I remember the first time I went to Guerneville. I was young, naive, and–perhaps most relevantly–freshly out of the closet. After a month-long road trip up to Washington and Canada, my then-girlfriend Amanda and I were hauling back down to our home turf in Los Angeles. We drove through thousands of miles of unknown, un-gay terrain. Amanda peeled the rainbow sticker off the bumper of her Saturn, and we both sunk low into our seats and tried to look less gay.

It was in this manner that the two of us rolled up to a quaint but otherwise nondescript town on the banks of Northern California’s Russian River. Needing a quick pick-me-up, we stopped at a café–and, lo and behold, we started seeing gay people. Lots of them. Everywhere. We saw multicolored rainbow flags, bear flags, and even risqué leather pride flags. Naughty, naughty, naughty! Where were we?

Turns out we had stumbled upon Guerneville, a gay-friendly vacation spot just 70 miles north of San Francisco. Although Amanda and I had no idea we were so close to the Bay Area (often lovingly, and somewhat appropriately, called the “Gay Area”), most San Franciscans, gay or not, are somewhat acquainted with the area. The Guerneville Visitor & Business Directory has an extensive “Gay Travel” section on their site, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone of the gay,lesbian, bisexual, or transgender persuasion in San Francisco who hasn’t visited–or at least thought of visiting–this charming gay getaway at least once.

If you’re straight, though, never fear–Guerneville also serves up plenty of fun for everyone, regardless of your orientation. Things to do in or around Guerneville include hiking in the scenicArmstrong Redwoods State Reserve, whale watching, hot air ballooning, and visiting the Hallberg Butterfly Gardens. That’s if you’re not too busy swimming or kayaking in the river, checking out the local bars and cafés, or taking a leisurely stroll down Guerneville’s main street. Guerneville is also in Russian River Wine Country, so there are plenty of wine tasting opportunities in the area as well.

I’ll be heading out to Guerneville tonight to celebrate my anniversary with my partner, Julia. Seven years after my first Guerneville experience, I can’t think of a better way to say “I’m happy to be gay”!

Story by Jessica Tyler