Part of the Gay Durham Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Durham, North Carolina
North Carolina's only lesbian bar and cocktail lounge in downtown Durham
Arcana is a queer and woman-owned cocktail lounge tucked below street level in downtown Durham, recognized by the Lesbian Bar Project in 2024 as North Carolina's only lesbian bar. Erin Karcher and Lindsey Andrews opened it in December 2015 in the historic Snow Building; you reach it down an alley and a flight of stairs, which gives it a genuine speakeasy feel. Karcher has been sole owner since 2023. The decor takes its cues from the Rider-Waite tarot deck, and tarot readings are part of the actual programming, not just the theme. The calendar leans community over club: Queer D&D nights, a monthly Dyke Night, figure drawing, burlesque, and craft nights alongside the cocktail menu. Arcana marked its 10th anniversary in December 2025, which in a landscape that keeps losing lesbian bars is its own kind of headline.
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