Top Five Gay Bars in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas
Scott Jones, owner, is involved in the community at various levels from charity to business events and everyone in the local area who bar-hops knows him. His club (bestfriendsclub.net) took over a defunct mainstream dance club a few years ago and now Best Friends has quite the following. The co-ed club was voted Bar of the Year this year. Located at 2620 E. Lancaster across from Changes, another gay bar, the facility is conveniently located right off the highway. Jones was Grand Marshall of this year’s annual Gay Pride Parade sponsored by the Tarrant County Gay Pride Week Association in Fort Worth and Best Friends was host to the annual Gay Pride Week Pageant in June. Gay Pride festivities were also held at the bar.
On June 9th the annual Tarrant County Imperial Court Empress Starlight AIDS Benefit Show was also held at Best Friends.
To see where “the Barbie Dolls” hang out, look no further than Sue Ellen’s, a lesbian bar in the Cedar Springs Community in Dallas. Located at 3903 Cedar Springs Road lined with gay-owned businesses, Sue Ellen’s boasts a classy atmosphere, beautiful women, pool tables, juke boxes, large patio for people watching, and participate in the annual street Halloween party held on the same strip. Reportedly named after the female protagonist of the once popular hit show “Dallas,” Sue Ellen’s is a favorite watering hole for women and always has drink specials for cheap prices. Pool players compete from all over at Sue Ellen’s and lesbian film screenings are held at the bar.
The club also features after-hours dancing and on the first and third Thursdays the “Be a Rock Star and Earn Cash” contest is held. Live bands are featured on Friday nights. For more information go to caven.com.
Buddies II at 4025 Maple Avenue also in Cedar Springs, is one of the oldest lesbian bars in the community boasting of a swimming pool with deck and calling themselves a “Cheers” kind of place where everyone knows your name. They also have an arcade, dancing, shows, private parties, and charity events. Their website is buddiesII.com. They won a 2004 Best of Dallas Award and participated along with some other bars in the recent Pride Parade. Featuring four bars, a deejay, and five bathrooms, Buddies II has a huge, lengthy following of women who frequent the place.
Games are often played in the pool and Pride parties and deck parties are held. Wednesdays feature all day and night free pool table play and a variety of music is always played with a jammed up dance floor complete with strobe lights and sometimes a new deejay.
Recently food proceeds from an after parade party went to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims.
The Throckmorton Mining Company, at 3014 Throckmorton in Dallas, is a gay men’s club established in 1979 that shines with class, lots of room, and exquisite furnishings. They also feature after-hours dancing and a deejay. They’re closed on Tuesdays but on Fridays feature Flash Back Friday with hits from the 80s and 90s. But they don’t limit themselves to just one kind of music. There’s no cover charge on Sundays and you can dance to the hits of the 70s and 80s.
With a “wild” atmosphere the bar has earned the name of one of Dallas’ hot spots. They’re considered hardcore in the dating scene according to one AOL club reviewer and hold regular contests, male dancers, and daily after-hours fun. They also have pool tables and conduct 18-and-over nights sometimes. The dÃ?©cor is the heart of a mineshaft with bright lights, cavernous interior, red spotlights, and flaming torches. The bar has seven uniquely themed nights. They are also part of the “Cruisin’ The Crossroads,” a weekly organized bar crawl with 30-minute stops at their bar. There is smoking and the bar is labeled dedicated.
You can find information on Throckmorton Mining Company at caven.com since they are owned by Caven Enterprises.
Hot Shots Bar, at 651 S. Jennings near downtown Fort Worth, took over the vacant building that housed another gay bar, The 651 for 20 plus years before the economy killed it. Three years ago an independent film company made a movie inside and outside the bar about a gay newcomer who had just moved to Texas. Located next door to The Coffee House Gallery, Hot Shots, a gay men’s’ bar, features a large dance floor and is the sponsor of Q Texas Cinema, a yearly film festival event. Considered one of Texas’ premier cruise clubs, Hot Shots also offers dance lessons once a week and has three bars inside.
Friday night is College Night featuring techno and other music and Saturday night presents male dancers. Sunday night is home to a “Divas and Dancers” event.
Robert Rogers, managing partner, is a former assistant manager of Sidekicks Bar in Austin and has been in the gay bar business since the 1990s including Oil Can Harry’s and Boyz Cellar in Austin.
For more information call 817-820-0079.
