The Columbus Gay bars and Closed bars are moving to a new site so the redirect will magically take you there. Make sure to update your bookmarks to the new site.
Used to love going to Herbie’s to dance. But once Wall St. opened, the place died a slow death. Marsha, Teri, Steve, Lynn…had many great times with you.
I vividly remember The Kismet back in 1977 and 78, just before I left Columbus. I only got to visit there once more in 1980, when I think it had become the Eagle by then. Paul Lynde was indeed there one night, and I got to meet him. His escort wasn’t amused. I was in Columbus last year, and was so saddened to see the front of the building totally renovated, and even more sad to learn of the closing of Tradwinds II. I’ll always hold very fond memories of the Kismet, and to a guy named Dan I met there, for whom I hold a very special memories. Still got his business card from the local Olds dealership.
What about ‘You be you’ (U be U maybe) can’t remember how they spelled it but it was the coolest restaurant/club ever. It was spacious and had a real NY feel about it. It was only open a very short time at 521 N. Park St. If memory serves me correctly a locally know lesbian bartendar opened it with a friend. had to be early 2000′s sometime.
This is a great trip down memory lane. Back in the early 80s – yeah I know – I was half of a vocal duo who performed regularly at Trends and Imaginations. The owner of Imaginations, Sven (don’t remember his last name) designed the piano bar for us after having spent many hours at Trends, listening to us sing while the boys, men, and their admirers danced in the Garage.
What about Ty’s? That was the first gay bar I ever went to (complete with fake ID) when I moved to Columbus in ’76. And, although it wasn’t a bar, the annual Halloween Berwick Party?
Thanks for giving me the chance to revisit some distant memories. Cheers!
OMG – I had forgotten all about Woof’s – not where I went all the time, but great when you were in the mood for down ‘n dirty……a dangerous place where a young boi could be led astray !!!
millenium was at lennox next to the sabos camper dealer – odyssey was across olentangy river rd where the new little shopping place is right next to 315. odyssey was only after hrs and was converted from a bookstore/stripper joint. owners of axis/union/havana opened it. then it moved to millennium which played mostly a 80′s music until it became after hrs only. it sits not in columbus city limits but in a small township so they could get away with being open late.
east village -owned by ray, rajesh- was at 630 n high and replaced union station video cafe when it moved to the current location- it was to be a lesbian bar but failed soon after opening, they were not open for lunch so that hurt them.
I also remember walking into my very first gay bar in Columbus by “accident”. I was walking along the southern part of downtown Columbus when I saw a trio of obviously gay guys walk into a small bar called “Tiny’s”. It was a bar on one side, booths on the other, and a stage at the far end, where they did “shows”. Soon thereafter, I discovered “The Kismet”, “Tradewinds II”, and “The Grotto”. Yeah, yeah, I know, I am so dating myself. Ahhh, but fond memories!
Tiny’s had two female waitresses called Pinky and Shep. There were drag queens doing Karoke on stage. It was very entertaining. Ty’s was downtown, too..somewhere around 3rd and Town St. It was one of the first discos in Columbus when the disco craze hit in the 1970′s. The dance floor was alway full, with frenetic dancing when all the other bars or clubs were still “mellow” and boring. It was a fun place!
I moved to Columbus back in 1980 from Chicago and the Grotto was THE place to go in town. It had two (or posssibly three?) floors. The dance bar was downstairs and the cruisy levi-leather bar was upstairs. Dancing to the disco version of Evita and working up a sweat and then going upstairs to get in trouble. The top floor was where you went if you meant business and it never failed in those halcyon days before AIDS. I met friends there from New York who used to vacation in Columbus just because of the wonderful crowd there. Their Sunday afternoon free barbeques were legendary. It was located in an old brick building next to the old Claremont Inn (apparently now the Comfort Inn) on High Street and had an old stamped tin ceiling. I left Columbus a year later, but to this day I still think of it as the friendliest most fun bar (with something for everyone) that I have ever been to–including Chicago, New York, LA and San Francisco. I am an old man now but will always have a special fondness for Columbus.
Loved the site and to comment on Tradewinds II it was owned from start to finish by the same guy. I can’t remember his name. The younger one was there the night of closing and said good bye. Probably 15 to 20 years ago they moved to Ft Lauderdale and had others manage the bar for them. It was good for a while then it feel short as younger managers started running the bar. Us old timers that went there from the beginning weren’t going out like we used to. We were more content staying home and drinking and when we did go out we never seemed to make it to closing like we used to when we were younger. To keep up TW’s tried to go to the new wave stuff and thats what turned people off. Me included. When I would go there I wanted to relieve my youth and listen and yes sometimes still dance to the music of way back then. My partner and I are having our aniversity today and I’m trying to figure out where to go. Columbus doesn’t have much anymore.
hi, new to the site, thanks.
Used to love going to Herbie’s to dance. But once Wall St. opened, the place died a slow death. Marsha, Teri, Steve, Lynn…had many great times with you.
This list brings back some great memories.
I vividly remember The Kismet back in 1977 and 78, just before I left Columbus. I only got to visit there once more in 1980, when I think it had become the Eagle by then. Paul Lynde was indeed there one night, and I got to meet him. His escort wasn’t amused. I was in Columbus last year, and was so saddened to see the front of the building totally renovated, and even more sad to learn of the closing of Tradwinds II. I’ll always hold very fond memories of the Kismet, and to a guy named Dan I met there, for whom I hold a very special memories. Still got his business card from the local Olds dealership.
What about ‘You be you’ (U be U maybe) can’t remember how they spelled it but it was the coolest restaurant/club ever. It was spacious and had a real NY feel about it. It was only open a very short time at 521 N. Park St. If memory serves me correctly a locally know lesbian bartendar opened it with a friend. had to be early 2000′s sometime.
This is a great trip down memory lane. Back in the early 80s – yeah I know – I was half of a vocal duo who performed regularly at Trends and Imaginations. The owner of Imaginations, Sven (don’t remember his last name) designed the piano bar for us after having spent many hours at Trends, listening to us sing while the boys, men, and their admirers danced in the Garage.
What about Ty’s? That was the first gay bar I ever went to (complete with fake ID) when I moved to Columbus in ’76. And, although it wasn’t a bar, the annual Halloween Berwick Party?
Thanks for giving me the chance to revisit some distant memories. Cheers!
I updated about Tys and Berwick and the Garage was my first real gay bar I went to!
Where was Millenium? I went there with friends a few times.
I have no idea where Millenium was….anyone?
OMG – I had forgotten all about Woof’s – not where I went all the time, but great when you were in the mood for down ‘n dirty……a dangerous place where a young boi could be led astray !!!
Wish I knew of a place like that now.
Exile can be that way…. but the bars are so different now and in my view suck ass!
millenium was at lennox next to the sabos camper dealer – odyssey was across olentangy river rd where the new little shopping place is right next to 315. odyssey was only after hrs and was converted from a bookstore/stripper joint. owners of axis/union/havana opened it. then it moved to millennium which played mostly a 80′s music until it became after hrs only. it sits not in columbus city limits but in a small township so they could get away with being open late.
east village -owned by ray, rajesh- was at 630 n high and replaced union station video cafe when it moved to the current location- it was to be a lesbian bar but failed soon after opening, they were not open for lunch so that hurt them.
club 20 on east duncan just off n high
downtown connection moved – not sure why – to west broad st across from the italian restaurant – it’s now a place called columbini’s.
Thank for info wg but did Club20 just close as my roommate was there just last Sunday. I know it burnt down but they rebuilt it…Club20
I also remember walking into my very first gay bar in Columbus by “accident”. I was walking along the southern part of downtown Columbus when I saw a trio of obviously gay guys walk into a small bar called “Tiny’s”. It was a bar on one side, booths on the other, and a stage at the far end, where they did “shows”. Soon thereafter, I discovered “The Kismet”, “Tradewinds II”, and “The Grotto”. Yeah, yeah, I know, I am so dating myself. Ahhh, but fond memories!
Never heard of Tinys but was not out then. Thanks for the info!
Not a bar for sure, but does anybody remember Hustler City???
Tiny’s had two female waitresses called Pinky and Shep. There were drag queens doing Karoke on stage. It was very entertaining. Ty’s was downtown, too..somewhere around 3rd and Town St. It was one of the first discos in Columbus when the disco craze hit in the 1970′s. The dance floor was alway full, with frenetic dancing when all the other bars or clubs were still “mellow” and boring. It was a fun place!
I moved to Columbus back in 1980 from Chicago and the Grotto was THE place to go in town. It had two (or posssibly three?) floors. The dance bar was downstairs and the cruisy levi-leather bar was upstairs. Dancing to the disco version of Evita and working up a sweat and then going upstairs to get in trouble. The top floor was where you went if you meant business and it never failed in those halcyon days before AIDS. I met friends there from New York who used to vacation in Columbus just because of the wonderful crowd there. Their Sunday afternoon free barbeques were legendary. It was located in an old brick building next to the old Claremont Inn (apparently now the Comfort Inn) on High Street and had an old stamped tin ceiling. I left Columbus a year later, but to this day I still think of it as the friendliest most fun bar (with something for everyone) that I have ever been to–including Chicago, New York, LA and San Francisco. I am an old man now but will always have a special fondness for Columbus.
Loved the site and to comment on Tradewinds II it was owned from start to finish by the same guy. I can’t remember his name. The younger one was there the night of closing and said good bye. Probably 15 to 20 years ago they moved to Ft Lauderdale and had others manage the bar for them. It was good for a while then it feel short as younger managers started running the bar. Us old timers that went there from the beginning weren’t going out like we used to. We were more content staying home and drinking and when we did go out we never seemed to make it to closing like we used to when we were younger. To keep up TW’s tried to go to the new wave stuff and thats what turned people off. Me included. When I would go there I wanted to relieve my youth and listen and yes sometimes still dance to the music of way back then. My partner and I are having our aniversity today and I’m trying to figure out where to go. Columbus doesn’t have much anymore.