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By
Michael Thompson
Indianapolis's gay scene is fun, and the folks here aren't timid about saying hello. The gay section of town is compact, making a pub crawl easy. So next time your travel plans call for visiting Indiana, look forward to
enjoying some Hoosier hospitality! Most of the clubs and restaurants listed below are scattered within five to ten blocks of one another, just north of downtown, so it's easy to visit them all.
Nightlife favorites
Metro Nightclub & Restaurant (707 Massachusetts) attracts a youthful, affable crowd that builds through the afternoon and evening, and there's never a cover at this comfortable but grand bar and restaurant
on two floors. Hours here are 3pm to 3am (Sundays 11am to 12:30am). The crowd cheers for the local sports teams and catches up on the news, before the music videos take over around the big bar dominating the ground
floor pub. Their Second Story Bar has games, darts and pool. Dave Lowe is on piano Mondays, and karaoke is popular every Tuesday and also on Thursdays which feature Metro Idol Karaoke. On weekends, many guys start here
before moving on to the dance clubs, but the upscale changes on Mass Ave have brought a later crowd here, too. Their restaurant is open for dinner from 5pm to 12:30am seven days a week, and serves a buffet Sunday brunch
from 11am to 3pm. Metropolis, a second-floor gift store (with leather, club wear, erotic clothing, gifts, lubes, cards, and gay magazines) is also open every night.
Talbott Street (2145 N. Talbott), Indiana's premier disco and cabaret, opens for dancing weekends from 9pm -until 3am Fridays, 4am Saturdays, and on Sundays until 1am. For big-crowd excitement and exuberance
this is Indy's Saturday late-night club to experience. DJs Logan Matthews and Deanne inspire the young and diverse crowd dancing on the big floor overlooked by the stylish second floor Sky Bar cocktail lounge. There are
frequent special performances and guest DJs. Legends, the adjacent show bar, features the best of area female impersonation with the Ladies of Legends and their guests. There are three shows each Friday and Saturday from
9:30pm, plus Super Sunday night shows from 10pm.
English Ivy's Restaurant (944 N. Alabama) is a charming pub and restaurant serving Americana cuisine lunch and dinner with daily specials. With a late-night menu, Ivy's serves until 2:30am (Sundays 11:30pm),
and the stools around the pub's long bar are full of life and conversation.
Downtown Olly's (822 N. Illinois) is a bright video-sports bar with big screen TV, pub-fare, and gay Indy's most popular Sunday brunch from 11am to 2pm. The staff and customers are unusually open and friendly so
it's a great place to break the ice if you're new to town, or just visiting.
Gregs (231 E. 16th, formerly Our Place), an Indy favorite of many years, has the area's biggest Friday-night gay crowd. Indianapolis guys of all kinds and ages hang out here, including cowboys, leathermen, and bears.
Varsity Lounge (1517 N. Pennsylvania), a Cheers-like bar and restaurant, is a local gay tradition. The bartenders as well as the locals here will make you feel right at home.
Unicorn Club (122 W. 13th) features a rotation of youthful male strippers nightly, and
501 Eagle (501 N. College) is the local leather/Levi and bears bar.
Abbey Coffee House (825 N. Pennsylvania), has a young alternative crowd, vegan/veggie food plus desserts, and free wi-fi internet access.
Other gay-frequented spots include:
Illusions (1446 E. Washington) a showbar;
Fat Dick's (822 N. Illinois) with male erotica:
Mass Ave Film (922 Mass Ave) for art-house videos, and
Ten (1218 N. Pennsylvania), a popular women's bar.
All steamed up
Club Indianapolis (620 N. Capitol Avenue), one of nine Club facilities all around the US, opens daily-- 24 hours, every day-- for those 18 and over, downtown near all the bars and dance clubs. There's free parking, and
they allow in/out pass privileges. Enjoy the steam, sauna, tanning facilities, a large indoor jacuzzi, and an in-season heated pool. The place is fully-equipped with Nautilus and Cybex machines and a personal trainer, along with a
big TV lounge, roomy and comfortable dressing rooms, and suites for rent. There are weekday (8am-4pm) locker and room specials and events such as the Sunday complimentary buffet (1-3pm), Tuesday night movies with
snacks, and last Wednesday Blackout parties.
Works (4120 North Keystone) has suites and rooms, video, a giant-screen movie room, and Nautilus and Universal weights on three floors of fun. The steam and sauna wet area is immaculate. Call up that
interesting man with room-to-room phones, or shop for gay videos and gifts at their store. Open 24 hours daily, it's 18-plus, with in/out privileges, and lighted secure parking. Free HIV/STD testing is offered noon to 3pm Wednesdays
and on Fridays 9-11pm. The New Year's celebration at The Works is an all-night affair that includes a prime rib feast and champagne toasts-- don't miss it!
More in Indy
Out Word Bound Bookstore (625 N. East) is the local gay bookstore. Gay papers for the region include
Word and
OUTlines. Nuvo is the local alternative weekly.
Pride Film Festival is set for January 25-27th in nearby Bloomington (home to Indiana University and the Kinsey Institute). Info on the annual November Indianapolis
GLBT filmfest is at
Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival .
"Questioning Adolescent Masculinity" is the theme of "Will Boys Be Boys" at It's My Art (IMA) through January 14th.
Blooming Out is a 6pm Thursday "Midwest Queer Connection" radio show (91.3 or 98.1 FM), with a podcast on iTunes.
Informative local websites include: guides to GLBT community organizations, upcoming local events, and Pride at Pride of Indy Band and Color Guard and Indy Pride; Damien Center for coverage of HIV/AIDS issues in central Indiana;
Bearpack for news of area bears; and Indiana Black Pride for the area's African-American GLBT community.
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