CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Story and images by Ed Salvato; above hunky hikers huffing up Camelback Mountain
Phoenix is a sprawling city -- the nation's fifth largest --
a collection of palm tree-studded cities and towns ringed by mountains, where a
car is in indispensable necessity. The similarities to Los Angeles are
striking, right down to analogous municipalities, including exclusive Paradise
Valley, Phoenix's Bel Air, and tony Scottsdale, its Beverly Hills.
Despite the controversial new immigration law scheduled to
take effect this summer, it's impossible to paint the area with the broad
brushstroke of intolerance. Phoenix boasts a thriving community of LGBT
residents and remains a warm and welcoming destination for gay and lesbian
visitors. The population of Arizona is approximately 30% Hispanic, a group that
depends heavily on tourism for employment. The other 70% is incredibly diverse
ranging from bona fide desert cowboys to hippy-dippy energy healers in Sedona.
As one of the last bastions of the U.S. West with these intriguing
contradictions, Phoenix is well worth a visit.
Gay life
With gays and lesbians living throughout the vast
metropolis, there's not a single defined gayborhood, though there are nearly
three dozen bars and clubs catering to queers, with a concentration of
businesses along 7th Ave in central Phoenix, like Fez, an LGBT-popular restaurant offering American cuisine with a
Moroccan flair. Amsterdam in downtown Phoenix is the
happening weekend club attracting a range of gays and lesbians.
The more residential-feeling Scottsdale, home to some of the nicest resorts and hotels in
the city, has two dance bars, charming BS West tucked into Old Town Scottsdale with
its fun drag shows and Forbidden, also in Old Town, which attracts a younger crowd. Phoenix
Gay Pride
takes pace in April to avoid the much hotter summer weather, and is a terrific
time to visit.
Do
See the stunning new Musical Instrument Museum, with its collection of
12,000 (and counting) instruments from around the world and Phoenix's Desert
Botanical Garden, a
huge outdoor park for a better understanding of this sometimes extreme
environment. Climb Camelback Mountain, which resembles, not
surprisingly, a supine dromedary. Go early to avoid both crowds and heat. A
truly magical experience is an evening stargazing Hummer tour with Stellar
Adventures. You haven't really experienced the stars till
you've seen the rings and moons of Saturn, a billion miles away, with your own
eye. If you catch the season just
right (spring after a rainfall), you may see beautiful flowering cactus
plants, like the one pictured here.
Sleep
Paradise Valley's InterContinental Montelucia, the brand's only
resort property offers excellent service, gorgeous architecture and
surroundings, great amenities, and views of Camelback Mountain. In Scottsdale,
the Hotel Valley Ho,
originally opened in 1956 as a motor court-style hotel, re-opened after an $80
million renovation on its anniversary in 2005 as a hip urban hotel that pays
homage to its mid-Century Modernist roots. The hotel is located at the edge of
Old Town Scottsdale with its restaurants, shopping and Artwalk, the first Friday of
each month. Photo: Pool scene at Hotel
Valley Ho.
Eat
Phoenix considers itself a foody city and in that vein
offers a range of topnotch restaurants representing a wide variety of cuisines
from American to French to Mexican and many others. Prado at the Montelucia (above)
offers Italian and Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on locally sourced
ingredients. For a casual lunch, join the shoppers and local business people at
Zinburger, a locally-owned burger and
shake joint with a contemporary feel in a popular upscale mall. The same owners
opened Culinary Dropout,
a hip dining and drinking hotspot along Scottsdale's developing canal-front
area. It's a short walk to BS West
(see above) from here for a gay after-dinner nightcap.
La Petite Maison in Old Town Scottsdale is an authentic French
bistro restaurant with a limited menu of beautifully presented traditional
French selections. Located in upscale Paradise Valley, El Chorro
Lodge (a restaurant
actually, not a hotel) at first blush seems a bit stuffy. However, the
atmosphere is actually quite warm, and the food is consistently good and fresh.
Finish your night at Elements at Sanctuary,
an outdoor bar/bistro/lounge for incredible views of Paradise Valley and its
surrounding mountains, to engage in some star gazing, or to simply relish the
discovery of this city's surprisingly rich offerings.
Story and images by Ed Salvato; above hunky hikers huffing up Camelback Mountain
Phoenix is a sprawling city -- the nation's fifth largest --
a collection of palm tree-studded cities and towns ringed by mountains, where a
car is in indispensable necessity. The similarities to Los Angeles are
striking, right down to analogous municipalities, including exclusive Paradise
Valley, Phoenix's Bel Air, and tony Scottsdale, its Beverly Hills.
Despite the controversial new immigration law scheduled to
take effect this summer, it's impossible to paint the area with the broad
brushstroke of intolerance. Phoenix boasts a thriving community of LGBT
residents and remains a warm and welcoming destination for gay and lesbian
visitors. The population of Arizona is approximately 30% Hispanic, a group that
depends heavily on tourism for employment. The other 70% is incredibly diverse
ranging from bona fide desert cowboys to hippy-dippy energy healers in Sedona.
As one of the last bastions of the U.S. West with these intriguing
contradictions, Phoenix is well worth a visit.
Gay life
With gays and lesbians living throughout the vast
metropolis, there's not a single defined gayborhood, though there are nearly
three dozen bars and clubs catering to queers, with a concentration of
businesses along 7th Ave in central Phoenix, like Fez, an LGBT-popular restaurant offering American cuisine with a
Moroccan flair. Amsterdam in downtown Phoenix is the
happening weekend club attracting a range of gays and lesbians.
The more residential-feeling Scottsdale, home to some of the nicest resorts and hotels in
the city, has two dance bars, charming BS West tucked into Old Town Scottsdale with
its fun drag shows and Forbidden, also in Old Town, which attracts a younger crowd. Phoenix
Gay Pride
takes pace in April to avoid the much hotter summer weather, and is a terrific
time to visit.
Do
See the stunning new Musical Instrument Museum, with its collection of
12,000 (and counting) instruments from around the world and Phoenix's Desert
Botanical Garden, a
huge outdoor park for a better understanding of this sometimes extreme
environment. Climb Camelback Mountain, which resembles, not
surprisingly, a supine dromedary. Go early to avoid both crowds and heat. A
truly magical experience is an evening stargazing Hummer tour with Stellar
Adventures. You haven't really experienced the stars till
you've seen the rings and moons of Saturn, a billion miles away, with your own
eye. If you catch the season just
right (spring after a rainfall), you may see beautiful flowering cactus
plants, like the one pictured here.
Sleep
Paradise Valley's InterContinental Montelucia, the brand's only
resort property offers excellent service, gorgeous architecture and
surroundings, great amenities, and views of Camelback Mountain. In Scottsdale,
the Hotel Valley Ho,
originally opened in 1956 as a motor court-style hotel, re-opened after an $80
million renovation on its anniversary in 2005 as a hip urban hotel that pays
homage to its mid-Century Modernist roots. The hotel is located at the edge of
Old Town Scottsdale with its restaurants, shopping and Artwalk, the first Friday of
each month. Photo: Pool scene at Hotel
Valley Ho.
Eat
Phoenix considers itself a foody city and in that vein
offers a range of topnotch restaurants representing a wide variety of cuisines
from American to French to Mexican and many others. Prado at the Montelucia (above)
offers Italian and Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on locally sourced
ingredients. For a casual lunch, join the shoppers and local business people at
Zinburger, a locally-owned burger and
shake joint with a contemporary feel in a popular upscale mall. The same owners
opened Culinary Dropout,
a hip dining and drinking hotspot along Scottsdale's developing canal-front
area. It's a short walk to BS West
(see above) from here for a gay after-dinner nightcap.
La Petite Maison in Old Town Scottsdale is an authentic French
bistro restaurant with a limited menu of beautifully presented traditional
French selections. Located in upscale Paradise Valley, El Chorro
Lodge (a restaurant
actually, not a hotel) at first blush seems a bit stuffy. However, the
atmosphere is actually quite warm, and the food is consistently good and fresh.
Finish your night at Elements at Sanctuary,
an outdoor bar/bistro/lounge for incredible views of Paradise Valley and its
surrounding mountains, to engage in some star gazing, or to simply relish the
discovery of this city's surprisingly rich offerings.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Just in Time for Pride – The 15 Gayest Cities in the World in 2023
April 12 2023 6:47 PM
The 13 Least Visited National Parks
January 07 2023 5:00 AM
Get Soaked! with These 35+ Steamy Pool Pics From This Year’s White Party
May 25 2023 9:29 AM
20 Thirsty Pics of #SniffiesRush Campaign Celebrating Frat Life
December 16 2022 3:19 PM
25 Thirsty Pool Party Pics from White Party Palm Springs 2022
April 14 2023 5:55 PM
Sniffies Reveals Horniest Cities
December 22 2022 4:15 PM
15 Thirsty Pics of Moot Lingerie for Men
March 21 2023 7:41 AM
The 7 Best Nude Beaches for Gays in the U.S.
June 09 2022 4:00 AM
The Most Dangerous (& Safest) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel
March 22 2023 5:00 AM
Outtraveler: Featured Video
Latest Stories
This heavenly hotel in the heart of Hell's Kitchen is the perfect oasis
June 26 2025 6:00 AM
Top 10 LGBTQ+ beach towns perfect for Pride and summer fun
June 05 2025 1:54 PM
Checking out: nhow London, the city’s coolest hotel
June 02 2025 8:45 AM
Cruising the world helped this gay couple find lasting love
May 31 2025 2:45 PM
Gays went feral at an iconic Pride celebration in Pensacola, Florida
May 30 2025 6:00 AM
Wilderness, woods, and Wigstock: Drag icons light up the Catskills
May 28 2025 12:17 PM
Out and About with Christian Cooper
May 28 2025 11:07 AM
A Night Out in San Diego: A queer couple’s moonlit travel guide
May 19 2025 12:00 PM
A Day Out in San Diego: A queer couple’s breathtaking travel guide
May 19 2025 12:00 PM
Weekend of pride in Charlotte, N.C.: The ultimate LGBTQ+ guide 2025
May 19 2025 10:25 AM
Asheville, N.C.: where standing out means fitting right in
May 15 2025 9:00 AM
Lesbian Pride: Here's every Dyke March in the U.S. in 2025
May 14 2025 7:44 AM
Small-town charm to big city Pride: exploring LGBTQ+ Ontario
May 07 2025 5:00 AM
'Boys! Boys! Boys!' debuts new podcast
May 01 2025 5:03 PM
Cobblestones, castles, and culture: Your LGBTQ+ guide to Edinburgh
April 30 2025 12:44 PM