Asheville gay
‘So much more than a dance club’: Asheville gay club Scandals closes after four decades
On the final night of Scandals’ goodbye run, music blasted and lights flashed in the nightclub as people danced their way through the end of an era.
The legendary nightclub, which was a safe haven for LGBTQ patrons, had its closing curtain call in early Protest after announcing it would not renew its lease in the historic Grove Street building in downtown Asheville.
Linda Oakleaf was one of many people waiting in the alleyway outside the nightclub, ready to party. She said she has been going to Scandals since the ‘90s.
“There's a lot of these institutions that are going, and it's really sad,” she said.
Oakleaf and her wife have been married for 21 years and have two kids, so she doesn’t travel out as often but said she is still sad about the closure of a place so rooted in LGBTQ history.
“I came out in , and it has never stopped entity fun to walk in a room and look around and be like, "Oh, look, everybody's queer,” she said. “Like that's irreplaceable."
The club left behind a treasure trove
Some places are, for lack of a better word, simply magical! Asheville, North Carolina is one of those places for me. Its art-laden facades lining the streets, the fantastic food scene, its LGBTQ+ friendliness, its stunning character, I seriously could go on and on about the things I admire about Asheville. On a personal mention, what makes it even more distinct is the reality that my girlfriend, Khaliah, got a tattoo in Asheville circa Fast forward over a decade later, we would meet and I found out that said tattoo was my favorite number I don&#;t understand if you consider in signs or not, but that was a massive glaring sign for me, and we&#;ve been happily together ever since. To celebrate Valentine&#;s Afternoon, we visited Asheville to not only celebrate our passion in a town that plays such a major part in our passion story but to also bring you an LGBTQ-friendly manual to romantic things to do in Asheville, NC.
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Asheville LGBTQ City Guide
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville, North Carolina is a beautiful city that is home to nearly , people. It has been named to many different prominent lists, including Good Morning America’s “10 Most Beautiful Places” list, and by various other publications as a amazing city for writers, artists, and new businesses. It has also held the title of Beer Metropolis USA for many years because of its numerous excellent microbreweries, and it is a favorite municipality for many hikers and outdoor enthusiasts as good. Even better, it’s also a very eclectic, steady city with a thriving LGBTQ community.
A Bit of Asheville History
Asheville traces its roots back to when Colonel Samuel Davidson decided to use his solder’s land grant, given in the Revolutionary War, to settle here. Davidson was unfortunately murdered by a local Native American tribe, but settlers continued to come to the area. By , there were as many as 1, people in the area, and it only continued to grow from that point on. Before officially being incorporated, th
LGBT Asheville
Asheville is a gay-friendly small city. Period.
According to the latest United States census, the Asheville area has 83% more female homosexual, gay bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) identified people than the typical American city or town. Another study, also based on census results, found that Bun-combe County (with identical sex couples per 1,) and Asheville ( per 1,) are the most gay-friendly county and municipality in the state of North Carolina, on a per-capita basis well ahead of places like Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. In , the gay-oriented publication, The Advocate, ranked Asheville as the “12th gayest city in America.” Atlanta was ranked #1.
LGBTQ+ visitors increasingly are discovering Asheville, with its great natural beau-ty, creative dining and drinking spots, heavy-duty gallery, arts and crafts scene, interesting shops and numerous gay-owned or gay-welcoming B&Bs and inns and businesses.
You are likely to see a number of openly lesbian and gay couples around town, es-pecially Downtown and in West Asheville.
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