Seattle Opens LGBT Visitors Center

Sleepless in Seattle over lack of travel plans? Rest easier by stopping by the LGBT Visitors Center, a gay tourism resource center that is opening in the northwestern city this Friday.

Helmed by the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), the 200-square-foot center will provide maps, brochures and guides to LGBT-friendly and –focused destinations, including bars, restaurants, stores and other attractions. Access to Seattle’s online LGBT tourism resource, www.travelgayseattle.com, will also be available.

The center, which is hosted by 1st Security Bank in Seattle's Capitol Hill district, is part of GSBA's mission is “to expand economic opportunities for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and those who support equality for all.” Founded in 1981, the organization, an LGBT chamber of commerce, is a coalition of small regional businesses and large corporations, including Starbucks, Chase, and Microsoft.

“Seattle’s vibrant, progressive and welcoming community is the perfect home for this unique resource for the LGBT traveler,” said Louise Chernin, Executive Director of the GSBA, in a recent statement. “Open to all, The Seattle LGBT Visitors Center will be a great destination for all travelers to find hotels, exciting nightlife spots, fabulous food, entertainment, shopping and attractions – and the LGBT traveler will know that each business found inside the visitors center is friendly, supportive and gladly welcomes the LGBT traveler.”

Seattle, known as the Emerald City for its abundance of evergreens, is the second major American city to open such a facility, according to a statement obtained by Out Traveler. Plans for an LGBTQ community center are also in the works.

The LGBT Visitors Center, which will be staffed part-time, opens on Friday, July 19 at the 1^st Security Bank, 614 Broadway E.