Fort Lauderdale is one of our favorite LGBTQ destinations in the US. It has so many fun male<\/a>-only clothing-optional resorts, a terrific gay<\/a> scene in Wilton Manors and awesome events happening throughout the year.<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale is also the gateway to the Everglades National Park, and has some fascinating museums to check out, in particular the World AIDS Museum and the Stonewell National Museum.<\/p>\n Whilst there\u2019s plenty to keep gay<\/a> travelers busy in Fort Lauderdale, we\u2019ve set out our 5 top highlights for you to check out:<\/p>\n Wilton Manors is the gay<\/a> beating heart of Fort Lauderdale. It is comprised of several blocks, each lined with gay<\/a> bars, clubs, shops, LGBTQ businesses, restaurants and more. Some of the most popular gay<\/a> hangouts include Georgie\u2019s Alibi\/Monkey Bar, DrYnk, Hunters and Gym bar. Find out more in our guide to the best gay bars and clubs in Fort Lauderdale<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wilton Manors is also the focal point of some super fun gay<\/a> events like the Stonewall Pride in June and the \u201cWicked Manors\u201d Halloween party every 31 October. We went to Wicked Manors<\/em> and had an absolute blast: the entire neighborhood transformed into one massive Halloween gay<\/a> street party with everyone dressed up:<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale has many resorts targeted to gay<\/a> men<\/a>. Some of the most notorious include the \u201cEd Lugo Resort\u201d, \u201cThe Worthington\u201d, \u201cGrand Resort & Spa\u201d (who you see sponsoring a lot of the Ru Paul Drag Race episodes) and the more upscale \u201cPineapple Point\u201d.<\/p>\n These resorts are \u201cmale<\/a>-only\u201d and usually clothing-optional. Some are based near or by the beach, or further inland in the gay<\/a> scene of Wilton Manors. One of the things we love about the gay<\/a> resorts we tried out in Fort Lauderdale is they have a \u201cHappy Hour\u201d every afternoon, which encourages more shy and introvert guests to socialise and make friends. For more, check out our detailed gay travel guide to Fort Lauderdale<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale is the gateway to the Everglades National Park. This is a large wetlands preserve in South Florida, made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and many different species. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. It\u2019s a popular spot to come and see alligators in the wild, as well as different species of birds and maybe\u00a0a few snakes if you\u2019re lucky.<\/p>\n We visited the Sawgrass Recreation Park and took a guided airboat ride through the wetlands. We spotted several alligators, which come very close to the boats. Although it\u2019s very safe, it\u2019s still quite scary when you\u2019re just a few feet away from a hungry looking alligator!<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale has two excellent not-to-miss museums we think all gay<\/a> travelers should check out. The first is\u00a0the\u00a0Stonewall National Museum & Archives<\/a>, which has a rich history of LGBTQ memorabilia ranging from old movies, historic books, props gifted by gay<\/a> celebrities and even a first hand copy of an Oscar Wilde novel. They host a variety of events such as a \u201cGay Jewish Film Series\u201d, fundraisers and exhibitions such as a celebration of Club Culture Personalities.<\/p>\n The second museum to check out is the\u00a0World AIDS Museum<\/a>. This is the first museum in the world dedicated to HIV\/AIDS. It features a fascinating timeline of the evolution and impact of the virus, including what is being done to control and stop it.<\/p>\n There are many long white sandy beaches in Fort Lauderdale, which is what the city was traditionally famous for. Although there is no official designated \u201cgay<\/a>\u201d beach, these are the ones which are unofficially known to be popular gay<\/a> hangouts:<\/p>\n The post Fort Lauderdale: 5 Fabulous Highlights for Gay Travelers<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n1. Partying in the gay<\/a> scene of Wilton Manors<\/h3>\n
2. Stay in a male<\/a>-only clothing-optional resort<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Spotting alligators in the Everglades National Park<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Educate yourself in important LGBTQ history<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Hang out at one of the gay<\/a> beaches\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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