Planning a trip to Ft. Lauderdale this winter.

Dreams come true in Fort Lauderdale.

It’s my favorite town to “gay out” in! I stay at The Grande and it’s all male and all adult. I’ve had some fun times in the hot tub in the back courtyard. Everyone is super friendly. I’m usually the youngest one there (49) but I don’t mind because I get my pick of the guys. I usually go out to Wilting Manors at night or Rosie’s for brunch. Miami is not worth it....too many guys who are wanna be models and are very judgemental. ANYONE can get laid in Lauderdale. (If that’s what you’re into.) Sebastian Street beach is fun, gay, and friendly and only a 15 minute walk from The Grande. Have fun in fabulous Florida! I hop on SW Airlines from Houston and rent a car.

Lots of gays. Grindr goes on for pages and pages

Wilton Manors is the gay village that ate South Florida. As soon as you cross the border they will hand you a Yorkiepoo and a bottle of PREP.

Las Olas and the beach are the most pleasant parts of the city for visitors although they lack the "must see" sights of South Beach.

R4 - there are no “must see” sights in South Beach. Versace’s mansion is nice, but most gays have already seen it.

Miami may not be worth it overall but South Beach is worth at least a drive to lunch/dinner. Make sure your PrEP rx is refilled before you head down.

South Beach is worth a day visit if only for the bluer water and powdery sand. I prefer the Gulf side of Florida but Ft. Lauderdale is a great, gay escape.

You will not want to leave.

Miami/FL- great places.

Ocean Drive, the Art Deco Historic District and Lincoln Road are the must-see sights of South Beach. They are famous all over the world.

R9 - overrated and filled with lots of brown people. Hide your wallet.

They have an I hop on SW Airlines from Houston?

R11 - LOL

Depends on your expectations and where you are coming from, I heard so much about gay Fort Lauderdale - which to clarify is really Wilton Manors which is nowhere near the beach. It was different than I expected.

Pros:

- a huge number of gay bars per capita. It’s was one of the highest concentrations of gay bars in US I’ve seen - which is weird because the town is like a small suburb and the bars are all in a strip mall stretch on the main road.

- all the bars and a few restaurants are walkable from each other

- there is a really nice upscale gay strip club with hot guys. A real novelty as a NYer.

Cons:

- butt fucking ugly. The town of Wilton Manors is basically a trashy FL concrete shack town that was taken over by gays. But even the gays couldn’t make it pretty. Zero redeeming aesthetic qualities. Despite being irrationally expensive.

- again, nowhere near beach. You’re a not-cheap Uber away from the Beach. The time and money to get to the beach kinda kills one of the main reasons to go to FL. You may be better off staying at the beach and taking an Uber to Wilton Manors at night. At least then you can appreciate and take advantage of the beach.

- the beach is super straight tourists (college kids and families) and local FL trash. It’s also really expensive to eat or drink near the beach.

- maybe it should not be a con but I’ve never seen such a high concentration of old gay men (inWilton Manors). Seemed like no one was under 50. I’m used to mixed crowds in gay bars so it was strange fo be surrounded by mainly white retirees, people in wheelchairs and those feeding off of them (ex. Latino boy toys). It was also a little depressing insight into the life of gay retirement as everyone seemed wasted and unhappy and bored.

Miami is not gay. Maybe worth seeing for a day if you e never been. But having been many times over the years, the scene has disappeared and I don’t find it worthwhile. However, there is a new train which you can take to downtown Miami if you want to go and drink without driving (or paying an obscene Uber fare).

Yes, Miami beach is good for a day trip. Utterly inhuman how gorgeous some people are there.

Otherwise, Fort Lauderdale have everything--beautiful beaches, great bars, good food, great gay nightlife.

Both are great. I am moving there next year and CANNOT WAIT.

Hmm... maybe I should consider Ft Lauderdale for my next vacation

We have a place in Fort Lauderdale.

Definitely visit Johnson’s while in Wilton Manors....seriously some of the hottest whores I’ve ever seen!

It's not really "white retirees". It's more like a bunch of sad, older gays (mostly alcoholic) living on disability checks.

R19 - sounds like heaven! $$$$

[quote]I’ve never seen such a high concentration of old gay men (inWilton Manors). Seemed like no one was under 50.

Written by someone who's never set foot in Palm Springs.

Ft Lauderdale? How original. You can do better OP.

R22 - actually he probably cannot do better. Remember most of these dried up old cunts on this site aren’t well-off like us. A trip to FLL would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that they saved up for 2 years to do. Sad but true.

You can find now-emaciated, deeply-unattractive-through-force-of-will Matthew Rush there.

Allegedly

R24 - I loved spotting HIV positive druggy Matthew Rush hanging out in the parking lot of the Wilton Manors “strip” last summer. He was smoking a cigarette and probably waiting for notification of his next trick. He looked haggard and desperate.

It skews elderly.

But Miami still has gay clubs, like Score and Twist. I'm sure some gay fun can be easily had there.

R27 - I enjoyed Twist when I was 30, but to get laid there now you have to be super hot or really young. It’s fun to people watch but you’re guaranteed to get laid in Lauderdale.

R25 Shh

He was kind of one of my first gay crushes.

He was actually hot when younger.

And he actually wanted to be a clown. Like, a professional clown. Allegedly.

It all started, in my mind, with that really trashy tattoo on the underbelly...After that, everything was a trainwreck.

R29 - absolutely agree he was a cutie years ago and seemed like a genuinely nice guy from what I saw of him.i even loved his cameo in Hollywood movies like Another Gay Movie. But he definitely has torpedoed toward death.

Don't forget the Gaythering. I like Miami, its fun and international and has the element of sleaze.

R31 - my “sleaziest” time in Florida was at the Island House in Key West. Go check out the gym....you’ll have a nice sweaty “workout.”

[quote]actually he probably cannot do better. Remember most of these dried up old cunts on this site aren’t well-off like us. A trip to FLL would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that they saved up for 2 years to do. Sad but true.

This is hilarious. I've been to Florida countless times. I've been to Miami 3 times, but not in 20 years. I've been to the west coast of Florida and Orlando, too, multiple times. Ft. Lauderdale will be a first, however.

This is also my third vacation of the year and the only domestic one, not counting long weekends and road trips. I make great money and travel a lot. This trip is a late add-on, and my only solo jaunt for the year; my partner is also talking a separate vacation and I thought this might be fun for me while he's away. I wanted something simple, gay, and slightly sleazy. I also don't need to "save up" for this; it's just a long weekend, maybe 5 days max, and I'm using miles for the airfare.

Thanks for the tips, especially R13, who really seems to get me! (Unlike some "dried up old cunts" here.)

Sylvia Schwartzberg and Ruthie Cohen have a killer mah-jongg game going on Saturday nights at Century Village Phase 5, Building 3. They're very faygelah friendly, Sylvia says. "We're too old to remember all those letters they have now," Ruthie adds. "But we're always looking for a fifth and we love good gossip, especially about Barbara and Bette Midler."

As for Wilton Manors, imagine if Datalounge were an actual town rather than a message board.

And if you've never been to South Beach, it's worth seeing for the Deco architecture. Dusk is a good time to go because it's not too crowded and you can see all the neon lit up.

Miami is gay of course it just isn't centered around one sad neighborhood with sad people.

^^Also, it's. good 45 minute drive with no traffic down to South Beach from FLL, so factor that in.

Miami is cocaine; Ft Lauderdale is meth.

Twist is fantastic.The best time ever, and a LOT to choose from.

The funny thing about Wilton Manors is that, during the week, it's almost like the bars have agreed to take over that night. Like on Tuesday, drinks are SUPER FUCKING CHEAP at one bar, and it's mobbed. And all the other bars are deserted. The next night, another bar has SUPER FUCKING CHEAP DRINKS and so on and so on. It's like they've all agreed to have only one busy night during the week.

R39 I wholeheartedly approve of that arrangement!

R39 I wholeheartedly approve of that arrangement!

R28 Agree on Twist. Although awhile back I got very lucky with a hot young Venezuelan stud (I was 38...). We fucked all night.

Good thing I didn’t get offended when he wanted to buy me a drink but told me not to approach the bar with him because he was trying to hit up the bartender too.

Twist is a place you go with friends, otherwise prepare to be ignored.

Ft. Lauderdale disappointed me. For all I heard about Wilton Manors, the "scene" is basically a strip mall with as one poster noted above - a lot of empty bars (even on a Saturday night). I guess I didn't get the memo on where I was supposed to be that night, because it sure as hell wasn't George's Alibi or Hunters. There was the place across the street, their version of the Abbey, but I was definitely too old to enjoy myself there judging by the line outside.

Also the beach is across what seems like a noisy highway and the water wasn't as nice as Miami. A lot of driving.

All the gay resorts were like relics of a bygone era.

The Club was the only redeeming quality, but I quickly headed back to Miami.

I think you can do better OP, although you will be able to say you checked it off your bucket list at least.

What's "The Club," R43?

R34 for the win - If DL was a town. - lol. But add in some South American whores - which as far as I know aren’t well represented here. (Though they are throughly discussed in the “I went to a strip Club in Bogota” thread if you need some pro tips before visiting Johnson’s)

Last time I was in Miami I stayed mid-beach away from all the nonsense that South Beach has become. It was actually relaxing and a quick uber ride to any place that is happening. Lincoln Road needs an intervention. It's really becoming sad.

Miami is only for guys under 35...go to Lauderdale if you’re over 35.

Some of the clothing optional gay resorts are fun

Any new gay bars?

[quote]Some of the clothing optional gay resorts are fun

Over 50? Um no thank you.

Get on I-75 west and don't stop until you are on Sanibel island.