You're in a gay bar in a state that's the unofficial home of 10,000 sports bars. Luckily, this place skips the drag queens, 3-for-1 drinks, and tacky chaos. Continue Reading

Cheap retro at its best, Lee’s offers lots of bang for your buck, with free live, local country, rockabilly, and pop bands Monday through Thursday and cheap covers—and beer—on weekends. Oh, and a GLBT barn dance every Sunday. Continue Reading

Don’t let the name fool you—they’re not encouraging you to pound the drinks and get crazy. Instead, Lush Food Bar offers a more relaxed, “luscious” experience. With 24-foot ceilings, this garage turned gay bar offers a spacious feel. And the three once-garage doors are now giant windows, one of which still opens, letting fresh air in during the summer. Stainless steel tables, maple booths and a large marble bar give this sleek venue a modern industrial feel. 

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The Minneapolis Eagle is a gay bar favored by professional men in their thirties and forties. Fridays kick off with a popular 3-4-1 happy hour and Sundays are hot for the Beer Bust.  The Eagle hosts one leather event every third Saturday of the month. For those who want to dance or mingle with a younger, glitzier crowd, The Eagle shares an interior door with The Bolt. Continue Reading

If male dancers and great drink specials are up your alley, then head to The Brass Rail Lounge in downtown Minneapolis. The interior was recently remodeled, upgrading the décor but maintaining the place's almost uncomfortable intimacy (again, the phrase "male dancer" is what makes the Brass Rail "experience" unique). The lighting is dim and the food menu isn't particularly imaginative, but the lounge offers nice VIP rooms, and you can’t go wrong with $3 domestics every day during happy hour. Continue Reading

Wait, is it still the 90s? I've spent so much time dancing to trance-induncing techno at the 90s I've lost all sense of time. The largest GLBT complex in the upper Midwest, The 90s (yes, also known as The Gay 90s) is everyone-friendly. By far its busiest night is Sunday, when it’s 18+ and all three dance floors are packed. The two dance floors downstairs are polar opposites—one playing techno and the other pumping out rap hits. Head upstairs to the La Femme Lounge for the best drag show in the Cities, with performances Wednesday through Sunday. Hit the Retro Room upstairs to dance to everything from Britney to Madonna and then some. The six bars serve strong drinks, and get ready for a shock or two—you’ll see a little bit of everything here, whether you want to or not. Continue Reading

In a class all its own, this gay bar features some of the strongest drinks in town, boys dancing in undies on the bar, a shower, and four bar areas. The main room features a long bar and a large dance floor, complete with boxes for those who want the world to see their moves. The two back bars are for socializing, the vibe is lower key. The other large bar area is more brightly lit and features top-40 music with music videos playing on several TVs. Gay, lesbian, straight, or other, this gay-owned and -operated bar offers a place for dancing and an uninhibited good time. Continue Reading