Philadelphia Opens LGBTQ+ Tourism Center in Gayborhood

The Philly Pride Visitor Center offers guidance on LGBTQ+-friendly destinations and local queer history.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Philadelphia has opened one of the country's first LGBTQ+ visitor centers, located in the city's Gayborhood. The Philly Pride Visitor Center will help tourists navigate the city and state's historical and cultural attractions with a focus on sites of interest to the LGBTQ+ community, including providing information on LGBTQ+ history in Philadelphia.

Why it matters

The new visitor center represents an important step in Philadelphia's efforts to promote LGBTQ+ tourism and highlight the city's rich queer history and culture. It also reflects the growing trend of destinations creating specialized tourism resources for LGBTQ+ travelers.

The details

The Philly Pride Visitor Center is located at 12th and Locust Streets in the Gayborhood neighborhood of Washington Square West. It was created through a partnership between the Philadelphia Visitor Center, Visit Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Office of Tourism, and the Philadelphia Gay News. The center's walls feature information on LGBTQ+-friendly destinations across Pennsylvania, as well as a brief overview of Philadelphia's LGBTQ+ history, including the country's first public gay rights demonstration in 1965 and the ACT UP movement's growth in the city during the 1980s AIDS crisis.

  • The Philly Pride Visitor Center opened on February 26, 2026.

The players

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

The governor of Pennsylvania who spoke at the center's ribbon-cutting ceremony, drawing historical parallels to William Penn and the Quakers' arrival in the state.

Rue Landau

Philadelphia's first openly gay city councilperson, who expressed her emotional reaction to the new visitor center and its focus on LGBTQ+ history and culture.

Philadelphia Visitor Center

The main visitor center in Philadelphia that has partnered to create the new Philly Pride Visitor Center.

Visit Philadelphia

The city's tourism marketing company that collaborated on the new LGBTQ+ visitor center.

Pennsylvania Office of Tourism

The state tourism office that also participated in the development of the Philly Pride Visitor Center.

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What they’re saying

“They probably never imagined a group of LGBTQ leaders and a Jewish governor hanging out like this, but Penn would probably be pretty proud of the fact that we have come this far.”

— Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (WHYY)

“When I walked through the doors today, I was fully shocked. This isn't just a visitor center that tells you which coffee shop to go to or which bar to go to. It tells us not only our history, our community's history, but how to reach the history of Philadelphia. We are all still making history every single day. I was blown away. I had tears in my eyes.”

— Rue Landau, Philadelphia City Councilperson (WHYY)

What’s next

The Philly Pride Visitor Center is expected to continue expanding its offerings and partnerships to further promote LGBTQ+ tourism in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania.

The takeaway

The opening of the Philly Pride Visitor Center marks an important milestone in Philadelphia's efforts to celebrate and support its LGBTQ+ community, positioning the city as a welcoming destination for queer travelers and highlighting the rich history and culture of the local queer experience.