LGBTQ Travel in America's Heartland

While many queer travelers focus on big-name destinations like San Francisco, Miami, New York and Los Angeles, there are a lot of hidden treasures to be found for LGBTQ travelers in the center of the country. Here's a look at six dynamic heartland cities that you may not have considered before.

Home to the nation's 7th largest LGBTQ center, this "blue dot in a red state" is surprisingly progressive.

Start with a tour of the $465 million Gathering Place, a free public park which recently opened as a way to bring all different communities of people together. The park includes five acres of attractions such as zip lines, swings, slides, a skywalk and more. There's an interactive water area, a great lawn, dining options, boathouse, gardens and The Lodge, a stunning architectural wonder where you can sit by the fireplace or enjoy some ice cream along with free Wi-Fi.

Tulsa's Art District features tons of restaurants, several gay clubs and bars, as well as shopping galore. Time your visit to coincide with the First Friday Art Crawl, which takes place on the First Friday of every month from 6 to 9 p.m. The Tulsa Artist Fellowship is worth a stop, too, with multiple galleries featuring local and visiting artists.

You can learn some history in the nearby Historic Greenwood District, which a century ago was known as Black Wall Street. The 1921 "Tulsa Race Riot," now referred to as the Tulsa Massacre, was a low point in our country's history, where white citizens burned down the district and killed as many as 300 residents. Today, the area is booming once again and several museums tell the story of what happened on those dark days with the hopes that the past will not be repeated.

This home of the blues doesn't easily fit into a box and the city seems to be happy with that, gladly making its own beat. Caroline Parkes, Public Relations Manager, Memphis Tourism, suggests three great spots for queer tourists visiting Memphis.

"I think the National Civil Rights Museum will really speak to LGBTQ visitors," she said. "While the museum is attached to the Lorraine Motel-the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-and chronicles the civil rights movement from slaves being brought over from Africa all the way through present-day issues, there are a lot of similarities to the issues African Americans faced and are facing to the issues the LGBTQ community faces today."

Earlier this year, The Collective hosted the grand opening of its facility called The CMPLX. This is a place for visitors to experience Black Art and a place with a purpose to elevate and empower the black art community and is also queer welcoming.

Next, Parkes explained that Mollie Fontaine is a trendy queer welcoming lounge located in the Victoria Village district in the downtown area. "The lounge is an old Victorian mansion that has been reconfigured into one of the hippest places around. You can catch live music on the weekends," she said.

Memphis as a city is extremely accepting of the LGBTQ community, and all of the city's popular neighborhoods are great fits for queer travelers.

Travelers are encouraged to check out the Memphis in May International Festival. "It's a month-long celebration that kicks off with the three-day Beale Street Music Festival, followed by the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and ending with Celebrate Memphis. Each year the festival picks a different foreign country to honor, but this year they are honoring Memphis to coincide with our city's bicentennial," Parkes said.

Kansas City welcomes 25.2 million travelers each year, and Derek Klaus, Visit KC Director of Communications, said that one of the biggest drivers of visitors to the city is through conventions and group meetings. Because of that, within the last year, Visit KC designated one of its salespeople to work exclusively in the LGBTQ meetings market to attract events to the city.

"From a marketing perspective, we have also dedicated resources to improving our campaign messages and visuals reaching LGBT audiences," Klaus said. "This includes compelling destination photography that showcases our authentic yet inclusive vibe."

"A few standout attractions always generate interest among our LGBTQ travelers," he said. "First among them is The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a free-to-visit institution that features an encyclopedic collection of more than 40,000 art objects.

Another popular option is The City Market, which touts the region's largest farmers market every weekend, plus delicious brunch, lunch and dinner options along with easy access to the KC Streetcar. There's also the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, a Downtown landmark that's home to the Kansas City Symphony, the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera."

Like what has happened with many mid-sized cities over the past few decades, Kansas City doesn't have one particular area that's popular among LGBTQ travelers. There are some districts that attract more attention than others, however, including the Country Club Plaza, a Spanish-inspired neighborhood known for its great shopping and dining; the Crossroads Arts District, a hotbed of creativity that's full of galleries, craft breweries and cocktail bars; and Midtown, home to quirky boutiques, nightlife and KC's most popular gay clubs like Missie B's and Hamburger Mary's.

According to Klaus, Kansas City's most popular LGBTQ-specific event is the annual KC PrideFest each June, which has been running for more than 40 years. Some non-LGBTQ-specific favorites include an array of art festivals, the Boulevardia beer festival and First Fridays in the Crossroads Arts District.

According to Tabbi Burwell, Senior Manager, Destination Communications with the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oklahoma City is a very welcoming and friendly city.

"We're very diverse and offer plenty of culture throughout the city, with plenty of offerings like Riversport Adventures, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City National Memorial, 21c Museum Hotel, Plaza District, Midtown and the Bricktown Entertainment District," she said.

OKC touts its own "gayborhood" type area, the 39th Street District. It's very central to the city and offers plenty of nightlife, live shows, Sunday brunch, smoke-free bars, several bars in one building, great walkability and, of course, the annual PRIDE festival.

Burwell explained that her office isn't tracking visitors based on sexual orientation, but they have been putting a lot of efforts into this travel segment for quite a while.

"From our website content (visitokc.com/lgbt) to our first LGBTQ national press trip last October, and even a dedicated sales market for LGBTQ meetings, we've been busy. We have also ingrained our staff into the LGBT community in OKC to be better advocates as well as partners," she said.

A good time to plan a visit to Oklahoma City would be the annual PRIDE celebration, which brings in 75,000 people each June. Other queer-friendly options are the deadCenter Film Festival in June, Festival of the Arts in April, Paseo Arts Festival in May, Plaza Festival in September and Deep Deuce Sessions throughout the year.

While a lot of the anniversary focus for the queer community this year is the 50th-anniversary of Stonewall in New York City, St. Louis is looking toward its own celebration with 40 years of PrideSTL. Today, the city boasts LGBTQ+ Pride Month during the entire month of June and hosts one of the largest Pride fests in the Midwest. In addition, Advocate magazine has named the city one of the top 10 LGBT friendly cities, so it's high time that you visit this city astride the mighty Mississippi River.

St. Louis' gay neighborhood was historically the Central West End, but today, the queer community has branched out considerably. LGBTQ visitors should check out The Grove, a part of the Manchester strip with fun annual events such as the World Naked Bike Ride and a multitude of fun shops and restaurants. The city's PrideCenter is also located close by.

The Tower Grove South area is home to many LGBTQ-owned businesses and you'll see rainbow flags aplenty in this area of town. There are also large concentrations of queer locals to be found in neighborhoods like Carondelet, Layfayette Square and Soulard.

St. Louis offers visitors of any stripe a ton of things to do, indoors and out. From the MLB's Cardinals to farmers markets and the iconic Arch to a Budweiser Brewing Experience, there are options for almost any traveler.

This Nebraska city is consistently ranked as a "best value" destination and offers travelers a variety of one-of-a-kind experiences at an affordable price. It's is home to one of the world's best zoos, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a must-see and do.

Visitors can explore the world's largest indoor desert under the world's largest glazed geodesic dome, an Omaha landmark. The Desert Dome stands 13 stories tall and features a 30-foot tall sand dune containing 300 tons of red sand. Climbing in and around the cliffs are klipspringers, rock wallabies, bobcats and meerkats. Inside, enter Rattlesnake Canyon and encounter the world's largest indoor rattlesnake exhibit with 14 reptile species, including venomous snakes.

For queer families with young children, Omaha Children's Museum is ranked as one of the top children's museums in the country. It includes 45,000 square feet of hands-on fun designed with kids in mind. A museum highlight is the mega Super Gravitron ball machine. Families love to drop in a ball, guess where it will land and track its path, leading up to a massive ball drop!

According to Tracie McPherson, Director of Communications for Visit Omaha, the Joslyn Art Museum is a masterpiece, serving as one of the country's finest examples of Art Deco architecture.

For a space with a creative, open and urban feel, visit KANEKO. This downtown cultural space housed in three turn-of-the-century warehouses was founded by renowned artist Jun Kaneko and wife Ree. The venue operates its progressive programming by hosting innovative artists, exhibitions, performances and events.

For foodies looking for travel-worthy cuisine, Omaha offers a variety of farm-to-fork fresh restaurants. The city's agricultural background and central location provides an opportunity for chefs to partner with area farmers and use local vegetables and meats as part of their creative concoctions. Because steak is part of the city's DNA, visitors can enjoy a legendary cut of fresh beef at one of the many local steakhouses. Omaha is also home to the Reuben sandwich-it's true, it doesn't matter what New Yorkers say. You can still sample the original recipe at the Crescent Moon Alehouse in the Blackstone District.

Visit Omaha has a video series called "Locals Know Best," and Omaha couple Josh Cox and Josh Point recommend the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum to visitors. It's a Smithsonian affiliate and home to the nation's largest collection of Cold War aircraft and artifacts. Its 300,000 square feet of exhibit, education and event space features a flight simulator, children's learning center and an impressive collection of iconic aircraft.

Omaha's downtown area is the central entertainment core, featuring live music venues, art, history and sporting events. The Slowdown, a nationally acclaimed indie music rock club, has live performances just about every night of the week. The Max, also located downtown, is the city's high-energy gay bar and dance club that regularly hosts themed parties, promising a new experience every night. Additionally, you'll find places similar to The Max such as The Omaha Mining Company, an after-hours dance club, and Flixx, which features a cabaret show bar.

At the heart of downtown is the Old Market Entertainment District where cobblestone streets are lined with art galleries, pubs, street performers and more than 30 distinctively Omaha restaurants. The Benson Neighborhood offers visitors a vibrant nightlife scene with locally owned craft breweries, restaurants and a nationally recognized music scene with venues such as The Waiting Room and Reverb Lounge.

If you plan to visit Omaha this year, the Heartland's Pride Parade is scheduled in June and will feature events such as an Adult Prom night. In summer of 2020, Omaha will host the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials. Fans are encouraged to make travels plans early.

Omaha also offers a performing arts scene that rivals a city three times its size. The fall and winter months are a great time to see the Omaha Symphony perform at the Holland Performing Arts Center or catch a Broadway musical at the Orpheum Theatre. Omaha Fashion Week has two shows a year and is the largest fashion show in the Midwest, offering guests a red-carpet experience and chance to view original works by young up-and-coming designers.

You can check out VisitOmaha.com/events to find out what's happening in the city throughout the year.