The Park

We popped in here for a drink, to get out of the house and not have to go too far. Its a little shady looking on the outside but once you get through the door guys, you can tell they’re trying to make the place better. The bar staff was very friendly. It reminded me of similar bars back home. We left before it started to fill up.
The MAJOR bad part… the dj is horrendous. He only wanted to play bad rap and r & b. You go out to a bar to bounce. not snore. People kept wondering why the dj wasnt fired. I truly hope the owner reads this and dumps him so they can get a real dj to bring some energy and fun to the place. Roanoke is a hick type conservative area with few real variations. I had high hopes for this place. We might try again sometime in the future. This place could make a LOT more money with a dj who doesn’t just play what he likes. Ever seen Bar Rescue where they ditch the dj for holding them back? Thats this dj.

The only gay club in the Roanoke area and It’s terrible. The worst gay club I’ve ever been to. Everyone knows everyone and stays in their little groups. People are very antisocial and standoffish. They would probably think you were crazy if you didn’t know them and tried to talk to them. Most nights its really boring with barely anyone there. A lot of older people, mostly gay men… which sucks if you’re a lesbian in your 20’s. Also they don’t sell alcohol just wine coolers and beer… at an extremely ridiculous price. Go to scorpios on a Sunday night in Charlotte, nc or blue bar in Charlotte… just a short 3 hour drive that will definitely be worth it.

what a comfort — nothing has changed since i was sneaking in at 17… at the same time, sadly, nothing has changed since i was sneaking in at 17.
«the park» has so much potential. the property is tucked away in a fairly decent and safe place if you don’t mind the crack dealers. it’s huge — absolutely honking huge. it has a great sound system, awesome dj, fabulous drag shows, one of the best bartenders in town, and i’m not just saying that because i think i slept with him when i was sneaking in at 17, and extremely handsome patrons who know how to shake their groove things.
but when i asked why it was so empty on a friday night i was told «the kids are all going to greensboro now». in my humble opinion the roanoke gay community should come together and resurrect the park. help it to remain something special. it’s worth it and has great bones… how many gay establishments do you know that has survived since the 70’s? it just needs a little fine-​tuning.
ms. enya salad, ms. savanah savage, ms bechanel and ms-​lead all turned a sad day into one i could actually smile about. you «ladies» rock. my thanks also to the young man who saw me getting down with my bad self and stuffed his wallet in my mouth thinking i was having epileptic fits… you’ve taught me at my age i should likely remain seated…

Unfortunately this club is dying. It needs a makeover to survive. Many gays go to other bars in the area as many more become gay friendly. The Metro and Café Cubana/​Macados have a large gay clientele.

Bah. This is possibly the worst gay club I’ve ever been to. Maybe it’s just the small town vibe, but every time my friends and I would go here we got judgmental looks from the «older» crowd. I never had problems with them, nor were we really «rowdy» in a way that should have thrown off the vibe of the establishment.
One set of friends, who weren’t a couple in the first place, were both of the «femme» persuasion and were told on their way to the ladies room that they’d «learn» about their proper roles when they got older, essentially that they’d realize that lesbian relationships need a masculine figure in them, by a couple who assumed they were together.
Basically, we always felt unwelcome here because the older generation who hang out here tend to think they know better than the younger crowd how being gay works, and are pretty cold to those who don’t fit their idea of what it is to be a GLBT person.

The only club in the area that doesn’t play shitty music. Also, a great place to go for random awkward times.
PS, if you’re a straight guy, my straight guy friend says not to use the restroom there. Hahaha.

The Park is a gay club located in Downtown Roanoke. They don’t serve hard liquor, which I found … odd — to say the least. There is also no valet — another downside.
However, the crowd is a nice bunch of people, a mix of young, old, gay, straight, couples and singles. When I went, I was in a group of 2 straight girls and 2 gay guys. Daaamn those boys can dance! LOL!
It’s small, but not tiny, and gets extremely crowded and thus hot as hell. They do have a balcony in the back for smokers or if you just need to take a break from the dancing crowd.
I’d go back, if my friends wanted to go, but they really gotta work on that liquor thing!

This bar is so much fun that my fiancée and I often leave Blacksburg to come party here and stay in a hotel. There is no where else like in our college town. It gets only 4 stars simply because it doesn’t serve wine or liquor and they won’t take credit cards, so bring some cash and be prepared to drink domestics or flavored malt liquor like Smirnoff Ice. It has a friendlier, funner vibe than anywhere else we have been in Southwestern Virginia.

This place definitely gave me a positive impression of Roanoke, VA. I would never have expected there to be a lively gay dance floor in the city!
The club is definitely gay bar (with plenty of pride flags to prove it), the crowd is amazingly friendly and mixed with a large number of heterosexual couples and even a few raver kids mixed in for good measure. Apparently, this is the place to go dancing, regardless of who you are.
The Park definitely had its fair share of oddities. They only serve beer, cider and other bottled drinks (like Smirnoff Ice), but they are very reasonably priced ($ 2-​$ 4 each). And, on Saturday night, which is when we went, you are given a ticket for one pass through a free buffet downstairs in the pizza parlor looking lower bar area.