lgbqtx

my friend collin, camping at the highlands resort in guerneville

In the 1970's, the Russian River became a popular destination for gay men, with many of them buying and restoring homes and businesses, pumping money and life into the area. It remains a very gay-friendly place with many of the biggest businesses LGBTX-owned, and with gay-themed festivals hosted in the area year-round, including the world-famous annual Lazy Bear Weekend.

The entire Russian River area is gay-friendly, so, creating a list of gay-friendly businesses would be silly. In fact, even businesses that specifically cater to gay clientele attract plenty of straight customers. That being said, here is a list that LGBT travelers may particularly enjoy:

Bars

Rainbow Cattle Company - (707) 869-1765 - queersteer.com

The r 3 hotel (The Triple R) - (707) 869-8399 - ther3hotel.com

Camping

Highlands Resort - (707) 869-0333 - highlandsresort.com

Wildwood Retreat Center - (707) 632-5200 - wildwoodretreat.com

Events

May - Russian River Women's Weekend - Guerneville - russianriverwomensweekend.org

June - Sonoma County Gay Pride - Guerneville - sonomacountypride.org

August - Lazy Bear Weekend - Guerneville - lazybearweekend.com

November - Russian River Leather Weekend - Guerneville - rrwoods.com

Lodging