As the once very conservative state of North Carolina continues to become gradually more progressive, more and more gays and lesbians have moved here, from the beautiful western mountains around hip and artsy Asheville to the beautiful beaches around Wilmington. The state's capital city, Raleigh, has also become a very popular place both to live and visit (along with the other communities in the "Research Triangle", Durham and Chapel Hill). In fact, the city's tourism office, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, has developed an excellent website geared toward gay and lesbian travelers - it's rife with advice on gay-friendly accommodations, dining, shopping, events, and other things to see and do around town. Mark your calendars for North Carolina Gay Pride, which takes place Saturday, September 26, with events in both Durham and Raleigh - here's a brief preview of the event.

With the increasingly popular Dallas Gay Pride celebration set for the weekend of September 18-21 in 2009, the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is offering a chance to win tickets to attend the festivities - the prize (for the winner and a guest) includes airfare on American Airlines, three nights' accommodations at the swanky Joule hotel (with breakfast in the Charlie Palmer restaurant), and passes to Gay Day at Six Flags Over Dallas (courtesy of the Dallas Voice newspaper).

How do you win? Just visit the CVB's excellent website on GLBT travel and register by filling out an entry by July 31, 2009 (which is when the sweepstakes ends). While you're visiting this excellent site, check out all the fun things there are to see and do in gay Dallas.

Atlanta-based Traxx Girls, a company that creates "events for women who love women," is throwing a giant party in New Orleans over July 4th weekend (July 3 through July 5). The New Orleans Take Over Essence Weekend for Ladies coincides with the New Orleans Essence Festival, a fast-growing musical and cultural celebration geared toward the African-American community and in its 15th year in 2009 - it features dozens of talented artists (Beyonce, John Legend, Anita Baker, Jazmine Sullivan, Al Green, En Vogue, Lionel Richie, DJ Soul Sister, and many others). Over the same weekend, Essence For Ladies is throwing three nights of fabulous women's parties.

Essence For Ladies is using the elegant and centrally located Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel as its host hotels. Check the Essence For Ladies website for details on the three main event, which take place at Rubyfruit Jungle on Friday night, Club Le Roux on Saturday night, and OHM Lounge on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Traxx male component is producing a gay guys' event in New Orleans at the very same time (and also based at the Renaissance Pere Marquette), called Brotherz in the Bayou.

Traxx also produces the Sizzle and Sizzle Her in Miami over Memorial Day Weekend, and the guy-oriented 1776 in Atlanta on July 4, and men's and women's Pure Heat in Atlanta over Labor Day Weekend.

Check out these additional articles on gay travel in New Orleans, gay travel in Atlanta, and gay travel in Miami.

This weekend is the Mother of all Gay Pride Weekends, as numerous cities around the world are holding Gay Pride Fesivals and Parades in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots, which happened exactly 40 years ago (June 27, 1969). You can view a full calendar of June Pride events here (scroll to the lower part of the document for those taking place later in month to see the events for this weekend).

Additionally, check out these detailed previews of Gay Pride celebrations in Berlin, Paris, San Francisco, Toronto, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, and New York City.