have pictures of her just surrounded by lesbians. At 4am, after the owner of B-Bob’s escorted us to a private gay bar around the corner, I finally said, “Mom, we have to go back to our hotel. It’s four o’clock in the morning!” When you can’t get Mom home, you know the bar is rockin’!!!
B-Bob’s, 213 Conti Street, Mobile, AL; tel. 251-433-2262;

http://www.b-bobs.com/

#3) The Miss Mississippi Pageant, Vicksburg, MS
I told a bit of a fib earlier. I did get a dose of the gay South while I lived in Mississippi, I just wasn’t old enough yet to understand it. For nine years I attended the Miss Mississippi Pageant with my family all four nights of the competition. My grandmother Nina was a hostess and my great-aunt Boop was a head hostess, so we had contestants in and out of our homes all year. Several winners lived with my Aunt Boop and the last girl I saw crowned, Heather Soriano, stayed with me in California often before introducing me to her sister Sonja who introduced me to Del Shores, my lovely husband of nearly 5 years.

At any rate, the Miss Mississippi Pageant has to be one of the gayest places in the South. Pageant directors and coaches swish through the Vicksburg Convention Center leaving invisible trails of feather boas and chiffon as they pass. Girls have their hair teased to the heavens by hysterical queens, their make-up perfected by “the gay guy from the MAC counter in Jackson”, their talents honed by the finest gay vocal coaches, and their crowns envied by an audience that’s at least 35 per cent gay – mostly married men, but that’s another story. Still, the gayest place of all is the men’s bathroom during the swimsuit competition. I remember coming out to my grandfather, a former pro-footballer for the Chicago Bears, and him telling me that he’d been waiting for this since I was just a little boy. “Was it that obvious every year when I left the pageant each night for more popcorn, annoyed by yet another round of the boring swimsuit competition?” “Yes,” he replied kindly. “And I’m so proud of you for finally being able to tell me.”

http://www.missmississippipageant.com/index.html

#2) Dallas, TX (Yes, the entire city.)
If West Hollywood is the gay mecca of the West, Palm Springs the gay mecca of the desert, South Beach the gay mecca of all coastal cities, then Dallas must be the gay mecca of the South, right? Well, some say it’s Atlanta. Of course those in Texas don’t think they’re Southern, they’re Texan. I think both groups are wrong and that Dallas is the gay mecca of the South. For a city to be loved by me, it must be able to provide the best-of-the-best in five key areas: Dining, shopping, accommodations, entertainment and culture. Let’s get started.

Dining: Sure there’s five-star dining abundant in Dallas, but to me, there’s nothing better than chicken-fried chicken, fried okra, black-eyed peas and sweet tea from Lucky’s on Oak Lawn Drive. The Sunday morning wait is well worth it if you like biscuits and gravy, grits and, yes, chicken-fried chicken and eggs!

Shopping: Like Atlanta, Dallas has shopping covered! From the Village at Highland Park, to great underwear shops like Skivvies, to malls that seem as endless as the Bush administration, you can shop till you drop in Dallas without ever trying.
Accommodations: When it’s time to drop, lay your head on a down pillow in gay-town’s Warwick Melrose Hotel or the uber-gay friendly Hilton Annatole. If you are up for a truly spectacular night’s sleep, hit The Crescent, The Mansion or the fabulous new W Hotel in downtown Dallas.

Entertainment: Do you like gay bars? I do. Try S4 for club dancing, Woody’s for great video bar fun, the Round-Up for a quick dose of line dancing and beer, J.R.’s for a nice drink and a burger (also a great spot to watch the annual Halloween festival) and for the best of the night, see my #1 “Favorite Place in the South”.

Culture: Beyond the typical Southern charm you’ll find in Texas and the South, Dallas seems to have a more European openness to it than you’d expect. Gay couples hold hands down the famous Cedar Springs, arts and theatre are in glorious excess (with such great theatrical troupes as the Uptown Players, thrilling theatrical homes such as the Kitchen Dog Theatre, the Broadway worthy Majestic Theatre, and the Dallas Symphony Opera House), and a sense of community that echoes that of a small town, not a gay mecca. Dallas is my Southern home away from home. Great, now I’m craving chicken fried chicken. Anyone?

#1) The Rose Room at S4, Dallas, TX
This is, without question, my favorite gay spot in the South. The Rose Room is home to nightly drag shows that will blow your socks off! Hostess Cassie Nova will have you peeing your britches (you’re in Texas, call them britches!), performer Krystal Summers will make you think you’re seeing things – like a REAL woman!, and the drinks are strong enough to have you leaving the bar swearing you’d just seen the most twisted version of the talent competition at the Miss Mississippi Pageant.
The Rose Room at S4, 3923 Cedar Springs Rd Dallas; tel. 214.559.4190;

http://www.caven.com/rose_roomdallas.htm