Entertainment & Nightlife

First Avenue and 7th St Entry

Founded in 1970, Downtown Danceria First Avenue put Minnesota’s music scene on the map and remains one of the longest-running independently owned and operated clubs in the US. One of the largest LGBTQ+ owned businesses in the Twin Cities, the legendary nightclub and music venue is owned by Dayna Frank, who has proudly and publicly promoted the company’s stance on marriage equality and Pride since she took the helm from her father, Byron Frank, in 2009.

Flip Phone Events

When it comes to LGBTQ businesses to support, you can’t go wrong with any Flip Phone event, whether it’s a Pride dance party, Black Girl magic drag show, or a themed Drag Brunch (hosted every weekend at Crave American Kitchen & Sushi Bar). Want a preview of the Drag Brunch vibe? Flip Phone’s Instagram is a goldmine of clips that will get you pumped.

Theater Latté Da

Heading the only nonprofit professional theater in the Twin Cities that exclusively produces musical theater, Latté Da's co-founder and artistic director Peter Rothstein has featured over 76 mainstage productions at venues around town since the theater’s inception in 1998. Now permanently located in the historic Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, Latté Da’s past productions include queer stories like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, To Let Go And Fall, and A Man of No Importance.

The Saloon

Self described as “the cornerstone of downtown Minneapolis nightlife and gayife,” The Saloon has been an LGBTQ community hub since 1977. Sheparded by owners John Moore and Jim (Andy) Anderson, the Saloon now features dance parties, drag shows, open stage talent nights, karaoke, and The Saloon Pride Block Party.

The Gay 90s

This gay nightclub’s flashy flame-hued signage lights up Hennepin long into the night, acting as a beacon for anyone looking for a place to dance, cheer on drag shows, and sing it out at karaoke. With an all-ages Drag Brunch every first Sunday and several nights per week offering access to anyone 18+, it’s also a great spot for younger LGBTQ and allies to dance the night away.

Eagle|MPLS

Formerly known as Minneapolis Eagle and The Bolt, this gay bar specializes in bar nosh and brunch. The newly remodeled patio is dog friendly and expanded for a heated section in the winter. They offer fun daily events like Karaoke and Trivia nights.

Minneapolis Trolley Tours

A great way to see and learn more about the city—Minneapolis Trolley Tours offers a variety of tours to choose from, including a Minneapolis landmarks tour, a ghost tour, and a Minneapolis mansion tour. The trolley operates tours year round rain or snow, each offering knowledgeable guides that will share historic notes and insider tips on the best places to wine, dine, and explore throughout the city!

Shopping

Tandem Vintage

Have a passion for fashion from the 1950s-1990s? This queer-owned, one-woman vintage shop is sure to have something that sparks joy. You can find founder Amanda Baumann’s colorful, curated discoveries at the brick and mortar location in South Minneapolis off 38th and Nicollet as well as frequent Instagram story sales. Shipping is available if you see something that catches your eye!

MartinPatrick3

This luxe North Loop boutique owned by Greg Walsh and Dana Swindler is a one-stop shop for the fashionable. Part apothecary, part bespoke suit tailor, part fine jewelry and watch shop, part home and decor gallery, this 22,000 square foot space is truly an upscale marvel. Services go beyond well-chosen goods—MartinPatrick3 is also a hub for interior design, personal shopping, and even a barbershop.

The Future

Owner Lacey Prpić Hedtke’s multi-functional space plays host to a shop filled with crystals, gender-neutral makeup, apparel, accessories, and everything you need for your home altar—as well as artist residencies and a non-circulating library of books, zines, artists’ books, and historical texts on witchcraft, healing, art, and the occult. Fun fact: Prince’s costumes were made in The Future’s space in the 80’s!

Smitten Kitten

Jennifer Pritchett’s sex-positive, inclusive, and shame-free shop empowers and equipts all kinds of consensual sex for LGBTQ and straight folks alike with ethically produced, non-toxic, and body friendly toys and supplies on Lyndale Ave in Uptown.

Black Garnett Books

This Black-owned, women-owned, queer-owned bookstore is out to radicallize your bookshelf by offering a thoughtfully curated selection of Adult and YA contemporary literature by BIPOC authors. You can shop the selection online, at regular pop-ups, and it's brick-and-mortar location in St. Paul.

Tangletown Gardens

Scott Endres’s endlessly Instagrammable nursery and boutique plant sanctuary is a dream destination for plant lovers and gardeners. If you work up an appetite drawing up a wishlist of plants and accessories, pop across the street to Wise Acre Eatery (also owned by Endres) to grab a deli meal or browse the farm market for fresh produce, mushrooms, eggs, meat and dairy from Endres’s farm in Plato, MN and other local makers and growers.

Mona Williams

Fashion maven and household cleaning pro Patric Richardson—best known as the Laundry Evangelist spreading the laundry gospel via his book “Laundry Love” and popular HGTV/discovery+ show The Laundry Guy—offers environmentally friendly laundry products and household goods at his Mall of America store.

Combine

Michael Pickart’s Uptown boutique offers upscale, high-fashion apparel and home goods with a passion for design, craft, culture, and the surrounding neighborhood. Think hand-knit sweaters, Italian cashmere, luxe Australian designers, and a whole host of curated treasures from men’s jewelry to locally crafted backpacks and ceramics.

Food & Drink

Dancing Bear Chocolate

Owned by chef and master chocolatier Steven Howard and his husband Joe Skifter, Dancing Bear is a must-try for locally made artisan chocolates, confections, and pastries. Delightfully located in a former dentist office in the Victory neighborhood of North Minneapolis, Dancing Bear Chocolate offers hand-dipped truffles, intricate tarts and cakes, and housemade gelato.

Silver Fern

Coffee shop by day and wine bar by night, you can get delicious pastries, charcuterie boards, desserts and more at Silver Fern in Northeast Minneapolis. Loosely inspired by the café culture of Australia and New Zealand, they focus on scratch-made food and baked goods, delicious expertly brewed coffee, and a curated wine list with wines from small producers all around the world. Try a seasonal coffee flight or gourmet breakfast sandwich, and you must pair a charcuterie board with a glass of wine in the evening - they're pretty enough to be on the cover of a magazine.

Urban Growler Brewing Company

The first woman-owned microbrewery in Minnesota, St Paul’s Urban Growler Brewing Company opened in 2014 with a mission to create an inclusive community for beer drinkers and the people who make beer possible. From farmer features showcasing the growers of beer’s fundamental ingredients to an inviting beer garden that makes you want to stay a while and make some friends, Master Brewer Deb Loch and co-head honcho Jill Pavlak have done just that.

Cuppa Java

Tucked away in Minneapolis' picturesque Bryn Mawr neighborhood, Robert Gillem’s Cuppa Java is a quintessential local coffee shop—the kind that makes you want to linger with a notebook, swap stories with a friend, or meet a first date. With a full menu of hot and cold sandwiches, beer and wine, and enough coffee options to keep you away for days, you’ll never need to leave.

Nicollet Diner

This nostalgia duo of eat-and-drinkeries owned by Sam and Dion Turner serves up classic dinner food (think all-day hash browns, steak & eggs, open-faced hot turkey sandwiches, and a bounty of burgers), fresh baked pastries and pies, plus dessert drinks loaded with soda shop vibes — hand-spun malted chocolate milkshakes, anyone? Best of all, the diner never closes (ever).

A Bar of Their Own

Big fan of women's sports? Watch the next game at A Bar of Their Own — a bar that shows all women's sports, all the time. The days of begging to put the game on a small TV in a bar are over. Here you can cheer loudly for your favorite team on their biggest screen...with the sound on! Snack on delicious food and beverage options (the menu accommodates a range of dietary needs) and sip on craft beer and mocktails.

Places to Stay

300 Clifton

A bed and breakfast located in the Loring Park area of Minneapolis the 300 Clifton, offers vintage looking luxury rooms inside a historic mansion. Instead of a structured breakfast, you are provided with a meal voucher that you can use 24 hours a day at the neighborhood Nicollet Diner. Take a trolley ride to your complimentary breakfast at the Nicollet Diner, and get a scenic loop around the Historic Lake of the Isles on your way to the diner, then back to 300 Clifton.