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Lesbian and Gay History Tours

Take a stroll through gay history with a knowledgeable guide. Choose one of our standard itineraries, or arrange a special tour to meet the needs of your own group. Each tour lasts 2½-3 hours, and will be conducted come rain or shine.

Out of the Closets, into the Streets

Gay Landmarks of the West Village

Stroll through the streets and squares where gay people have lived, loved and changed history. Highlights include the city’s oldest continuously operating gay bar, the restaurant where Edward Albee found a famous title, the house where Djuna Barnes wrote her pioneering novels, the theatres where lesbian and gay classics were first staged, the churches where losses have been mourned, and the clubs where victories have been celebrated. We’ll pass the lesbian bar that was too feminist for its own good, the gay bar where a fateful union was sealed, and, of course, the now legendary Stonewall bar.

The Heights of Gaydom

Landmarks of Brooklyn Heights

Spend a few hours in the 19th century, exploring the City’s first historic district and its rich ties to gay history. On blocks little changed since before the Civil War, visit the streets where Walt Whitman lived and Carson McCullers shopped, the house where Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood, the home of a Congressman forced out of the closet, and more. Bonuses include the house where Marilyn Monroe lived with Arthur Miller, spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline and an optional lunch in the Near East, just a few blocks away.

From Henry James to Lucky Cheng’s

Gay Heroes of the East Village

From the genteel Washington Square of Henry James to the raw streets of Robert Mapplethorpe, from the clubs that scandalized the Victorians to the bathhouses that epitomized the sexual revolution, this tour will cover a century of gay landmarks. Highlights include the buildings where Alan Ginsberg, W. C. Auden, and Keith Haring lived and worked, the place where the city’s first gay-rights organization began, and the park that has nurtured generations of protests. Bonuses include a glimpse of the 19th century and the block once shared, quite improbably, by Hell’s Angels and the naked civil servant.

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