Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is a very hippie friendly communnity with a couple small communes in the James Island and King Street area of downtown. It is the coolest, most laid back town, with the nicest people. Downtown Charleston has stores such as Loose Lucy’s, Exchange Factor Five, Black Mineral Market and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. Within the college, College Lodge (dorm) was featured in “High Times Magazine” as one of the most drug affiliated dorms in the U.S.

The Market in downtown Charleston, S.C. is an absolutely groovy place to be when it comes to hippies. Downtown Charleston also includes other great stores such as Granny’s Goodies and the Exchange Factor. There are lots of good music stores in the area such as Manifest Disks and Tapes and for used Cd’s the Exchange Factor is the place to be. The best restaurants in the area are Papillon (kinda expensive and upscale Italian, but the best pizza buffet for lunch – whole wheat pizza cooked in a stone oven), Andoleni’s Pizza (cheap good thin crust pizza), Moose Mountain (my favorite coffee shop), and my mom’s cooking (will fatten any skinny hippie up). there is lots of live music at night until two, when all the bars close down. Grab a Free Times from the Exchange Factor or anywhere Downtown, they usually have all the listings. Also, just walking around downtown is great itself. There are lots of great art galleries to stick your head into.

Columbus, Ohio

Definitely NOT a hippy haven. Many of the head shops are being forced closed because the campus area is becoming “revitalized” (read: influx of money, respectability, and high price residences and stores). Also, the Police Department issued a warning to Columbus citizens and business that Phish was a “cult” and to avoid serving those that were in town for the concert. Columbus is fast becoming an anti-hippy haven.

Westport, Missouri

Missouri has more then two hippy hangouts (gasp!). Westport’s a very cool place. It has head shops, VW buses, and lots of drugs.

Westport is a section in Kansas City.

Midtown-Westport is an eclectic area, known for the Westport entertainment area, with festive brewpubs, DJ bars and retro-chic diners serving American comfort food. During the day, the scene centers on trendy fashion boutiques. Neighboring Midtown has historic buildings like the Thomas Hart Benton Home, with tours of the painter’s studio and gardens. Trails wind through nearby Roanoke Park, encircled by bluffs.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Yes, even the neon tribute to tinseled affluence is a hippie hangout. The area adjacent to UNLV is “loaded” with shops, pubs and music stores. A Las Vegas staple: “Legends” caters to the deadhead crowd, as well as the “Hard Rock Hotel”, a must see while in Las Vegas. A major head shop, Tobacco Road, is always worth a visit. Finally, the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort hosts a blues festival in the summer which is great up at 7,500 feet.

Now that Nevada has legal pot, the entire scene has changed. They even have same sex marriages available at the wedding chapels. What a difference a decade or two makes, when I lived there it was a felony to possess cannabis, now it is everywhere.

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.

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!”