Address | Richmond, Virginia U.S. |
---|---|
Type | LGBTQ bar |
Opened | 1979 |
Babes of Carytown is an LGBTQ friendly bar, founded in 1979 as a lesbian bar, and located in Richmond, Virginia. [1] [2] [3] It is known for its beach volleyball court, live music, and drag shows. [4] [5] [6] It is Richmond's only lesbian-focused bar, and one of only thirty-three remaining in the country. [7]
From 2011 through 2016, it was the first place Reader's Pick in Style Weekly for Best Gay Bar. [8] In 2017, Babes was inducted into the Style Weekly Hall of Fame. [9] It then tied for first place as the Style Weekly Reader's Pick in 2018, and then was the first place Reader's pick from 2019 through 2021. [10]
In 2017, it was selected by Thrillist as Virginia's best dive bar and in 2022 was recognized by Tasting Table as among the best LGBTQ bars in the nation. [11] [12]
In a 2017 report prepared for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources LGBTQ Heritage Working Group, Babes is described as "a rare survivor from the pre-1991 period, during which the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board regularly shut down establishments that served or employed LGBTQ individuals." [13]
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities.
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37°33′14″N77°28′56″W / 37.55387°N 77.48236°W