Bars & clubs / Palmer Park area (Woodward)
Numbers
Late-night after-hours club on Woodward near Palmer Park, with a light show and game room, closed after a TV investigation.
- 17518 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI
- (313) 869-9524
DETROIT + MICHIGAN / LGBTQ+ / ¼
LGBTQ+ Detroit & Michigan
Bars, clubs, drag nights, saunas, community centers, Pride festivals and landmarks of queer history, with addresses, phone numbers and sources, all in one place.
- places & communities
- 262
- closed legends
- 76
Full guide
Find your place
262 places & communities · 76 archive entries · 10/10
Saunas & men's clubs / Downtown (Grand Circus Park area)
Park Avenue Baths
Historic downtown gay men's bathhouse on Park Avenue near Grand Circus Park; one of five in Detroit in 1979.
- Detroit, MI
Bars & clubs / Ferndale
Pronto! Ferndale
A Ferndale lounge and dance club offshoot of Royal Oak's Pronto!, with house and techno DJs; it has since closed.
- 344 W Nine Mile Rd, Ferndale, MI 48220
- (248) 414-7400
Saunas & men's clubs / Near the Michigan State Fairgrounds (State Fair Ave area)
Prudential Health Club
Historic gay men's bathhouse near the old Michigan State Fairgrounds, one of five in Detroit in 1979; closed by the mid-1980s.
- Detroit, MI
Bars & clubs / Grand Rapids
Pub 43
A laid-back downtown pub remembered as part of Grand Rapids' LGBTQ+ history; it has since closed.
- 43 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI
Bars & clubs / Port Huron
Seeker's
Long known as Port Huron's only gay bar, with a dance floor, pool table and occasional drag and dancer nights; we've found no sign of it since 2018.
- 3301 24th St, Port Huron, MI 48060
- (810) 985-9349
- Mon–Sat 7 pm–2 am; closed Sun (per an undated listing)
Bars & clubs / Inkster
Stiletto's
Inkster nightclub that was one of the few Michigan clubs catering mainly to lesbians, with a drag show bar and a dance floor.
- 1641 Middlebelt Rd., Inkster, MI 48141
- (734) 729-8980
Leather, bear & cruising bars / Grand Rapids
The Cell
A former Grand Rapids leather bar where the contest now known as Mr. Michigan Leather was first held in 1995.
- Grand Rapids, MI
Bars & clubs / Livernois / University District (blocks from the University of Detroit)
The Chessmate
A former coffeehouse and music venue on Livernois near Six Mile Road (from 1963), one of Detroit's key folk rooms and later a gay after-hours club.
- Livernois Ave near W. Six Mile Rd (McNichols), Detroit, MI
Bars & clubs / Ferndale
The Temple
A short-lived Ferndale gay nightclub that opened around 1999, alongside Cobalt, and had closed by 2004.
- Ferndale, MI
Bars & clubs / Downtown
Times Square
Downtown dance club with several lives as a gay venue, including 2006's Wet and Wild Wednesdays for the African American LGBT community.
- 1431 Times Square, Detroit, MI
Bars & clubs / East Side (7 Mile)
Todd's Sway Lounge & Todd's Other Side
1980s punk and new-wave bar complex on East 7 Mile that welcomed gay patrons and had its own drag pageant title.
- 8139 E. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit, MI
Saunas & men's clubs / Northeast Detroit (8 Mile)
Triple Bonus Health Club
A men's bathhouse on East 8 Mile, formerly Tranquility Spa, reported in the late 2000s; it has since closed.
- 6700 E. 8 Mile Rd., Detroit, MI
- (313) 369-2542
Bars & clubs / Inkster
Zippers
Historical Inkster gay bar that awarded its own drag pageant title.
- Inkster, MI
Addresses, phone numbers and hours come from public sources, and every entry shows its check date. Nightlife venues change schedules often, so confirm on the venue's own website or social page before you go. Photos and logos come from the venues' official websites, archived websites or openly licensed collections; each entry names its exact source.
Proud all year
Pride & festival calendar
May 1
June 20
- Berkley PrideBerkley
- CommUNITY PrideDouglas
- Downriver PrideWyandotte
- Kalamazoo PrideKalamazoo
- Keweenaw Pridefest / Keweenaw QueersHoughton
- Lansing PrideLansing
- Livonia PrideLivonia
- Motor City PrideDetroit
- Muskegon PrideMuskegon
- Arts & PrideMadison Heights
- Canton Pride OUTsideCanton
- Detroit Leather WeekendFerndale
- Grand Rapids Pride FestivalGrand Rapids
- Holland Pride FestivalHolland
- Juneteenth JamzDetroit
- Royal Oak Family PrideRoyal Oak
- UP Pride FestMarquette
- Village Pride DetroitDetroit
- Warren City PrideWarren
- Ypsi PrideYpsilanti
July 2
- Hotter Than JulyDetroit
- Pride Royal OakRoyal Oak
August 7
- Ferndale PrideFerndale
- Macomb County PrideMount Clemens
- Ann Arbor PrideAnn Arbor
- Hazel Park PrideHazel Park
- Kalamazoo Black PrideKalamazoo
- Pride in PontiacPontiac
- Transgender Pride in the ParkFerndale
September 5
- Straits Pride / Mackinac Island Pride FestivalMackinac Island
- Up North PrideTraverse City
- AIDS Walk DetroitRoyal Oak
- Flint PrideFlint
- Lenawee PrideAdrian
October 2
- Fall Into The Dunes WeekendDouglas
- Transgender Health FairFerndale
November 1
Time machine
Remembered: closed landmarks
These places are gone, but they shaped queer life in Detroit and Michigan. We keep their entries as an archive, with the years they opened and closed.
- G2026Go GirlCulture, sports & social · Saugatuck
- G2023–2025General Wood ShopBars & clubs · Grand Rapids
- N2025Not Sorry GoodsFood, coffee & shops · Ferndale
- G2024Guardian Brewing CompanyBars & clubs · Saugatuck
- H1980–2024Hayloft SaloonBars & clubs · Warrendale (West Side)
- T2017–2023Trans Stellar Film FestivalPride & festivals · Hamtramck
- H2022Hamburger Mary's Grand RapidsFood, coffee & shops · Grand Rapids
- H2022–2022Hamburger Mary's YpsilantiFood, coffee & shops · Ypsilanti
- H2012–2022HughFood, coffee & shops · Midtown
- W1954–2022Woodward Bar & GrillBars & clubs · New Center / Milwaukee Junction
- A1995–2020Aut BarBars & clubs · Ann Arbor
- B1995–2020Braun CourtHistory & landmarks · Ann Arbor
- C1973–2020Club Gold CoastBars & clubs · Northeast Detroit (7 Mile, east of Conant)
- S1998–2020Spiral Dance BarBars & clubs · Lansing
- A2019Amici's Pizza & Living RoomFood, coffee & shops · Berkley
- C1991–2018Common Language BookstoreFood, coffee & shops · Ann Arbor
- T1979–2018TNT Health ClubSaunas & men's clubs · Northwest Detroit (8 Mile)
- M1976–2015Michigan Womyn's Music FestivalHistory & landmarks · Hart
- R2014R&R SaloonLeather, bear & cruising bars · Southwest Detroit
- D2013Detroit Latin@zCulture, sports & social · Ferndale
- B2013The BirdcageBars & clubs · Northeast Detroit (8 Mile)
- C2012Chosen Books of MichiganFood, coffee & shops · Ferndale
- R1996–2012The Rainbow RoomBars & clubs · Northeast Detroit (8 Mile)
- B1979–2011BackstreetBars & clubs · West Side (Greenfield & Joy)
- C2009–2011Chrome CatBars & clubs · Lansing
- D2001–2010Diamond Jim's SaloonBars & clubs · West side
- D2010The Detroit Eagle / The InterchangeLeather, bear & cruising bars · Near Trumbull (North Corktown/New Center edge)
- T1991–2010Triangle FoundationHistory & landmarks · Detroit
- C1994–2008Club 505Bars & clubs · Lansing
- C1992–2008Club FlamingoBars & clubs · Pontiac
- Q2001–2006Q NightclubBars & clubs · Ferndale
- C1992–2002Club ParadiseBars & clubs · Lansing
- G1996–2001The Gold DollarBars & clubs · Cass Corridor (Cass at Charlotte St)
- F1949–1998The FlameBars & clubs · Ann Arbor
- M1995–1998The MirageBars & clubs · Mount Clemens
- R1986The RubaiyatBars & clubs · Ann Arbor
- W1975–1985WomanspaceHistory & landmarks · Ann Arbor
- C1976–1983Club FeverBars & clubs · McNichols (Six Mile) near Woodward, Palmer Park area
- D1970–1976Detroit Gay Liberation Front and The Gay LiberatorHistory & landmarks · Detroit
- C1972–1972Christopher Street Detroit '72 – Michigan's First PrideHistory & landmarks · Detroit
- R1937–1971Ruth Ellis and the “Gay Spot”History & landmarks · West Side (site demolished)
- A?Akron Health ClubSaunas & men's clubs · East Side
- C?Club 1625Bars & clubs · Lincoln Park
- C?Club 450Bars & clubs · Westland
- C?Club BathsSaunas & men's clubs · Detroit
- C?Club DGBars & clubs · West Side
- C?Club SplashBars & clubs · Dearborn
- C?Club UltimateBars & clubs · Taylor
- C2006–Club XhaleBars & clubs · Far East Side
- C?Club XtremeBars & clubs · Wayne
- C1999–CobaltBars & clubs · Ferndale
- C?ConversationsBars & clubs · Garden City
- C?Cruise Club / Cruisin' AgainBars & clubs · Inkster
- D?D's LoungeBars & clubs · Mount Clemens
- D?DiversionsBars & clubs · Grand Rapids
- G?Great Lakes Leather Alliance – MichiganParty series & drag nights · Michigan
- H?HeavenBars & clubs · Palmer Park / 7 Mile & Woodward
- I?InfernoBars & clubs · Inkster
- K?KarmaBars & clubs · Ferndale
?Liberty BarBars & clubs · Pontiac- M2011–Male Box IIBars & clubs · Warren
- M?MetroBars & clubs · Kalamazoo
- N?NumbersBars & clubs · Palmer Park area (Woodward)
- P?Park Avenue BathsSaunas & men's clubs · Downtown (Grand Circus Park area)
- P?Pronto! FerndaleBars & clubs · Ferndale
- P?Prudential Health ClubSaunas & men's clubs · Near the Michigan State Fairgrounds (State Fair Ave area)
- P?Pub 43Bars & clubs · Grand Rapids
- S?Seeker'sBars & clubs · Port Huron
- S?Stiletto'sBars & clubs · Inkster
- C?The CellLeather, bear & cruising bars · Grand Rapids
- C1963–The ChessmateBars & clubs · Livernois / University District (blocks from the University of Detroit)
- T1999–The TempleBars & clubs · Ferndale
- T?Times SquareBars & clubs · Downtown
- T?Todd's Sway Lounge & Todd's Other SideBars & clubs · East Side (7 Mile)
- T?Triple Bonus Health ClubSaunas & men's clubs · Northeast Detroit (8 Mile)
- Z?ZippersBars & clubs · Inkster
Before you go
Good to know
Michigan serves alcohol from age 21, and almost every bar checks photo ID at the door. Visitors from abroad should carry a passport, the ID accepted everywhere.
Michigan bars stop serving alcohol by 2 a.m. Most clubs are liveliest Thursday to Saturday; drag nights and theme parties vary by venue.
Several Detroit and Ferndale community organizations offer free or low-cost HIV and STI testing and PrEP advice. Find them under Health & testing.
Use a taxi or rideshare between venues at night. Saunas and men's clubs admit adults only, often with a membership and photo ID.
Save the plan. Share the moment.
