Baltimore gay bar
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Before the corner of N Charles and W Eager was a CVS, it was a Baltimore institution: Club Hippo. For more than 35 years, Club Hippo was a refuge for Baltimore’s queer community. The dance venue was always a place where, as the club's motto peruse, “everybody is welcome.” The space gave people the ability to express themselves freely without fear.
The Hippo’s owner during this time was Charles “Chuck” Bowers. Bowers purchased the club in 1978 from its first owners, Kenny Elbert and Don Endbinder. In 1972 Elbert and Endbinder had turned the room into a gay-friendly nightclub. But Bowers was the one responsible for turning the club into a cornerstone of Baltimore’s queer group and the Mount Vernon business district. For instance, Baltimore City’s annual Parade Block Party, with few exceptions, took place at the intersection of Charles and Eager lane, anchored by the Hippo.
During the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, Bowers was an outspoken advocate for gay men who contracted the disease. The Hippo at this occasion also hosted performances by Broadway stars. The Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS entity sponsored the performances to spread knowledge and raise wealth to
ave a brunch fit for a drag queen. See John Waters’ favorite bookstore. Have a drink at a landmark. Discover Baltimore pride. Our Gay Guide to Baltimore has just what you need if you’re looking for a place to stay, eat, twist, be amazed and feel at home.
LGBTQ+ Friendly Hotels
Baltimore has a long history of being welcoming toward LGBTQ+ individuals and there are many great options to stay while here on vacation. To be in the center of it all, book a stay at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, which is conveniently located between scenic South Baltimore and the city’s artsy northern neighborhoods. They are a member of the Maryland LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce and provide a special package to those visiting during Baltimore Event . Within walking distance of attractions appreciate the National Aquarium and Camden Yards, the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel features beautiful views of the harbor and recently renovated rooms. Another waterfront option is the Canopy by Hilton Harbor Point, which is found between Harbor East and Fell’s Point and is a proud sponsor of Baltimore Pride.
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Half a Century Ago, The Hippo Became a Haven for the Local LGBTQ Community
Noël, a U.S. Army veteran, slung drinks at the Hippo during the ’80s and ’90s. He fondly remembers when Wednesdays were Big Band Night, featuring the Ed Williams Big Band, a holdover behave from the Chanticleer days. “I was a doorman, dressed up in a tuxedo with a top hat, and I would open the door for the people coming in—elderly people, [in their] 70s, 80s, and 90s that remembered the Chanticleer,” says Noël, noting that the crowd was both queer and direct, with drag queen Stacy Maxwell running the coat check. “Oh, it was beautiful, and we had all pink linen tablecloths with beautiful chairs and candles on every table. It was like you walked into the 1930s.”
Now in his 60s, he says the Hippo had outsized importance for young male lover men in its early years, calling it “the central place” for not just the capital of Baltimore but the entire state. “If you were a country boy from Hagerstown or southern Maryland, you knew you made it in your homosexual life the moment you were able to walk into the front door of the Hippo,” says Noël. “That’s when you knew you were home.”
The Hippo opened just three years after t
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Leon's is Baltimore's oldest continuously operating gay bar. In the 1890s, the exclude was called Georgia's Tap Room. The bar’s current name comes from Leon Lampe, who owned the bar during the 1930s. During Prohibition, the prevent survived as a speakeasy and, after WWII, became a hangout for beatniks and artists with a mix of gay and straight patrons. Since 1957, Leon’s has operated as a gay bar.
In its early days as a gay bar, patrons had to say a password before they were let in the door: “Are you a ally of Dorothy?” A frequent identifier among gay men at that time, the phrase is a reference to Dorothy Gale of the Wizard of Oz—reportedly for Dorothy's acceptance of her friends despite their unusual identities.
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Richard Oloizia, “Leon's,” Explore Baltimore Heritage, accessed July 23, 2025, https://explore.baltimoreheritage.org/items/show/553.
Published on Jul 6, 2016. Last updated on Nov 27, 2018.