Nightlife

In the past five years, I’ve seen gay and lesbian establishments come and go, but Visions has been a Reno nightlife mainstay.

The sheer size of Visions outmatches any of the half-dozen other gay bars in Reno. The bar has plentiful seating, and the area around the bar is spacious as well, even with a couple of pool tables thrown in the mix. There’s also a back patio area, which is great for a breath of fresh air and quiet conversation. On some weekends, they even have barbecues.

I’ve never seen a bartender at Visions who wasn’t friendly and efficient, and their drink prices are very reasonable ($1 pitchers on Wednesdays).

But the real treasure is the dance floor. While still keeping its neighborhood bar appeal, Visions has capitalized on the nightclub scene by creating a huge dance floor and installing a sound system just for DJs. You can hear dance music all weekend long, or country music on Thursdays.

Unfortunately, Wednesday night’s techno music event, “Club 69,” has fizzled out. Visions was often packed for this weekly event, wryly referred to as “Breeder Night” by regulars because of the high turnout of heterosexual club kids. Bartender Gary Martin says the same music is still being played on Wednesdays, but with the bar’s own DJs, and Reno’s best gay hangout is still popular with “breeders.”

"A lot of straight people come here because they like the gay community better," Martin says. "And we welcome them."