Here at Happy Travelers Tours we’re proud of our Tours, Itineraries and Leadership Position as Sonoma County’s premier educational cannabis tour. We’re also not the only Tour based here. In fact, Cannabis Tourism in Sonoma County is thriving!
Before we zoom in on Cannabis Tourism in Sonoma County, let’s back up a bit and look at the state of Cannabis Tourism in the State of California.
Cannabis Tourism in California
First, there are several Tour Companies operating up-and-down the state, primarily in these areas:
- San Diego and Los Angeles
- Oakland and San Francisco
- Sonoma County and Napa County
- Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity Counties
There’s not too much in the Central Valley or Sierra’s (yet), however, the opportunities for cannabis tourism in the central part of California is limited by local rules and regulations. In fact, most of the State of California is a “pot desert”.
Per Marijuana Biz Daily “Two-thirds of California municipalities prohibit marijuana businesses from setting up shop, underscoring the hurdles MJ entrepreneurs face in trying to break into the world’s largest legal cannabis market.”
The state remains a patchwork of regulations and rules, with most local jurisdictions choosing to implement their own regulatory schemes on top of state rules, so, local permits on top of state permits.
According to data from CannaRegs, a website that tracks local marijuana rule developments in the state, only 161 of California’s 482 municipalities and 24 of the 58 counties have opted to allow commercial cannabis activity of any sort.
The State has allowed the delivery of medical cannabis for many years, however, when Cannabis was legalized in the State, communities were allowed to decide, on the local level, whether or not to allow Dispensaries to operate within their boundaries.
Different Types of Cannabis Tours
Second, there are several different types of bus tours being offered, including:
- Party Buses:
- The Way It Works: You bring the stash
- What to Expect: The bus is heading to dispensaries and processing facilities and, depending on which tour you’re on, wineries or breweries
- What’s the Day Like: Party On!
- Variety Tours:
- The Way It Works: The Tour is going to visit a variety of locations
- What To Expect: On-and-Off the Bus to View/Visit
- Dispensaries, Indoor Grow Facilities and Paraphernalia retailers
- Breweries, Wineries and Dispensaries
- Dispensaries, Manufacturing Facilities and Indoor Grows
- What the Day Like: Interesting, Lots of Bus Time
- Educational Tours:
- The Way It Works: The Tour Experience focuses on educating Guests on the benefits on cannabis and works to de-stigmatize both consumption and the cannabis consumer
- What To Expect: Get Close to the Plants, Learn About Cannabis and Cannabis production from professionals and have fun!
- What the Day is Like: Adventurous, educational and nature oriented.
Lots of Rules and Regulations
Third, even though cannabis is legal in the state of California, each county and all municipalities can (and do) have separate rules and regulations in force which impact how Cannabis Tours can operate.
Cannabis Tourism in Sonoma County
According to the Sonoma Valley News, there are four Tours Operators offering Cannabis Tourism in Sonoma County as of June, 2019:
| TOUR OPERATOR | LOGO | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Emerald Tours |  | Many tours originates in San Francisco, they have cannabis-infused “cruises”, seed-to-sale tours, and a farm tour. |
| Happy Travelers Tours |  | Caters to groups and specializes in “Wine and Weed Tours” and de-stigmatizing cannabis consumption and use. Tours originate in the Cities of Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Napa and by arrangement. |
| The Sonoma County Experience |  | Most tours start in San Francisco and takes folks to a Sonoma County dispensary, brewery and winery. |
| Wine Country Weed Trips |  | This a designated-driver operation which picks up folks at hotels in the city of Santa Rosa and takes them to a dispensary and then either a Sonoma County winery or brewery, depending on guest preferences. |
Of course, there are other types of Marijuana Tours and Activities besides Bus Tours. The research we’ve been doing at Happy Travelers Tours has shown us several other ways in which cannabis tourism is flourishing.
There are:
- Walking Tours of historic places in San Francisco which focus on smoking weed
- Activities like “Puff Puff Paint” where you bring your own cannabis (BYOC) and spend an evening smoking and painting
- Indoor Grow and Processing Tours where you can visit cannabis manufacturing facilities where they grow indoor weed as well as process marijuana into various consumables
- Membership Events, like the Glowing Goddess Getaway, which takes Guests on a weekend long “Glamping” experience which focuses on all things Cannabis
- Food and Cannabis Pairings/Infused Meal events where participants eat cannabis (both THC and CBD) infused foods and/or sample different foods while pairing with different types of cannabis
- Cannabis-friendly Resorts and/or Home Rentals are also gaining popularity as destinations where you can hang out and smoke curated menu choices of artesian cannabis
It’s clear Cannabis Tourism in Sonoma County, and the State of California, is here to stay and not only is 2019 going to be a banner year, the momentum building for 2020 portends great things!
Book your Happy Travelers Tours educational adventure today! Our Wine-and-Weed Tour is our Top Rated Experience! Call 707-386-9859 or email [email protected] for more information.