Part of the Gay Charlotte Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte's LGBTQ+ sports bar with pool tables and games since 2007
Sidelines has been Charlotte's LGBTQ+ sports bar on South Boulevard since 2007, and it still bills itself as the Carolinas' only one. The draw is the game floor: four pool tables, dart machines, foosball, beer pong, and a wall of TVs, all free to play. Seven beers rotate on tap alongside a deep domestic and import list, and drink specials change through the week. There's no kitchen, but you're welcome to bring your own food or order in. The crowd skews a little older and more relaxed than Charlotte's club rooms, with music that leans '70s through '90s and stays at a volume you can actually talk over. It's the home bar of the Charlotte Royals rugby side and a regular host for Charlotte Gaymers Network meetups, so it works as much as a community clubhouse as a place to shoot pool. When you want to trade the billiards room for a dance floor, Argon next door is under the same ownership and carries the later, louder half of the night.
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