Around the city

From the bawdy dancehalls of the Barbary Coast and bohemian-era hangouts to the rallies for equal rights and memorials to a lost generation, there is a reason that San Francisco is often considered the capital of gay culture and home to many of its important historical sites. This map is not meant to be an exhaustive survey of those sites but a sampler that you can use for exploring the culture and heritage through the most relevant or interesting places — some obvious, some overlooked.

Explore the historical sites pivotal to the city’s gay culture

Castro As an LGBTQ enclave, Castro came late to the party. But it did so during an era when there was more freedom to come out, to congregate, to party and to fight political battles for equal rights.

Castro Camera Shop Find me on the map and read more Get directions Activists moving into Milk's old shop

Castro Rock Steam Baths Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Harvey Milk Plaza Find me on the map and read more Get directions Harvey Milk Plaza semifinal designs revealed

Missouri Mule Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Hartford Street Zen Center / Issan-Ji Temple Find me on the map and read more Get directions

North Beach Long before Castro or Polk Gultch were San Francisco's active "gay-borhoods," there was the nightlife of the Barbary Coast, the pre-war Bohemians and gender-bending tourism in North Beach.

Macondray Lane (aka Barbary Lane) Find me on the map and read more Get directions San Francisco's Russian Hill: Top things to do

Paper Doll Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Pagoda Palace Theater Find me on the map and read more Get directions Pagoda Palace Theater nearing its end

Tenderloin/Civic Center From the thriving entertaiment clubs during WWII to the drag shows and transgender sex trade of the '70s, LGBTQ culture has been a part of the Tenderloin's fabric. And nearby, the city's edifices of cultural education and liberating legislation.

Ambassador Hotel Find me on the map and read more Get directions

City Hall Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Tenderloin Museum Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Civic Center Flag Poles (UN Plaza) Find me on the map and read more Get directions Gilbert Baker, the ‘gay Betsy Ross’

El Rosa Hotel Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Hotel Whitcomb Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Around the city Because LGBTQ culture knows no borders within the city, some of the most significant sites are found outside the "gay-borhoods" that get all the attention.

SF LGBT Community Center Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Maud's Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Women's Building Find me on the map and read more Get directions

Lexington Club Find me on the map and read more Get directions Last call for city’s last lesbian bar

Ringold Street art installations Find me on the map and read more Get directions