Travel Queer Here

These inclusive smaller Southern towns take pride

- BETH D'ADDONO

in today’s political climate, traveling in the South while queer can feel like a dicey proposition. Of course, New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, and Asheville, North Carolina, are a few of the bigger cities that roll out the rainbow welcome mat. New Orleans is the gold standard, with its Southern Decadence festival akin to a queer Mardi Gras every Labor Day. It’s the largest LGBTQ+ event in the South.

But there are smaller towns, too, destinations where tourism and vibrant LGBTQ+ bragging rights coexist, forming well-rounded arts, culture, outdoors, and dining scenes reflecting a geographic sense of place. These five towns practice inclusive tourism along with a public commitment to DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s not just the right thing to do; it’s good business. Rainbow travelers spend plenty of green, adding up to $100 billion a year from the queer community in the US alone.

ATHENS, GEORGIA

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