Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is great!

Savannah is known for manicured parks, horse-drawn carriages and antebellum architecture.

There are a few colleges here, including Savannah College of Art & Design, so there is a nice community. They have lots of festivals all year. The weather is nice, especially in spring. It is old & historic. Beautiful houses, churches, apartments. It’s easy to walk around (hard to drive), tons of huge trees, statues. All types of stores, second-hand shops, restaurants, coffeehouses. Lots of movies have been made there, some books. Artists are all over. It’s on the river, a short drive to the ocean. Near the South Carolina border, about 2 hours north of Florida. The people are so nice, & it’s real easy to find something to do. Just walk around, you’ll see people. Liberty Street is the main street w/coffeehouses & good, mellow restaurants. Be sure to get a map, though, because it’s easy to get lost, & avoid “new” Savannah, it’s suburban, like any other town. You can find cheap motels near the interstate, or in the next town south.

Savannah is a beautiful, diverse community. it’s easier to walk than drive around, beautiful “squares” which are little parks in the middle of the roads. there are veggie places, & you can drink in public, on the roads & all. I went to the art school’s sidewalk art fest last year (every April), had so much fun, tons of music, & got to see a free show, laying out on the grass, Emmy Lou Harris. you can see artist, painters, photographers, & writers all over, lots of old bookstores, cemeteries, antique shops, you name it. there is your share of tourist, but it is worth it.

Atlanta, Georgia

There is a certain area in Atlanta that is known as Midtown which houses an area known as Little Five Points. This is truly the hippie haven of the south – or at least Georgia. In this little portion of town there are many body art and vintage shops, including a favorite of the locals called Groovy Girls. Other odds and ends are sold around here such as African drums, futons, and crystals. .

Just like the goods that are sold here, the people are an assorted mixture as well. New age Flower Children, aging Flower Children, skateboarders, and Rastafarians line the streets daily. Drum circles are common practices here. Little Five Points and the nearby Piedmont Park also host the Pot Festival every year.

St. Augustine, Florida

It is a HUGE hippy hangout town. Rain or shine, you can always go down to St. George Street and find street musicians, vendors, and tons of cool kids just hanging. There are drum circles at the fort every week. Also, tons of hippy stores, like Gyspy’s Moonrose (they have the best jewlery!) and Dreamstreet, a book store that has couches and stuff to chill on. And everybody there is friendly, you can just go up and talk to random people… some of them turn out to be really interesting.

Newark, Delaware

This place is the home of the University of Delaware. It’s known for its green spaces, like Rittenhouse Park, with its trout-filled creek. On the outskirts, White Clay Creek State Park has miles of forest trails, plus a late-1700s mansion on the estate of Judge Morris. A path circling Newark Reservoir offers city views. The University Museums at the University of Delaware include collections of art, plus the Mineralogical Museum.

But, the town is very small, and there is not all that much to do in the way of nightlife and entertainment and there are a lot of annoying frat boys who drive around in jeeps and chuck things at people. The drug scene is somewhat unstable here, there is a lot of laced and bad stuff, gotta be careful!

Paonia, Colorado

This is a Hippie Haven from way back. In fact all of the hippies in Boulder that didn’t become wealthy yuppies (and some that did) are now in Paonia and have been for quite some time. Paonia is on the western slopes of Colorado. It still is an affordable place to live for hippies, unlike Boulder. We even have a person in the next town over, Hotchkiss, who is named Hippy Lereaux (quite an infamous character, a real outlaw).

Boulder, Colorado

“As one who has lived in and visited Boulder, CO over the years, I must warn everybody not to judge a book by it’s cover. Sure, Boulder is a very hip & fun town, but times are changing. Due to an ever-increasing influx of “hippies”, Deadheads, Phishheads, etc., the local law enforcement has been cracking down on the free-spirited mentality of our lifestyle. I have personally witnessed numerous human rights violations & unnecessary arrests all stemming from pressure by the local government & Boulder residents to “clean up the town”. I mean, how many places can you go where both you AND YOUR DOG get arrested in the same day?!!! Don’t laugh, because it has happened!”

Santa Cruz, California

I’m not sure there is really a large population of hippies IN Santa Cruz–it’s kind of a melting pot of all types of people–but if you’re looking for some really beautiful scenery, kind people, and totally peaceful chillin’, head to one of the towns a little bit north of Santa Cruz. Felton, Boulder Creek, Bonny Doon…it’s way mellow there, and everyone’s basically into mother nature and their brothers and sisters. It’s also real close to the ocean. It’s one of the prettiest areas you can imagine…head there on your travels. You won’t be sorry!