The key addresses in Provincetown — verified and regularly updated. Clicking takes you straight to the location page.
The bustling main street is the vibrant center of Ptown: galleries, boutiques, restaurants and queer bars line up next to each other, and on an evening stroll you will meet drag queens, artists and the whole colorful community.
The city's most popular beach, part of the Cape Cod National Seashore and the only one on the calmer side of the bay — so gentler waves and warmer waters. The left section has been considered a gay beach for decades and is perfect for sunset.
At 77 meters, it is the tallest pure granite structure in the USA, built in 1907 to commemorate the first landing of the Pilgrims in 1620. If you climb the steps, you will be rewarded with a magnificent panoramic view of Provincetown, the dunes and Cape Cod Bay.
Wide, white sand beach on the open Atlantic Ocean within the Cape Cod National Seashore. Known for its wide dune landscape, powerful surf and occasional whale sightings from the shore - ideal for long walks far away from the hustle and bustle.
Gay attractions in Provincetown tell of a place that has been attracting artists, misfits and queer people for over a hundred years. As the tallest pure granite tower in the USA, the Pilgrim Monument from 1907 towers over the town and is actually reminiscent of the landing of the pilgrims in 1620, but the queer history of the place also plays a role in the adjoining museum. On the lawn in front of the Town Hall there is an AIDS memorial commemorating the deceased. As early as 1983, Provincetown founded one of the first AIDS self-help groups in the country, which is still part of the town's identity today. The roots of the queer scene go back even further, to the Cape Cod School of Art, which opened in 1899 and brought openly gay artists to the town early on.
But the real experience here is the place itself. Provincetown has the highest percentage of same-sex couples in the country, and Commercial Street becomes a stage in the summer, where drag queens, bears, families and artists stroll all at once. If you want to understand the mood, join the Tea Dance in the Boatslip in the afternoon, the social center of the queer summer. In addition, there are the two gay beaches in the dunes on the outskirts of the village, which have been a fixture for decades. The following locations will take you to the most important stations of Provincetown's queer history and present.