From a graffiti tour that lets you blaze and graze to sushi rolling while stoned, here’s what Colorado’s weed tourism industry has to offer you this summer
What goes together like peanut butter and jelly? Like white on rice? Like Doritos and Mountain Dew?
OK, we’re mostly kidding about the whole Doritos and Mountain Dew thing — we’ve never tried it, but as seasoned smokers, there is a good chance we will in the near future. And while we’re not super into the idea of Mountain Dew, we do love a little bit of junk food in our lives from time to time.
Anyway, back to what we were saying. What goes together like the pairings listed above?
Not sure? Well, let us tell you: it’s recreation and cannabis.
Now, we aren’t talking about hopping on a mountain bike while stoned. That doesn’t sound like a great idea. We’re talking about some more laid-back activities.
The kind you don’t really have to expend much energy (or break any bones) to do. You know… like stoned dinners and stuff. Those kinds of activities.
We aren’t just talking any old stoned dinners, though. We’re talking about the types of activities that someone else plans and executes for us. The ones where we just have to show up and have fun.
Those 420-friendly options exist in abundance across Colorado, and while they typically cater to out-of-towners or weed novices, there is absolutely no reason why we can’t all hop aboard the stoner activities train. It’s open to everybody, so choo-choo! Hop aboard!
You know you want to. After all, we could all use a break from our brains right now, and weed tends to provide that for us. And, now that summer tourist season has wound down in Colorado, it’s a great time for us to become weed tourists in our own state.
But what are the best options to do that, you ask? Well, you know we have answers. If you’re looking for a way to pass the time while stoned, here are some of the best cannabis-friendly tour options and activities in Colorado.
The Blaze and Graze Graffiti Tour
Location: RiNo in Denver, CO
Price: $29
Walking distance: 2.5 miles
Do you love street art, food, and weed? Hell yeah, us too — and, since that’s the case, this Blaze and Graze Graffiti tour is the right one for you (and us!). Considered one of Denver’s dopest walking tours, this 2.5-hour jaunt through the RiNo art district in Denver gives you a stoned crash course on the district’s bright graffiti murals outside in the open air. No stuffy bus for you!
This particular weed-filled adventure typically starts at a private lounge, where you’re given a rundown on the local dispensary deals and specialties to get you up to speed on what you should consume. From there, you take a little shopping trip to get your goods and then head back to the private lounge to indulge.
guides, which elevates this experience to levels you can’t find elsewhere.
Before you head out, though, you should know that this tour spans about 2.5 miles total, so you will need to be ready to get your steps in. (Yeah, we said it.) But don’t feel like you have to be in excellent shape to join in. This tour is mellow as heck, taking a snail’s (or stoner’s) pace as you walk past the 10 or so murals on the list.
In other words, you’re walking, but you’ll have plenty of time to take in the sights with your glazy stoner eyes and learn about one of the coolest districts in the state.
Cultivating Spirits’ 3-Course Cannabis Pairing Dinner
Location: Varies/Denver area
Price: $135 to $249 per person party size ranging from 4-24
Food and weed go together like, well, food and weed. We don’t know! All we know is that we love to stuff our faces with food — all food, from fancy fine dinners to cheap ol’ frozen pizza — when we’re blazed. And if you’re a cannabis connoisseur, so do you.
Well, you don’t have to do that from your couch anymore. You can join the rest of the world (or four or more of your closest stoner friends) with the Cultivating Spirits’ 3-Course Cannabis Pairing Dinner, the finest and stoniest dinner in the West.
The goal of this danky dinner party is to teach you the importance of becoming a cannabis connoisseur — all while enjoying the most excellent food and conversation as you blaze your bud. That’s right; no infusion here! You smoke your goods while eating.
What makes this food tour especially awesome is that you aren’t just eating any food, though. You’re eating food prepared for you by amazing executive chefs, which is prepared to pair with the night’s greenery selections. And, you’ll get your own cannabis sommelier to do so.
Wait, wait. Don’t start booking your experience just yet, though. There’s more to tell you!
Not only will you be eating food and smoking weed that is hand-selected to pair well together, but you’ll be able to do so at your own abode or rental property. That’s right; the party literally comes to you. You’ll get your cannabis sommelier, your executive chef, and your serving staff all delivered to your casa. Good lord, you’re fancy.
During your dinner party, your crew will pair three different strains of cannabis with three different dishes, which are selected to harmonize and enhance one another.
And, this dinner party is great for newbies and veteran smokers alike, as it’s completely up to you how much you consume while the cannabis sommelier guides you through the tasting notes of the flower and the food — and just like a wine sommelier, elaborates on how the weed and food will enhance each other. They’ll even advise you on how to identify the type of high you’ll have before you smoke by teaching you how to recognize certain aspects of cannabis. It’s like a crash course in the very best things in life.
The cannabis dinner includes:
– A cannabis dejur inspired 3-course
gourmet meal utilizing local, fresh and organic ingredients when possible
– A private executive chef
– A private cannabis sommelier
– A cannabis pairing educational
demo on the importance of becoming a Cannabis Aficionado. = – Learn how to consciously consume Cannabis
– Culinary demonstration for each course
– The cannabis table setting
– A gift for everyone
– Setup and cleanup
– An exclusive dispensary experience
(but due to state laws, Cultivating Spirits can not provide any cannabis. You will be responsible for picking up the cannabis that they will pre-arrange for you).
Cannabis Massage Therapy Location: Metro area of Denver, CO Price for in-studio massage:
60 min: $115 Per Person
75 min: $145 Per Person
90 min: $165 Per Person
Price for in-room massage:
60 min: $130 Per Person
75 min: $160 Per Person
90 min: $190 Per Person
Free your body and your mind. No, seriously. You can free your body and your mind from all of the stress you’re carrying around by booking some cannabis massage therapy, which truly is a thing.
If you’re into massages and getting stoned, this is the combo you’ve been looking for. And, you can indulge in it at the massage studio or in the comfort of your own home or hotel room, so it’s even better than you expected.
Whatever location you choose, a trained massage therapist will help you unwind using a variety of all natural cannabis-infused lotions — which means you’ll get that good, good pain relief and relaxation from just the topical application alone. No ingesting necessary — so it’s great for you newer imbibers and cannabis-wary folks (though you may be sold on the beauty of cannabis after this one, so prepare yourself for stoner territory).
Buds & Beers: An Elevated Brewery Tour
Location: Denver, CO
Price: $89 per person
Who doesn’t love beer? Not I, said the cat. And who doesn’t love bud? Not us, said the DGO staff. We love both beer and weed, and when you combine the two? Well, friends. It’s absolute perfection.
And that’s precisely what Bud & Beers: An Elevated Brewery Tour does. It combines the best of both worlds: the hoppy beers of the Front Range with the skunky stench of our favorite flower.
If you’re a fan of Colorado brews — and who wouldn’t be, as this state is known for its craft beer — you can indulge to your heart’s content as the tour ferries you from one brewery to the next while you’re ever-so-slightly blazed from your smoky ride aboard the luxury 420-friendly party bus that shuttles you.
And, there’s more. You aren’t just hopping aboard a bus to guide yourself. You’ll get an expert tour guide to give you the inside info on your route as you spark up from your seat in the back. Heck. Yessss.
The first stop on this tour is Span-galang, where you’ll take a quick tour and learn how this brewery’s delicious brews are, well, brewed.
From there, you’ll head to Whole Meds dispensary, which is a favorite with locals in the RiNo District of Downtown Den-ver. You may even snag a few deals while you’re there.
Next stop is The Green Solution, where you’ll get to view the grow operation and snap a few photos of your favorite plants — and maybe even snag a few more deals on some sweet, sweet cannabis, too.
And, the last stop on your tour is Epic Brewing, located in the historic Five Points district of Denver, where you’ll indulge in a few more beers. From there, you’re free to head back to the tour’s starting point or bar- and restaurant hop in Five Points until you’ve reached your tipping point.
What you do post-tour is your business. What we’ll be doing, though, is nap-ping off all of the food, brews, and weed and then counting the days until we can do it all again.
Puff, Pass, and Paint
Location: Denver, CO
Price: Varies
Want to channel your inner artiste? Yes, we meant artiste, not artist. We’re fancy here and you know it.
Anywho, if you want to channel your inner fancy French artiste, you need to indulge at Puff, Pass, and Paint. This class is — you guessed it — a stoner art class, but you don’t need to focus on your lack of art skillz. It ain’t even about that.
It’s about kicking back, relaxing, and freeing your mind with a paintbrush, a palette, and some freaking weed. Hell yeah.
That right there is a recipe for the perfect masterpiece, and when you add in the best artsy guide on the planet, you have complete and total magic.
And we really do mean the very best artsy guide. After all, owner and teacher Heidi Keyes knows her way around some art.
She is an established landscape painter whose work has an emphasis on vibrant color and texture — and she can help you channel your inner Picasso (or maybe not Picasso; you probably like your ears where they are) with ease…and with a little bit o’ cannabis.
Heidi earned her degree in studio art from Carthage College, and she is
an internationally exhibited and collected artist. She’s known for being, well, spontaneous — and she knows just how to help you do the same with your masterpiece (and maybe your damn life; we don’t know).
Don’t let that intimidate you, though. You don’t need to be a trained painter — or even a regular cannabis user — to take this class. Painters and cannabis users of all levels are welcome to join in on this class, which is held in an intimate setting so you won’t get overwhelmed.
You won’t even need to shell out for new paint brushes to attend. All of your materials are included in the cost. Plus, cannabis consumption is encouraged on-site and a freaking rad time is guaranteed, so you really cannot ask for more.
Custom Sushi & Joint Rolling Class
Location: Denver, CO
Price: $550 per group of 3
Ooh, how about some sticky icky sushi and sativa? Or indica? Or a hybrid? Whatever you wanna smoke is cool with the folks at this sushi and joint rolling class, which teaches you how to roll the perfect sushi and the perfect joint in one class! Who knew!
Seriously. That’s what this class is: a crash course in expert rolling, and we’ve actually taken this class before and can highly recommend it. It was awesome
(though we learned that we really freak-ing suck with a knife).
What’s great about this class is that it’s small and focused, but there is no judgment. The chef and stoner who guides you through the rolling course
is well-trained and hilarious, and your classmates are almost certainly going to be just as awful at sushi rolling as you are, so there is no pressure to be awesome.
All you need to take with you is your weed. And, you’ll get the hookup on that before you ever head out.
Prior to your class, you’ll be instructed on how to pick up two grams of cannabis from the partner dispensary that this class works with — and it’ll only cost you about $2.00 total, which is a heck of a deal.
Once you’ve got your goods, your class will be held at the location of your choosing (i.e. your own abode, rental, or whatever), where you will be guided through the process of rolling the perfect cone, which is a lot harder than you’d think. Trust us. We suck at it.
After nailing (and sparking up) your hand-rolled joint, you’ll tackle the task of rolling sushi. You’ll be handed a stack of sticky rice, your nori, and some sushi fillings — which includes vegetarian options — which you’ll take on with the help of your excellent chef-slash-guide, who actually knows how the heck to roll a sushi roll.
And, since you’ll almost certainly have the dang munchies after all of that work (and all of that weed!), you’ll get to shovel that delicious, albeit wonky, sushi down your gullet if you so choose. We certainly did, and it was worth every finger we lifted.
These are skills that can come in handy well after your class is over, so this class is truly a great way to nail down a fun night of stoner antics and joint- and sushi-rolling skills. We can’t recommend it more.
The Original Colorado Cannabis Tour
Location: Denver, CO
Price: Starts at $49
Ready to party with the OG of cannabis tours? Well, that’s the Original Can-nabis Tour, which is the original gangster of these stoner-tour shenanigans.
There’s a reason tourists (and locals) love this option. You’ll get to hang out in a smoky tour bus with an entertaining guide while you make pit stops at all of the awesome weed-related hotspots in Denver.
Not sure what that means? Well, it includes a state of the art double-decker grow facility, a couple of dispensaries, and the badass glass art studio known as Illuzion Glass Gallery.
That’s right; there’s glassblowing! And you’ll get to see it live! Lucky ass you.
Whatever you do, though, just don’t try to convince your glassblowing experts that you can outdo them at their own craft. It may be tempting to try and jump in on the fun, but it isn’t even close to as easy as it looks. Trust us. We know.
City Sessions Tour
Location: Denver, CO
Price (half-day):
$500 for one half-day$650 for two half-day
$800 for three half-days + $150 per additional after the 3rd
Price (full day):
$1000 for one full day
$1200 for two full days + $200 per additional after the 2nd
Looking to get into the canna-busi-ness? Or are you interested in investing in cannabis? Well, friends, do we have the best, most awesome, and most unique tour for you.
Say hello to the Cannabis Industry Insider Tour, which is a crash course in the Colorado cannabis industry from the insiders who run it.
You’ll learn everything about Colo-rado’s weed industry, from how it started to where it’s at today — all courtesy of the experts.
On this tour, you’ll get to visit some of the highest quality cultivation facilities, extraction labs, and dispensaries in the state. You’ll learn about the business models and find out why they have achieved a longstanding place in the Colorado market — which is no easy feat, given the competition.
Oh, and there’s more. You won’t just hear about the business components of cannabis. You’ll also learn everything you need to know about the changing regulations in the industry, which is increasingly important given our state’s evolving cannabis laws.
And, you’ll also hear about what’s been proven to be successful and unsuccessful business models, how the best branding works, and more.
In other words, this tour is ideal for cannabis investors and soon-to-be cannabis insiders alike.
Want to learn about cultivation? Well, you can!
If you opt for the multi-day tour, you’ll be taken to the cultivation facilities and given a crash course in that part of the industry. But, you will have to make a time commitment to the cause, because you can’t tour multiple grows in one day. You’ll have to spread it out over a few days to prevent cross-contamination or pollination, which is extremely important to growers.
But you’ll learn all about that — and everything else related to cannabis — on this tour.
Itinerary:
– Pick up from Denver-based lodging location* OR from the City Sessions’ Office
– Cannabis business overview in the City Sessions’ Lounge
– Walkthrough a commercial grow facility to see and learn the process of cultivating cannabis from clone to cure (or its full lifecycle)
– Walkthrough a butane extraction facility to see and learn the process of making butane-extracted concentrates (wax, budder, live resin)
– Stop at a dispensary to review the business model and product line
– Second dispensary stop to review the business model (if time permits)
– Return to lodging location
Second day itinerary (or extended day):
– Walkthrough a different commercial cultivation facility
– Dispensary stops to review business models and product lines
– Walkthrough a state-of-the-art edible production facility
Loopr’s Movie Nights
Location: Denver, CO
Price: $35
What’s one of the favorite stoner community pastimes? You guessed it — getting blazed and watching a bunch of hilarious (and sometimes hilariously bad) movies.
That’s precisely what you can do on Loopr’s Movie Nights: get stoned and watch movies. This is a great way to relax while smoking a few blunts with your buddies — and it’s an especially intriguing option for out-of-towners, who aren’t able to legally consume in public or most hotels in the state.
And that’s where this Loopr Movie Night has you covered.
First conceived as a way to address the “where to smoke” question that many tourists have, this movie night is offered on a hop-on-hop-off party bus that visits dispensaries and other 420-friendly businesses along the way.
And it does so as you laugh your literal ass off watching films like “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” and “The Big Lebowski” — which sounds like an epic night to us.
Half-Baked Tour by Fly Fishing the Rocky Mountains
Location: Varies
Price: Starting at $400 per person
Want to fly fish while blazed in nature? Normally we’d tell you to get your healthy nature-loving rear end out of our lazy stoner way, but not today, friends! Not today.
You can do exactly that with Fly Fish-ing the Rocky Mountains, a tour company that doesn’t do cookie cutter things. While the main theme of this tour company is fishing, it offers the “Half Baked Tour” for weed lovers, led by the colorful Bob “Doc” Young.
On this four-hour tour (not a three-hour tour; there is no Gilligan to strand you here!), Doc will take you from Estes Park to the amazing mountains and picturesque streams and lakes to fly fish while stoned.
But don’t worry; you don’t need to be a seasoned fly fisherman to join in. On the private tour, you’ll learn to fly fish while indulging in some of Colorado’s best cannabis. It really is the trip of a lifetime, whether you’re a Colorado native or a tourist looking to get a little wild.
