Virginia's best 4/20-friendly vacation destinations
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Virginia may only be part of the way toward fully legal recreational marijuana, but that's not deterring travelers looking for a 420-friendly vacation.
State of play: U.S. states that blazed the marijuana legalization trail now have a high concentration of weed-friendly vacation rentals, a new study by Upgraded Points shows.
Why it matters: Cannabis-cations are one piece of the growing multibillion-dollar weed economy — and three Virginia cities made their list of places with the "highest" concentration of weed-friendly stays.
Zoom in: Norfolk, Virginia Beach and, of course, Richmond were among the top 50 cities with vacation rentals that indicate they're 420-friendly. The results are based on data from Airbnb and Bud and Breakfast, a vacation rental site for tokers.
- Norfolk came in at No. 14 on their list, with around 17.2 weed-friendly listings per 100,000 residents. An average weed-friendly night stay there is $283 a night.
- Virginia Beach was ranked No. 32 with 11.41 listings per 100,000 people and a $286 nightly average.
- And Richmond, never to be outdone, boasts 9.15 listings per 100,000 folks and a No. 37 rank — all for an average, budget-friendly $251 a night.
The big picture: Unsurprisingly, three Colorado cities — Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs — are among those with the highest concentration of pot-friendly rentals per the study.
- Burlington, Vermont; Las Vegas; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Portland, Maine, also top the ranking.
- The list includes cities where recreational marijuana use is legal, but sales are not.
The intrigue: Columbus, where weed-friendly stays average $127 per night, is the cheapest place for toke travels, according to the study.
- A one-night stay in San Diego, Scottsdale or Phoenix — the priciest pot-friendly rental spots — costs around $300-$360+.