In our first episode of a brand-new travel column, we go to a little town in Wisconsin and stay in a very big mansion on a very tall bed.

The city isn’t very outwardly hostile, and once you find a pocket of queer friends to start connecting you to others (one thing this guide will hopefully help you do!), we think the ‘Nati can be downright grand.

The South is notoriously friendly. It is also notoriously bigoted. In 2006, the year I moved to Nashville, an anti-marriage equality proposition passed. It felt like a slap in the face and a sign to leave. Six years later, I couldn’t be more happy that I stayed.