Inn on Castro

Inn on Castro is a gay-owned bed and breakfast in the literal heart of the Castro neighbourhood — on Castro Street itself, a minute's walk from Twin Peaks Tavern and the Castro Theatre. The inn operates eight rooms in a Victorian building that has been accommodating gay visitors to San Francisco for over three decades. The character of the property is defined by its scale and its owners' involvement: this is not a corporate hotel chain but a personally-run guesthouse where the hosts know every guest by name and can provide the kind of neighbourhood orientation that no concierge desk can replicate. Full breakfast is included. The Castro location is, for many gay visitors, the only location that makes sense — this is the neighbourhood that gave the world the first openly gay elected official (Harvey Milk), the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and the transformation of urban gay life from concealment to visibility. Staying in the Castro is staying inside the history rather than observing it from outside. The inn fills quickly for Pride weekend in June and for the autumn festival season; book months in advance for these periods.