Different for Girls: Top 5 Lesbian Meccas

1. Northampton, Mass.

Home to the women's liberal arts college Smith (founded 1871) -- and to a population of academic dykes -- Northampton is a charming college town of 30,000, perfect for those looking for a romantic getaway, wedding, or honeymoon destination. Downtown is a pleasant stroll from Smith's elegant campus. Cute cafés and intimate restaurants abound. Lesbianville, USA, as the National Enquirer once proclaimed it, is one of the most lesbian-popular towns in the country and boasts a lesbian mayor (Clare Higgins), a lesbian-run LGBT paper, and an array of women-owned businesses. It also has the impressive claim of being where out lesbian TV icon Rachel Maddow got her media start. Cartoonist Alison Bechdel, Gloria Steinem, Sylvia Plath, and Betty Friedan are former residents.

Smith College class of 1902

Best spot to meet the girls

You'll meet girls at any café or bar. Or just walking downtown. It's Northampton: Women are everywhere. But the top place to meet and mingle is Divas, NoHo's lesbian-owned LGBT club. A youthful clientele from the five area schools (Smith, U. Mass, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, and Hampshire) hit the dance floor and patio Tuesday through Saturday.