From LOGO Online

The Best Gay Bars in America are...

1. Mary's - Atlanta, Georgia

1287 Glenwood Avenue; Atlanta, GA; tel. 404-624-4411

http://www.marysatlanta.com; http://www.myspace.com/marysbar

Mary's, the colorful kitschy East Atlanta watering hole, got the most nods from our contributors. Cator Sparks, the Southern-raised gentleman who contributes to the NY Times and works in fashion PR praised the sassy spot for three reasons: "First, a midget hosts 'Karaoke Saturdays.' Second, they have underwear twister nights. And third, the stuffed deer head on the wall sings along to karaoke." Point well taken. Travel writer Jimmy Im, chimed in: "Mary's is unpretentious, has a great diverse crowd, and the clientele (and the staff) is a little wacky. Basically, it's really just always super fun!"

To find out more, I quizzed owner Mike Dover about the bar, its crowd, and why it rocks:

What's the ethos behind Mary's? If you guys had a mission statement with this bar, what would it be?

"We want to be your crazy neighbors down the street who never give up the opportunity for a theme party. We want to be the place you just go because you know all your friends are going to be there, but that you are still are not quite sure what to expect. We want to be in business forever, but if we aren't, we want to be the place that people still talk about 20 years later to make the next generation of gay kids jealous."

In a couple of sentences, tell me what went down on the wildest night you can remember?

Gee... This is like Sophie's Choice! So many of our regulars are so good at cookin' up a good time we could never pick just one! Let's just say snow bunnies, fortune tellers, a makeshift jail, and twister have all crossed paths in one night.

Why do you think Atlanta is a great city for a bar like Mary's?

Atlanta's a growing city with relatively low cost of living and people are movng here from all over the country. Throw that into the mix with the inherent crazy and eccentric characters that the South is known to breed and you've got a hell of a melting pot. Mary's is something of a home base for both natives and new arrivals to the city. When a new person comes to the bar, they add something to it, and keeps it fresh and interesting. All the ne'er do wells need a place to drink, after all.