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The intersection of Church and Wellesley Streets, the epicenter of Toronto’s gay village, has been home to a large gay and lesbian community for decades. A profusion of excellent bars, restaurants, and specialty shops make the strip a great place to just hang out and soak up the scene as leathermen, muscle boys, and drag queens strut their stuff. The 519 Community Centre at 519 Church Street hosts regular social events and neighborhood gatherings, as well as offering a multitude of drop-in programs and short-term counseling.

For muscle boys and stylish guys, the flagship store of this Toronto-based apparel line offers formfitting under- and outerwear for clubbing and cruising. Though the store’s video imagery of superb models is intimidating, the staff isn’t.

This popular meeting place, with its benches and greenery, is home to a permanent AIDS memorial, installed in 1993. The pillars are inscribed, upon request and with no geographic restrictions, with the names of people lost to the disease. The Universal Remembrance Plaque, added in 1995, is a tribute to those who remain unnamed.

A fun, boisterous restaurant and lounge popular with the gals, especially on weekends, though straights are always given a warm welcome too. DJs on Friday (retro and funk) and Saturday (retro and dance) nights, when martinis flow, then the crowds are back again for brunch.

Established in 1970 as Canada’s first gay and lesbian bookstore, its excellent collection includes a wide selection of academic, fiction, and hard-to-find titles, as well as racy picture books and magazines. The used books section on the second floor is worth checking out.

A stuffed rhinoceros head presiding over the bar greets patrons at this local favorite. A pool table and continuously running soft-core videos keep the clientele entertained, as do special events, like the popular Best Chest contest, here and at sibling bar Sailor, next door.

Designed to the hilt with a long martini bar and featuring spinning DJs for after-dinner dancing on the weekends, this stylish restaurant draws gays and straights alike. The intimate dining area is separated from the bar by moving panels. The food is great too, especially the moules frites .

This groundbreaking theater company, established in 1979, is the city’s oldest and largest venue for queer-culture productions. Renowned for innovative, edgy works, productions often push the boundaries of artistic convention and sometimes even propriety – but that’s precisely the point. Special events include Hysteria, a multidisciplinary festival celebrating women (bra art is just one highlight).

Things get down and dirty with drag shows, burlesque, and much more at this performance space cum nightclub that caters to the weekend party crowd. On Friday nights, alternative rock warms up the dance floor, while Saturdays get going with danceable pop. The cabaret is located in the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre building.

This secluded Toronto Island beach has the city’s only official clothing-optional area. (Don’t take off your clothes until you reach the well-signed, fenced section at the south end.) In 1999, the Point reclaimed its status as a nude beach, as it had been between 1894 and 1930, enabling nudists and cruisers alike to once again soak up the sun in the buff. “No swimming” warnings are posted when water pollution levels are high (see Hanlan’s Point).