Hear Stonewall Riots veterans talk about the infamous police encounter
Veterans of the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots reflect on the infamous clash with police and why the fight for equality over transgender rights continues.
- New York City’s Stonewall Inn was the site of a 1969 police raid that sparked protests and became a major flashpoint in the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
- A visitor center opened next to the bar in 2024, educating visitors about the history of the Stonewall uprising and the ongoing fight for equality.
- Enjoy a drink at the historic bar, browse exhibits at the free visitor center, and explore the Greenwich Village area.
No other bar in the world has a visitor center. New York’s Stonewall Inn might look like any other (gay) dive bar without it. On a Thursday afternoon in October, with patrons sipping drinks as “Bewitched” played silently on screens throughout the room, it was easy to feel like you were in a small-town bar rather than the site of a major flashpoint for the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
But visitors to New York should not miss the opportunity to pay homage to the fight for equality that is rooted in the city in many ways.
Why Stonewall is important
On June 28, 1969, a police raid at the Stonewall Inn began a series of protests that eventually became what is now known as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
President Barack Obama directed the National Park Service to designate the park across the street from the bar as a national monument in 2016, and a private visitor center opened in the building next to the current bar in 2024. In 1969, the bar became even larger, and the space now occupied by the visitor center became part of Stonewall itself.
“Stonewall is about the fundamental right to live with integrity, and given the current climate, Stonewall also represents a spirit of resistance and a demand for equality that still exists today,” Anne Marie Gotard, co-founder of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, told USA TODAY. “We need spaces to celebrate the past, but we also need spaces to help future generations understand where we are going and why it is important to use our voices to encourage others.”
what to see and do
- Stonewall Inn – Visit the bar, have a drink, and get a feel for where the LGBTQ+ rights movement began.
- Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center – To learn more about history, check out the exhibits in the visitor center next door. Learn about LGBTQ+ history before Stonewall, why the uprisings mattered, and what the next frontier is in the fight for equality
- Let’s explore the neighborhood – Stonewall is located in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, offering a safe and beautiful part of the city to explore.
Local hidden gems and trending spots
While Stonewall is a great place to visit, another bar around the corner, Julius, is a lesser-known spot that left an important mark on the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. It is also known as the oldest gay bar still operating in the city.
Demonstrations known as “ship-ins” inspired by lunch counter sit-ins in the South that took place there in 1966 eventually led to a Supreme Court case that granted gay patrons the right to serve alcohol in licensed bars.
best time to visit
There’s no perfect time to visit, but you can expect crowds during Pride Month in June.
travel tips
Stonewall is easily accessible by public transportation or rideshare. Street parking can be difficult to find in Greenwich Village.
According to Google Maps, Stonewall is about an hour by public transportation from all three of New York’s major airports, and can take anywhere from about 30 minutes to more than an hour and a half by car, depending on traffic.
Penn Station is approximately 10 minutes by public transportation and Grand Central Terminal is approximately 20 minutes by public transportation. Driving times from both rail terminals vary depending on traffic.
If you go
directions: Both the Stonewall Inn and the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center are approximately one block from the Christopher Street subway station on Line 1 and just a few blocks from the West 4th Street station on the A, B, C, D, E, and F lines. PATH trains to New Jersey also serve the neighborhood.
The bar is open until 4am, seven days a week. Open Monday through Friday at 2pm and Saturday and Sunday at 1pm.
The visitor center requires no tickets or admission fees and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
where to stay: Manhattan has an almost unlimited selection of hotels at various price points.
Stonewall remains an important part of the region and an important part of American history.
“We all stand on the shoulders of previous generations, reinforcing the need to protect the hard-won freedoms we hold dear today,” Gothard said. “When you’re right next to where the monument is, you see people looking out for each other.”
(This story has been updated to add link.)
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and can be reached at zwichter@usatoday.com.
