Great dancing - DJ with digital song requesting. It's a small venue with a couple of pool tables and a dart board. Bar with the standards. Fun place to unwind no frills just go and be YOU! read more

Love the staff! All walks of life are here! Great Lazer lights. -Allegra VonWinckelmann read more

When bachelorette Karens leave 1 star reviews, you know it's legit. This place is for gays and allies who know how to behave, not for self-centering straight women. I'm dear any of these dime-a-dozen chicks to try to pull their attitude at the Cubbyhole so they can get a little more publicly shamed. Divey, homey, fun and friendly too folks who deserve it. I stop in every time I'm in the area. Come correct and you'll be treated well! read more

Low key gay bar playing great dance music. It wasn't too busy on Sunday night. The bartender was cool and had a heavy pour. We met a few of the locals and felt welcomed immediately. One of the drag queens in there told us a funny joke that I'll pass on. Remember the movie Driving Miss Daisy? Well you know what the sequel is called? Walk, Bitch. It's worth noting the recent 1 star reviews are from people who were told they don't allow bachelorette parties at their establishment. They are not turning away people at the door. read more

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During a recent family reunion weekend we went for Karaoke. It was really fun, until a crabby patron assumed that because we were all women that we were a Bachelorette Party. She actually asked "Why are you here?" And proceeded to tell us that we "looked like a bachelorette party". No one who worked there seemed to have a problem with us and the bartender was a riot. read more

Side Traxx - a group of women at a party - Gay Bars Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Great dance floor (good sound too), pool, darts, mixed crowd. Touch tunes worked well too! Really great (thank you for a fun night, Ben)

The music is absolutely terrible and the dj is kinda rude and doesn't take any requests.

I came with a group and we were denied entrance because they "don't allow bachelorette parties". They were extremely rude/discriminatory and you should take your business elsewhere. read more

This place is the only bar of its kind anywhere in the region. Sadly, it just can't win regardless of how it handles bachelorette parties, of all banal things. Look, I understand that straight women like going to gay bars where they can dance and have fun without being constantly accosted by drunk straight guys. I get it. However, gay people have endured drunk straight women being obnoxious in bars that have historically been the only refuge for gay people to be themselves for decades, long before gay people could even legally marry while still dealing gracefully with bachelorette parties taking over the only place they had to socialize together in relative peace. So, if the owners let bachelorette parties take over, they upset the loyal patrons that frequent this place. If they don't allow them, they face hostile negative reviews from multiple members of the same bridal party who only come when one of them has a party before each of her three marriages or so. Besides, showing up with an entire bachelorette party at a gay bar and then getting angry because they are not in any way setup to properly treat a previously unarranged bachelorette party well and they refuse to do it badly is a little like going to a movie theater and getting angry because the owner refuses to have the staff perform your favorite opera. So, I will stand by my five star review, because this small local gem has managed to take it in stride, knowing they can't make everyone happy and, frankly, should not have to endure that kind of petty crap. It is NOT a bachelorette party venue. It never claimed to be. It is a gay bar. If you want to go to a gay bar and can do so with an open mind and an appreciation for the culture you are encountering voluntarily, even though you could go ANYWHERE else, anytime, then this is an honest refuge with good drinks, friendly staff, good music, and a lot of heart. Bottom line: it is what it is - a small, friendly gay bar in a touristy area with NO other such bars around. It is exactly what it claims to be and if that isn't enough, then this place isn't the problem. You are. read more

As an actual queer person, I LOVE this place. It is difficult to find queer friendly spaces in more remote areas and this bar is a little respite when in north Michigan! Anyone who says it's not a good spot never actually made it inside or doesn't understand the sanctity of a gay bar for people in these areas. read more

This bar advertises itself as "friendly" - it is not. Also it is listed as "Good For Groups" - it is not.

How many bad reviews does this place need before taking action against an employee who CLEARLY drives patrons away in droves? Friend and I tried to visit last night and were turned away by the woman at the door, who multiple other reviews mention by name, for being "drunk" despite the fact that I had an entire conversation with her as my friend parked. Never have I ever had to play 20 questions to try and get into a bar and her justification was particularly offensive. She said she'd noticed I had a hard time getting out of the car and otherwise commented on my posture etc which is the way it is because I have AS, something I should not have to disclose to a total stranger just to then PAY to get inside an establishment. It seems based on the other reviews that gaining entry depends entirely on her mood and that more often than not she is cantankerous and rude. Way to represent a marginalized community in an area where that representation is needed. Shameful and embarrassing. Edit: Don't let any of these 5-star reviews fool you, they seem to be solely from people who believe that denying entry to allies is an acceptable practice. So people want to celebrate their bachelorette in a space they feel safe? So what? Is that -really- such a disruption to you? It hasn't been that long since we ourselves couldn't get married so the hypocrisy of a gay venue denying people (mostly straight people based on these reviews) access is embarrassing. I'm gay too and so to anyone reading this who's had a negative experience here or is bothered by the reviews and blatant bias this establishment shows just know that it does NOT speak for all of us. It's no wonder this area only has one gay bar. Come to Metro Detroit and visit any of the establishments down here instead, you will get a bar better welcome I guarantee it. read more

Would absolutely give 0 stars if I was able. Front door woman (Lisa) wouldn't allow our group of nine (all female) in. When asked why, she said, "the owners don't allow wedding parties/bachelorettes". When we asked her more information on it she was very condescending and very rude to our group. I wish we had seen the reviews before even wasting our time walking to the bar. Obvious poor ownership here and I wouldn't recommend. For a LGBTQ+ bar that claims on their website they are "all inclusive" this is very sad and such an L on their part. Ya'll should truly take the "all inclusive" statement off your low class website because your establishment is the farthest thing from inclusive. "NOT JUST A GAY BAR! GAY, STRAIGHT OR BI - EVERYBODY'S WELCOME!" - absolute lies, it's very clear from the hundreds of 1 star reviews of individuals being turned away that this establishment DOES NOT "welcome everybody". read more

We had a small group of 6 girls wanting to get in after an hour of waiting but because we were a group of 6 girls they would not let us in. I would not recommend this place if it was the last place I would go to in my life. They discriminated so disrespectfully against us after waiting and this lady (pictured) said she didn't give a fuck how long we waited we were not allowed in because we are a group of 6 woman. We were willing to wait and go in in groups of 3 to support their bar. I've never felt so disrespected in my life by how the girl at the front door treated us. If you enter be cautious, cause you will be disrespected. read more

Side Traxx - a group of people sitting at a bar - Gay Bars Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I've been coming here for a long time, and it still remains my favorite bar in TC. I've also quietly witnessed many of the interactions that resulted in bad reviews here, and they're almost always leaving out a significant part of the story. Most often it's one of: one or more people in the group being aggressive from the start, someone drinking outside and trying to walk in with it (including some that walked in with a full wine glass from home), someone being very obviously beyond drunk, or someone escalating a situation after being confronted politely about their behavior. The bar gets rowdy on weekends at times, which means that sometimes problems have to be resolved quickly. Every staff member there has at one point or another been assaulted by someone who was, in their own words, "perfectly fine." Maybe a few people here and there get caught in that, but that's standard for many places. The only time I've seen Lisa be outright mean to someone is when the police had to be called because of someone else's escalated aggression and refusal to leave... but that's kind of the job of a bouncer. They're there to make sure the problem stays outside, the people inside are reasonably safe, and that the building isn't dangerously over capacity. All that said, I've also been there on slower nights when the bartenders have time to talk and calm someone down, call them a cab, and make sure they get home safely. That's simply not possible to do on nights where hundreds of people are coming and going all night. Telling someone they're not allowed in isn't "rude" or "mean," it's part of the job description. I get that the no bachelorette policy may be frustrating to people out having a good time, but the crowd and atmosphere has significantly improved since that was implemented. Higher LGBTQ+ to bachelorette party ratio, more people who are there because they feel comfortable there rather than seeing it as a novelty, fewer huge parties being rude to everyone else. Obviously not every bachelorette party is or was a problem, but there were a substantial number of them that were. I'm speaking as someone who has been there with bachelorette parties several times in the past, and I still think it was a good change in the long run. read more

Totally Fun place! Staff was friendly and helpful! Shout out to the DJ taking requests (early in the night) and dancing in the booth..Older folks; come early, dance, play pool, arcades, then let the younger set close up the place! read more

This is my 2nd day back in town after being in Alaska for 7 years. I walked 1.5 miles through the sleeting snow (having a great walk). I stopped by the library to pick up some books wanted to pop in to a place I remember being fun and friendly. I walk in, a bearded man behind the bar says "hey you can't backpacks in here". I say politely "oh ok, sorry, I'm on foot and I'm out on a walk. Is is possible to leave it behind the bar for a drink?". He says extremely aggressively "not my responsibility." ok....I wasn't even asking for any exceptions, didn't act like I owned the place or anything. I politely said "geez you don't have to be so rude about it." He says "just get the he!& out, I'm not gonna' deal with your bullshi$." WOW. I'm not sure if I've ever been treated like that anywhere, even during interactions where there was a genuine miscommunication (a natural part of life). What is going on with this man? and what is happening in this establishment? read more

Bartenders are pretty good, quick service & friendly. The one star is solely due to the extremely rude doorman, Lisa. She is consistently judgmental & and unwelcoming, even if you are sober. Im surprised she is still employed there. read more

Honestly not worth the time. It's far out of town, we went out of our way to go here and we're denied at the door due to being a part of a bachlorette party since there is is "history of bach parties being reckless". The 'bouncer' was the most unwelcoming person I've came across in awhile. Moral of the story is only go if your alone, I guess...? read more

I travel to this area frequently and have always had a great time here. The "rude" doorperson is doing her job. She's not there to win a Miss Congenialty award. Show some respect and you'll have no problem. For all these 1 star reviews from women, you have a plethora of bars for you and your friends to go to. The gay community in this area has VERY few places to go where we can be ourselves without risk of intimidation or judgement. The drinks are nice pours, nothing fancy but it's TC, not Manhattan. The bartender and staff have always been welcoming and helpful. Yeah, the area may be a little sketchy, but this is an oasis in an otherwise fairly hostile to the gay community part of the state so we have limited options. Be nice, be respectful, and if you're part of a group of girls wanting to go party in a gay bar, please respect our limited options and go to a straight bar. Try being gay and go into a straight bar and tell me how that goes for you. read more

Sundays are prime at this Michigan gem. I came for a weekend at the lake cottage. The rainbow aesthetic peaked my interest. 12/10 would recommend. Lots of Hillary's and Breannas. Pickle juice chasers are out of this world. Bre loves cucumbers. Big ones. read more

For being a patron of this bar for so long I can't believe how they treat people. ** They have been overcharging people in a sense that they are adding drinks to people tabs because they are too drunk to notice. They need to learn how to communicate with patrons other than throwing tantrums. I went there and had a $14 tab and out a $20 bill on the bar for them. At the end of the night I went to leave and they said I still owed them money. The bartender was freaking out and I even offered to pay again. But he then proceeded to throw everything off of his bar and screamed at the top of his lungs that I was trying to steal from them. Unfortunately the other 10 people I was there with verified I paid and that bartender was acting crazy. To throw everything off the bar including your straws and napkins is beyond delusional. I would never recommend this place, but if you do end up going, don't get drinks from the guy with long hair he seems a little unstable and can't keep track of his transactions maybe because he drunk. This place use to be so much fun and it has turned into the worst shit show of a bar. I feel bad for anyone who goes in there. My recondition if you want a place to dance go to Enchore 201. read more

Coming from LA where the gay bars are actually inclusive and welcoming, I wouldn't touch Side Traxx with a 50 foot pole. Not sure why the employees seem to get off on judging their patrons by the way they look, but if you don't look "gay enough" I'd go elsewhere just to save yourself the trouble from rude and unwelcoming staff. This business is incredibly unprofessional, and I'm glad to be back in WeHo after the horrible experience I had here. read more

Never been treated like that in my life because we were dressed in wigs we were not allowed in not allowed to use the restroom when the next driver to take us back into the main town was 30 minutes away. I guess they'd rather someone walk unsafely back to civilization or pee on a tree then be kind. Do not go here ever read more

Do Not Go Here The least safe "safe space" Myself and my 7 queer friends came to have a drink and dance. The woman at the door turned all of us away because one of us had an empt can that we wanted to throw away. There was NO trash out front for us to put our empty can and they said all of Us were not welcome for the night because of the one empty can we had. It was a Sunday and they were slow and we were willing to pay the $5 cover. We asked what the problem was with us coming in and they said the owner might see us "drinking" on camera. We were walking from 1 block away and wanted to throw out trash out before we came in. Really disappointed in the representation of traverse city. I hope that sidetraxx doesn't reflect the community. read more

It's a fun place but the door lady is pretty bizarre. There's some truth to all these reviews.

Cheap and delicious drinks, great company, and a fun place to go. They have some pool tables and darts. Happy hour is the best deal in town!

Wouldn't let us in because we were a bachelorette party. We were polite and it was early in the night, the. bar was empty, but the lady very rudely declined us entry read more

I'm sorry to give any LGBTQ business a negative review, but it is really warranted in this case. Like many others, we were turned away at the door. We were going for a bachelorette party. I understand that these parties can be really annoying, but we weren't being belligerent and the bride is a lesbian. The woman at the door was super rude. All we wanted was to have a drink and dance. read more

Be careful, of the woman at the front door. She is Bi-Polar, and is a very rude and makes up total BS, about people. She called 911 on me told people numerous different stories, and when I had to go to court because if the door lady who jumped on my back scratched my neck , and then fell of my back. If you read the reviews, you will see at-least 1/2 the reviews are complaining out the door lady Lisa. Her lies have ended up with at least 15 to 20 people having to deal with court. When I went to my arraignment, I told the gentleman that I had an In counter at side Traxx, and he said verbatim, Lisa? I was blown away. Just read the reviews?? read more

Side Traxx - If you can pull pic bigger you can se the nail marks, on my neck. - Gay Bars Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Walked 20 minutes to get to this bar and when we went to the bouncer, we were told we couldn't come in because we were part of a bachelorette party. Let me tell you, this town is NOT Nashville. The fact that you'll refuse paying customers is ridiculous. This bar and town are obviously not fun if you have to pay to get inside... read more

-10 this place was rude and ruined a bachelorette Party. None of the party was drunk and we got turned away because Lisa said woman are too emotional. Could not recommend this less. read more

This bar didn't let us in because we were a bachelorette group. No other reason! Everyone got to walk around us but they said we weren't allowed. So much for "inclusivity ". Too bad they didn't realize how much we like to drink and TIP! Screw this bar! read more

My girlfriend doesn't have the Yelp app but here's what happened per her... This past Saturday night she and a group of friends went to Traverse City to celebrate two of her friends getting married (they're already married it wasn't a white sash and tiara wearing bachelorette party ) and their 30th birthdays. The group they took was not being rowdy or was anyone belligerently drunk like a lot of straight bachelorette parties that try and go to gay bars. Most members of the group, including the brides, are members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Initially a few of them were let in then, for no reason, part of the group was denied. Not only were they denied but were misgendered repeatedly even after correction. The manager, Josh, couldn't give a clear answer as to why they were being denied and didn't try to resolve the issue at any point. Being the only gay bar in the area you would think they would be more welcoming to all members of the community, including femmes and butches, and it is a shame this even occurred. I understand not wanting straight drunk girls, especially straight bachelorette parties, in a queer space but denying queer people into the only "inclusive" queer space in the area seems unjustifiable. read more

It was my first time in TC. I was told that this place would be fun and welcoming to all. It was quite the opposite. Horrible experience, especially with the management. I would not recommend for large groups. This place thrives on making groups wait outside and only let half in, pay their cover, get a drink, and not letting the rest of your group get in without a valid reason. They refused to give us our cover charge back. The door lady came out to the patio and screamed at us to get out while taking our beers out of our hands. We approached her calmly, but she did not reciprocate and her attitude escalated from there. If I were you, I would avoid this bar and stick to the other establishments around the TC area. Don't bother wasting your time and money here. read more

The fact that we were not allowed in to this bar because we were part of a bachelorette is crazy. Our party had women and men that identity with the community and we were denied. When we tried to explain to them that we we were a rainbow party they lady at the door completely dismissed are argument and called security. Sad because other bars recommended this place read more

If I could give 0 stars, I would. Our group was turned away at the door simply because we are a group of women, celebrating a marriage. It was incredibly rude and we were told it was because "Women are emotional and unpredictable." I honestly felt very discriminated against simply for being a woman. None of us were overly intoxicated and we're all ready to have a nice night, however, it ended abruptly and we had to walk miles in the rain because of denied entry for being women. I would NEVER recommend this place and if I was the owner, would consider firing anyone (Lisa) who has the nerve to treat another woman that way or just a human being in general. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. Terrible staff. The employee at the door on the weekend of april 29th was so rude and if I were the employer I wouldn't be happy. If you're vitiating out of town do not waste your time. The area was unsafe and dirty. read more

As MANY others have said, I wish I would have looked at the reviews before going. Yesterday, as we drove up to the bar, we saw their "host" and others give us a nasty look. Their "host", which their website says they have friendly staff, was the complete opposite. We walked up to the door (not sloppy or even slightly drunk) as a Bach party. The "host" immediately told us we were not allowed, that they don't allow bachelorette parties. We walked up and had not even said a word. She was rude and nasty. We chose this place because the server at dinner recommended it. I could MAYBE understand if it was because we aren't LGBTQ but looking at their website now, it says "Not just a gay bar! Gay, Straight or Bi". There is also no where visible to outside customers or notices of saying that Bach parties are not allowed. Went to another bar that let in brides for free. Not sure why a place that is supposed to be inclusive is so exclusive and down right rude/very mean. read more

Side Traxx - The host I am referring to - Gay Bars Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Can i give a place 0 out of 5 stars? For a bar that preaches inclusivity, they're anything but. They did not let us in to celebrate our friends birthday because they accused us of being a bridal party. No one was drunk, but the second there was a female who was in white, we were a "bridal party" who wasn't allowed in. The bouncer was ok to let us in, but Lisa, maybe the owner, saw a girl in white and said no. My friends who did go in said it was dirty and overcrowded anyways, so we won't be giving it another chance. read more