Cannabis Themed Travel Restaurants, Tour, Hotels… your Entire Vacation can be a Marijuana Festival New laws regarding marijuana use are causing quite a stir in the tourism world. There are now 420 friendly hotels and restaurants, plus tour companies that provide marijuana themed excursions. You can enjoy a gourmet meal of duck with a marijuana or hash sauce, light up a joint with your sashimi or swap marijuana grow tips in the hotel bar while vaping with new friends. We’ve compiled a list of restaurants, hotels and tour companies that will help make your next vacation the best you’ve ever taken. Eat and Toke: Cannabis Restaurants Hapa Sushi, Denver and Boulder, CO Fraîche, Amsterdam The Cannaisseur Series, San Francisco, CA Stay and Smoke: Cannabis Hotels Bud and Breakfast, CO Bed, Baked and Beyond, Seattle, WA 1431 NW 53rd, Portland, OR Camp Heaven, Sherwood, OR Green Adventures: Cannabis Tours Cultivating Spirits, Summit County, CO Eat and Toke: Cannabis Restaurants Forget Wine Pairing. Cannabis Pairing is the New, Hot Dining Trend Wine tastings, elegant coursed dinners with a wine for each dish… these are for old fogies. The new in thing is cannabis pairing. It turns out that marijuana does more than give you the munchies. By choosing strains that compliment a dish you can enhance your dining experience by smoking between courses or even by incorporating the marijuana right into the food. Okay, we still love wine. Fortunately you can pair wine with weed too! To help you get started on the delectable journey into the world of “high dining”, we’ve compiled a list of several places that do the pairing for you. Enjoy cannabis infused food at a fine restaurant, take a cannabis dining tour or bring your own to the local sushi joint. Cannabis Paired with Food: How it Works Let’s take a quick look at what these expert cannabis chefs and guides are doing when they pair a strain of marijuana with food. There are a couple ways to choose the perfect strain to compliment a dish or meal: Flavor – It’s all about those terpenes! Flavorful strains, especially those with a sharp citrus or acid taste like Sour Diesel help to cut the creaminess of a curry or white pasta sauce. Sweet strains like Bubblegum or Blueberry go well with a dessert wine after a big meal. Effect – Many cannabis connoisseurs choose to start the night with a strain that has high CBD levels, or even a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD like CBD Shark. This starts to mellow your mind without making you so stoned you can’t enjoy the rest of the night. A nice Sativa or cerebral hybrid like Girl Scout Cookies. Then finish the night with Pineapple Expressfor its relaxing, mellow effects. Plus the flavor goes well with a sweet white wine or crème brule. 1. Hapa Sushi – Offers a Cannabis Pairing Menu Someone’s going to have to coin a new term to describe a sommelier of marijuana. With gourmet restaurants adding cannabis pairings to their menus it won’t be long before a marijuana expert arrives at your table to help you choose the right bud to go with your ossobucco. Hapa Sushi offers a pot-and-dinner pairing menu at both their Denver and Boulder locations. Back before the state legalized marijuana the restaurant ran an ad campaign selling sushi to smokers as the ultimate munchie snack. Now you can enjoy your favorite strains right at the sushi bar. Here’s a sample of their suggestions for dinner and weed: Katsu Curry with Blue Dream Pakalolo Shrimp with Pakistani Kush Honey Miso Salmon with Sour OG 2. Fraîche offers 8 Psychedelic Courses Eating at a great restaurant is a reminder that food is about more than nourishment. Think of the zesty energy of citrus, the buzz of good coffee or chocolate, the lightness of mint or the heavy, relaxing effects of hearty red wine stew. Food impacts the way we feel, think and behave. But the chefs at this Amsterdam restaurant are taking the idea of mood-altering food to another level by offering a meal for serious stoners only: eight cannabis infused courses that promise to delight your palate and leave you soaring. At just 80 euros per person, it is an experience worth trying. Let’s take a look at some of their creations: Hamachi Sashimi with “Red Angel” Dressing Red Angel is a balanced Amsterdam cannabis strain, with 15% THC and 15% THC. Boudin Noir with Egg Yolk, Broccoli, Foie Gras and Hash Sauce Wild Bass with Pineapple Kush cannabis Raspberry Doughnuts infused with Cannabis Vapor Chocolate Fondant with Hash Butter Some of their dishes also incorporate psychedelic truffles and Syrian rue, a plant that prolongs the effects of psilocybin from the mushrooms. Like I said, this is a restaurant for serious tokers only! But guests report going home happily buzzed and waking up refreshed and hangover free. 3. The Cannaisseur Series Pop Up Dinner with Marijuana Pairings Pop Up dinners are becoming a popular way to meet new people. In San Francisco Chef Coreen Carroll and her fiancé Ryan Bush host gourmet Pop Up dinners with carefully selected cannabis strains in between courses. Carroll is a freelance chef adept at whipping up such delicacies as house-cured duck leg confit and panna cotta with ginger and rhubarb. To attend guests must present a California Medical Marijuana card. Since the pair is selling the food at a private event (and not technically selling marijuana) they don’t have any legal problems. Take Dinner to a New Level with Marijuana Pairing You’ve probably whipped up a batch of cannabis brownies or cookies before, but it’s time to step your cannabis palate up to the next level. Even if you don’t take a tour or visit a cannabis restaurant, you can try some pairings at home. Remember to consider the flavor profile of the strain and the food and think about the tone you want to set for the evening. These factors will help you decide which strain is perfect for your next dinner party or date night. Stay and Smoke: Cannabis Hotels Find a Cannabis Friendly Hotel for your Next Vacation Good morning sir (or madam). We have eggs benedict or blueberry waffles for our special today. Can I start you off with a cup of coffee? Or perhaps a nice Sativa joint? Is this not the way your waiter greeted you the last time you stayed at a bed and breakfast? Well, next time head to a Bud + Breakfast, where marijuana is just as important as quality food and a great mattress. In states like Colorado, Oregon, and Washington recreational marijuana use is legal but it is still illegal to smoke in public. Most hotels and resorts have strict no smoking policies, which includes balconies and outdoor areas on hotel property and apply to both tobacco and marijuana smoking. Fortunately for the cannabis loving tourist a number of “cannabis friendly” lodging options are popping up with increasing rapidity. These range from the cannabis-centric Bud + Breakfast in Colorado to the merely cannabis tolerant like the Bacon Mansion in Seattle. Here are a few of our favorite marijuana-welcoming places to stay: The Hotels 1. Bud + Breakfast, Colorado “We’ll keep the bowl burning for you”. That’s the motto of Colorado’s (and perhaps the world’s) first ever cannabis themed bed and breakfast chain. That’s right. At the two Bud + Breakfast locations you will not only be allowed to smoke on site, but you will be pampered in a uniquely pot-centric way. Three Marijuana Friendly Locations: B + B Silverthorne is a charming mountain lodge with Grateful Dead themed décor. This is the perfect access point for a winter ski vacation, with all the 420 amenities you could desire. B + B Adagio is a cannabis friendly lodge in the big city. Enjoy Denver and all it has to offer: music, food and of course, cannabis. Come home to your hotel and enjoy a final joint before bed, or wake up with a nice Sativa served with eggs. Hotel San Ayre by Bud + Breakfast is a boutique lodge in Colorado Springs. Enjoy stunning views, tasty joints and easy access to Red Rock Canyon, Garden of the Gods and Old Colorado City. A Cannabis Friendly Destination: At B + B they take the cannabis experience to another level. This hotel is not just 420 friendly. They completely embrace and celebrate cannabis while encouraging you to do the same. Enjoy: Wake and Bake Breakfast- toke on an uplifting Sativa joint with your pancakes 4:20 Happy Hour- join fellow guests in the common room for appetizers, complimentary beer and wine and any cannabis product you care to share Cannabis Infused Massage- discover the wonders of topical marijuana oil in this incredibly relaxing massage 2. Bed Baked and Beyond, Seattle, WA The owners, one a chef the other a beer appreciator, bill their 1903 Victorian bed and breakfast as a whimsical and romantic destination. Located in vibrant Seattle, WA this elegant and somewhat eccentric hotel is a great base of operations for your NW adventure. If you are curious about the local marijuana industry, take a tour with Kush Tours to see growing farms, dispensaries, labs and even glass blowers who will teach you to make your own pipe. A Cannabis Friendly Destination: The thoughtful owners have provided several relaxing and cozy smoking areas for their guests’ pleasure. Enjoy your favorite bud: On the swing on the front porch as you watch the world go by Laying on your back in a bed of daisies in the back yard Lounging in the covered “pot-ting shed” on a rainy day Next to the bonfire with friends 3. 1431 NW 53rd, Portland, OR Stay in one of two private bedrooms in this charming home located in Forest Park on the edge of Portland. You could not pick a better location. You will feel like you are staying in the woods in the middle of nowhere. There are miles of hiking trails to explore. And yet you will be only 5 minutes from the vibrant nightlife of downtown Portland. A Cannabis Friendly Destination Your hosts are sharing their home, their pets and some amazing food with you. And they are happy to accommodate your smoking needs as well. Smoke anywhere on the property outdoors Vaporizers may be allowed inside- just talk to your hosts first 4. Camp Heaven, Sherwood, OR Looking for something a bit more… rustic? Wild? But not too dirty? Go glamping at Camp Heaven. Arrive to find camp all set up- a beautiful wall tent, wood gathered for the fire, soft bedding, a dual shower and even a cushy white bathrobe. A Cannabis Friendly Destination You will be staying at one of only two very private sites located on Camp Heaven’s 5 acres. Enjoy your privacy and any bud you may choose to bring along. Smoke anywhere on the property outdoors If you are a lover of the great outdoors, check our guide to growing your own cannabis outside. 5. McKenzie Orchards Bed and Breakfast, Eugene OR Enjoy a peaceful vacation on the river. This is a cannabis-friendly, pet-friendly cyclist destination only 8 miles from Eugene. Indulge in nearby wine tastings and on-site cooking classes (sorry, no edibles made on site, but you are welcome to bring your own!) A Cannabis Friendly Destination Smoke a joint by the river after breakfast, or slip out to the porch for a puff between wine courses. Smoke anywhere on the property outdoors Smoking in Other States The most openly cannabis friendly lodging can be found in Colorado, Washington and Oregon, where recreational use is legal. Alaskan hotels often are open minded about smoking, though they cannot publish that on their websites as of yet. Likewise with various lodging in California and Nevada. A few tips for traveling and smoking: Ask! It never hurts to ask your hosts if you can smoke outdoors or on a balcony, especially in Alaska or California; Stay in a private home: rent a 420 friendly house or room using a site like airbnb.com, usaweed.org or kushtourism.com; Stay in a hotel with a smoking area or smoking rooms; Use a vaporizer, discreetly; Choose edibles over smoking. Why not go on a cannabis holiday? These are just a few of the many cannabis friendly hotels and bed and breakfasts springing up in states with legalized recreational cannabis. Bud + Breakfast is setting the bar for the first luxurious, cannabis-centered getaways, but many hotels are opening their doors to recreational smoking. And not only tiny private hotels allow smoking on premise. Next time you book a room in Colorado, Oregon or Washington ask if smoking is allowed. You may be surprised at the answer! Green Adventures: Cannabis Tours In Napa Valley you can go on a vineyard tour and wine tasting. In Denver you can go on a dispensary tour, visit a marijuana growing farm and enjoy a bud sampling, perhaps paired with wine, beer or food. While staying at a smoking-friendly hotel or enjoying a cannabis-infused meal is a pleasant part of any vacation, the true cannabis fanatic may choose to take marijuana tourism even further. Base your entire vacation around your favorite green plant. These companies provide marijuana experiences. Learn about growing, harvesting, different strains, cooking and more. 1. Cultivating Spirits – Cannabis Dining Tours and Much More They are essentially event planners who happen to be cannabis enthusiasts and experts. In addition to their popular dinner and cannabis tour package, Cultivating Spirits offers customized birthday parties, bachelor or bachelorette parties and even classy cannabis themed weddings in Summit County, CO. Let’s take a peek at some of their cannabis adventures: The Day Excursion Spend a day exploring the food, wine, weed and beautiful scenery of Summit County, Colorado. You’ll head out in a private limo to one of the State’s best marijuana growing farms where expert cultivators will teach you all the subtle differences between Indica and Sativa and how to critically evaluate buds. Then you’re off to learn about edibles, oils and accessories (while enjoying a bit of everything along the way). The day includes a mellow hike, a tour of Lake Dillon and a glass blowing demo that is mind bending after all the strains you’ve sampled. Sensational Fusion Experience Enjoy a cooking demo by top chefs, wine and cannabis pairings at the Frisco Wine Merchant and a gourmet dinner of fresh, local cuisine… with cannabis, of course. Customize your experience to fit any dietary preferences. They can handle gluten free, vegan or any other special requests. THC Fusion Experience This experience is all about cooking with cannabis. There is more to it than mixing up a batch of special brownies. Learn how to incorporate THC into your meals at home with simple, delicious techniques. Mountain Birthday Celebration Customize your birthday party in the Rockies with Cultivating Spirits. An Escalade stretch limo is at your disposal, as are some of the best cannabis guides in the country. Cannabis Weddings Cultivating Spirits is all about making each experience unique. This is especially important when it comes to your wedding. They offer several packages, including destination wedding planning to make your special day even more beautiful. What Guests are Saying about Cultivating Spirits: Lots of people are already enjoying the great services offered by Cultivating Spirits. Here’s what they are saying: “I would definitely recommend this unique experience to anyone who is interested in enjoying a good meal and learning about and seeing Summit County, or learning about and enjoying cannabis legally while you soak in some epic views.” Ryan after the Sensational Fusion Experience “Cultivating Spirits was an amazing experience like nothing else I’ve ever done or seen before. From the 5 star meals, to the first class service, to some of the best herb I have ever smoked.” Matt from Frisco, CO “I was a bit skeptical walking into a cooking class in lack of better words…high and a bit tipsy from the limo ride, but the atmosphere was great, our tour guide made the ambiance comfortable and safe which was my biggest concern.” Kristalyn from Arizona Share your Favorite Cannabis Vacation Stops Did you enjoy an amazing meal, room or marijuana-themed adventure on your last vacation? Share it with us in the comments below.
