Oregon

Just about Any city in Oregon West of the Cascade Mountains is a Hippy Haven. Oregon is the only state where hippies enjoy a majority at the voting booths come election time. There’s a saying going around “Hippies dont die. They just move to Oregon. During the past few years hippies have been moving to Oregon in droves because there’s employment for hippies here, and we hippies can go full out in our glad rags in public veiw with out being accosted, laughed at or put down. Oregon is a true hippy Haven.

The Cascade Range is full of small towns that have been the last refuge of the hippies since the 70ies. All of these little towns are lawless.And have a long stading hippie tradition. Towns Like Alpine, Deadwood, Falls city, Summit, Berkenfield (Near Portland), Harlan (Behind the Native American Sacred Mountain Marys Peak) Nashville (Where all the Bands just have to stop). Just grab a Map and you can find an old hippie settlement any where in the coast range.

UPDATE: Cannabis is now legal!

Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon

This wonderful getaway nestled in a very green, very magical forest deep in the Cascade range, is a must for anyone passing thru. A hippie secret for decades, it’s a great retreat, where you can treat yourself to the therapuetic springs or signup for one of their special events. You should make reservations if you plan to stay overnight or get into one of their many programs.

Tonawanda, New York


Tonawanda New York is at the western end of the old Erie Canal that was completed in 1825. A part of the town know as Goose Island was known for its bars and brothels, frequented by the canal boat men, who would often spend the winters there when the canal froze over.

Located North of Buffalo, it is within a few miles of Niagra Falls. Being just upstream this is a popular place for boating and there are marinas and dockside establishments along that stretch of the Niagra River.

Formerly a factory town, the mills have long closed and were a major effort to clean up from environmental pollution.

Columbia, Missouri

Downtown Peace Park and Peace Nook (book store).

On May 5th 1971, around 1,500 people gathered in McAlester Park and marched together for peace. Businesses closed in honor. They ended back in the park for a re-dedication ceremony: naming the space “Peace Park.” It included speeches, a rally, and then an all-night rock concert in the park. “It’s dedicated to a concept that’s not that foreign – a simple but elusive notion of peace.”

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.

Las Cruces, New Mexico

In southern New Mexico, very different from the northern part of the state, very easy going without the worries of inflated costs of living. We are surrounded by the organ mountains and within a hours drive of the Lincoln and the Gila Mountains as well as White Sands National Monument. A large sized co-op is available along with herb shops and many friendly faces. Las Cruces is a very kind place to live without the annoyance of trust fund artists like Santa Fe!

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is a pretty phun li’l town. Pretty good family. There are NO CLUBS there, so those annoying clubkids are not even present (woo-hoo!). They’ll introduce you to a real rave, which everyone should experience. Omaha also has the oldmarket which is downtown and a fun place to hang out day and night with a park to the east, the Big Slides (extreme amounts of child-like fun) on the north, the abandoned warehouses are also right near where the parties rage at night. Lots of grassroots organizations are sprouting up. Definitely worth checking out if you’re traveling through to Boulder or somewhere.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Very cool riverfront nights, locals are kind, small communes everywhere very green year round, local music scene is huge.

Wikipedia notes: “The town of Cape Girardeau was incorporated in 1808, prior to Missouri statehood. It was reincorporated as a city in 1843. The advent of the steamboat in 1835 and related river trade stimulated the development of Cape Girardeau as the biggest port on the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee.”